The vast majority of COVID-19 patients survive the illness, including many who are considered vulnerable due to immune system issues or conditions like diabetes.
Angela, a Concord woman diagnosed with coronavirus after returning from a Mexican cruise aboard the Grand Princess talked about what it was like.
“You’re freezing cold one minute,” Angela said. “You’re hot the next minute… It’s just literally like you got run over by a truck. Just to get up to go to the bathroom was a chore.”
Having a condition with her immune system put Angela in a high-risk group for complications.
“It was kind of scary, because it was like where is this going,” she said.
But she said the loving support of her family and a lot of bed rest helped her recover and avoid the hospital.
Rico Ramirez of San Francisco, another coronavirus survivor, said he doesn’t know how he became infected.
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“I’m just happy to be alive,” Ramirez said. “You know, I’m so grateful for everything.”
Ramirez spent 10 days in a Bay Area hospital COVID-19 unit with oxygen tubes helping him breathe.
Unlike Angela, Ramirez was isolated from family and friends and had to draw on inner strength to survive.
“I thought I was going to die, the entire time alone,” he said. “I thought every day I was in there that I was going to die in a room by myself.”
“Every day I tried to stay positive,” Ramirez continued. “I broke down a lot and there was just no one there ever.”
Ramirez said he knows he could have died, and he wants others to heed the warnings about the virus.
“…keep the distance from each other,” he said. “Wash your hands.”
