Dancing with the Stars champion Nyle DiMarco thinks he may have contracted the coronavirus, but chose to stay home rather than get a test if it meant helping someone who's a lot more ill.

The deaf model, who is 30, revealed on his Twitter feed that he began experiencing a spiked fever, chills, sore throat and a mild cough – all symptoms of the virus – as well as a lack of smell and taste starting last Sunday. He said he texted his doctor and kept himself on self-quarantine while keeping an eye out for any respiratory problems. He says he's recovering but remains in isolation.

"I'd really like to stress the importance of testing," he signed on social media. "Of course testing is critical and it's been proven in some countries like South Korea to greatly help the efforts of combating Coronavirus. In a perfect world I would take that test. However, the U.S. lacks enough test kits for everyone. if you are healthy and if you have no respiratory issues I strongly encourage you to be mindful of sick patients and allow them to get tested if they need it more than you do. And please stay home."

He ends his message by saying, "we're all in this together. Let's do it."

Before he competed on DWTS, DiMarco was the second male winner – and first deaf winner – of America's Next Top Model in 2015. He and Peta Murgatroyd won the Mirror Ball trophy during season 22 of DWTS.

For the latest information on coronavirus (COVID-19), including how to protect yourself and what to do if you think you are sick, please visit coronavirus.gov.