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Houston man has COVID19 for 2 months
FOX 26 Reporter Matt Seedorff talks with a man who has been sick with the coronavirus for 50 days.
HOUSTON - Since March 19th, Christian Bermea has been battling coronavirus COVID-19 from his Houston-area apartment.
According to the 26-year-old, he tested positive for COVID-19 again on April 13th and May 1st. While he doesn’t feel as sick as he originally did more than 50 days ago, Bermea says he does still have some symptoms.
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“I’m ready for it to be done,” said Bermea. “I definitely feel a lot better than I did at the beginning, but I’m still not at 100 percent. My smell isn’t as good as it used to be, fatigue, and shortness of breath.”
Despite not having a fever in several days, Bermea has continued self-isolation.
“Fifty-two days and counting,” said Bermea. “This virus isn’t just a physical process, it’s a mental one too. You’re almost stuck with your thoughts. I’m scared because there’s still a virus inside me.”
We brought Bermea’s questions to Dr. Eric Sandberg from Kelsey-Seybold Clinic. We asked Dr. Sandberg, if he thinks Bermea is still contagious without a fever, and 52 days after his initial positive COVID-19 test.
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“A patient like this raises many questions,” said Dr. Sandberg. “A positive test does not mean you’re able to infect other people. It means you have part of the genetic code in your body.”
More than 30,000 people in Texas have tested positive for COVID-19. So far, roughly half of those infected are estimated to have recovered.
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We asked Dr. Sandberg if he worries about COVID-19 patients returning to their normal lives too soon.
“The way to answer that question is for us to find out how long someone can transmit the virus,” Dr. Sandberg responded. “I don’t think we have that information available yet.”
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Bermea says he plans to get tested again for COVID-19 later this week. If the results are positive, he says he’ll likely wait another month before taking another test.
“Even if it comes back positive, and you feel like you can’t infect anyone else, it’s better to play it safe than sorry,” said Bermea.