The Truth About Joy-Anna Duggar's COVID-19 Diagnosis

Reality TV star Joy-Anna Duggar revealed that she and her husband Austin Forsyth had COVID-19 in 2020 when she was pregnant. The Counting On star made the announcement when answering questions from fans via her Instagram story. Although she didn't specify the month of her diagnosis, she did say it was when she was still pregnant with her daughter, Evelyn. 

In March 2020, Joy-Anna announced in an Instagram post that she and her husband Austin were expecting their second child. They had previously welcomed son Gideon in February 2018. In the announcement, Joy-Anna wrote, "It's been quite the crazy journey these last few months, but we are so thankful that mom and baby are healthy!"  The former 19 Kids and Counting star later welcomed baby Evelyn in August 2020. "We have been dreaming of this day and are so happy to announce that our baby girl arrived August 21st at 2:12 p.m. weighing 8 pounds, 5 ounces and is 19.5 inches long! She has the best personality, is easy going and loves to be held!" she wrote in another Instagram post.

Although the couple appeared to be elated after the birth, the before of it wasn't always smooth sailing. In fact, having COVID-19 during pregnancy was quite the hiccup for the Duggar family member. 

Joy-Anna Duggar opens up about her symptoms

Counting On star Joy-Anna Duggar opened up about the symptoms she and Austin Forsyth had, sharing some of their symptoms, "We both had body aches, slight fever and lost our taste and smell." Even so, Joy-Anna and Austin were some of the lucky ones, sharing that they "thankfully recovered quickly." And, of course, baby Evelyn is also doing just fine. In January, Joy-Anna posted a photo of Evelyn, writing, "She's literally the easiest and happiest baby ever." 

Austin and Joy's diagnosis may not come as a surprise to many. The Daily Mail reported in January 2021 that the family has been receiving a lot of criticism recently for seemingly ignoring COVID-19 precautions and having large gatherings. They specifically pointed out Joy-Anna's baby shower, where there were reportedly over 20 maskless guests indoors. The Duggar family even posted a photo of several female family members all together from that day. 

Although some may disagree with how the Duggars handled coronavirus precautions, fans are happy that Joy-Anna and her family are now recovered and healthy!