Hillsong New York pastor Carl Lentz tests positive for coronavirus

Hillsong NYC pastor Carl Lentz(Photo: Hillsong)

Hillsong New York pastor Carl Lentz has spoken about how having coronavirus left him "feeling so bad". 

Lentz, who is a good friend of pop star Justin Bieber, told his Instagram followers that the virus "took him out". 

"I started feeling so bad," the 41-year-old said.

"I got my test. It came back positive."

The pastor said his team "got hit pretty hard" as he urged people to take the pandemic seriously. 

He also revealed that even though he's on the mend now, he's not yet a hundred per cent. 

"I'm fine, I'm good," he said. 

"Let me tell you something. It is definitely real ... the symptoms are so real. It's kind of like a flu times 50 ... still don't feel like myself ... I look forward to getting my energy back."

He continued, "My breath is a lot shorter. Fatigue is a lot quicker. My advice to people is, try to take this as seriously as you can."

Hillsong NYC closed over the weekend after Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a statewide lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus. 

At least 85,000 people have been infected in the US but New York is the worst affected state, with over 37,000 cases, including more than 23,000 in New York City. 

During his Instagram Live, Lentz was speaking with fellow Pastor Judah Smith, who asked people to pray for him and his family as he continues to recover.