Vanessa Hudgens has publicly apologised for her viral ‘insensitive’ coronavirus comments

Coronavirus was announced to be a pandemic last week, with a total of 1,543 cases confirmed in the UK alone – although the actual number of UK cases is thought to be up to 50,000.

The government has issued precautionary guidelines to follow in order to control the outbreak, with high profile names being among those to speak out about the virus.

One A-lister made news for all the wrong reasons however as actress Vanessa Hudgens posted an Instagram video that viewers found insensitive.

‘Umm, yeah, 'til July sounds like a bunch of bullshit,’ Vanessa explained of the potential timeline for being quarantined. ‘I’m sorry, but like, it's a virus, I get it, like, I respect it, but at the same time I'm like, even if everybody gets it, like yeah, people are going to die, which is terrible but like, inevitable?’

Her video comments went viral, with angry viewers calling it ‘insensitive’.

Vanessa responded to the criticism with an apologetic statement, calling the backlash ‘a huge wake up call’ and asking everyone to ‘stay safe’.

‘Hey guys, I’m so sorry for the way I have offended anyone and everyone who has seen the clip from my Instagram live yesterday,’ she explained in the statement. ‘I realize my words were insensitive and not at all appropriate for the situation our country and the world are in right now.’

The statement continued: ‘This has been a huge wake up call about the significance my words have, now more than ever. I’m sending safe wishes to everyone to stay safe and healthy during this crazy time.’