3News investigator Rachel Polansky Skyped with a coronavirus patient from his hospital bed.
55-year-old Kevin Harris says he is Ohio’s fifth confirmed case. He lives in Warren in Trumbull County.
He was admitted last Sunday and tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday.
“How are you doing?” 3News Investigator Rachel Polansky asked Harris.
“Ever since I was a kid and someone would ask that question, I’d say wonderful. I almost said wonderful but you know I’d be lying. I feel horrible,” said Kevin Harris.
In their 35 minute conversation, Harris spoke to Rachel in a hospital bed with an oxygen hose in his nostrils.
“Some people watching are scared. What is your advice for them?” asked Polansky.
“People need to stay away from other people. They call it social distancing - I say just be anti-social. Just stay away from other people,” said Harris. “This thing is deathly dangerous. Treat everybody like it’s the Zombie Apocalypse. Don’t trust nothing anybody touches.”
For Harris, it all started with a cough. He said he never had a sore throat or runny nose.
“Understand if you do get it, don’t sit at home in denial like me. I thought I had the flu. Even when I couldn’t walk I said, ‘Wow, the flu is killing me.’ It was not the flu,” said Harris.
Harris said he is feeling better but he’s not out of the woods yet.
Polansky also asked Harris if he had any previous health issues. Harris said he had a congenital birth defect.
“How do you think President Trump has handled the pandemic?” Polansky asked Harris.
“Frankly, I think President Trump is doing a helluva job,” said Harris. “He doesn’t have all the answers but he’s putting people together to find the answers. I don’t have to be a Trump fan to know that man is worried about his country.”
“Governor DeWine has really been ahead of the curve here in Ohio, putting restrictions in place. How do you think Governor DeWine has handled the pandemic?” Polansky asked Harris.
“I don’t know why he has taken it so seriously but he’s listening and he gets it. He understands how important it is,” said Harris. “Governor DeWine, he is doing exactly everything that needs to be done.”
Harris has four children. He says he’s been talking with them on the phone and on Facebook.
He misses his children, and he misses his dog, Max.
“I got a havapoo. He’s half havanese, half poodle. His name is Max. He’s a big ball of black fur. He’s adorable,” said Harris.
After spending a week in the hospital, Harris says he has a new appreciate for doctors and nurses.
“These people are heroes,” said Harris. “I can’t tell you how many times I cry telling them not to come in here because they’re putting themselves at risk. They tell me this is what we do.”
Harris posted a public video on his Facebook page Friday night, showing a hospital worker next to him wearing protective gear.
“I had to wait and make sure I wasn’t going to die before I was on Facebook,” Harris said in the video.
Continued Coverage:
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