The actor and his wife, Rita Wilson, praised Australian healthcare workers and cautioned about how serious the virus can be

Tom Hanks, the actor who has tested positive for Covid-19 while shooting in Australia, has updated fans on the condition of himself and his wife, Rita Wilson.

He thanked the Australians “taking such good care of us” in a Gold Coast hospital and emphasised again that the couple were in self-isolation. Adopting a slightly more sober tone than in his post on Thursday announcing that he and Wilson, both 63, had tested positive for coronavirus, Hanks said: “There are those for whom it could lead to a very serious illness. We are taking it one day at a time.”

The actor continued with a plea for people to do all they can to limit the spread of the disease and look out for others. “There are things we can all do to get through this by following the advice of experts,” he wrote, “and taking care of ourselves and each other, no?”

Hanks concluded with a reference to one of his oft-quoted lines in the film A League of their Own: “Remember, despite all the current events, there is no crying in baseball.”

Production on the Elvis Presley biopic on which Hanks was working has been suspended.

On Thursday, Hanks said that they had been feeling “a bit tired, like we had colds and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too.”

The pair had already conducted a substantial number of engagements before they were tested and self-isolation measures have been taken by some of those they encountered while they might have been asymptomatic, including the hosts of chatshow Today Extra.