CEDARVILLE, Ohio — At his press briefing on Thursday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine had a special guest to discuss his recent bout with the coronavirus (COVID-19). Joining DeWine via video, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie detailed his experience battling the virus and issued a blunt message regarding the seriousness of the pandemic.
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"I thought I was safe and I was wrong," Christie said.
Christie went on to explain that while he had been wearing a protective mask for the first seven months of the pandemic, he recently became more relaxed in his use. That resulted in Christie, who had been advising President Donald J. Trump in his debate prep, contracting the virus, around the same time President Trump and several members of his administration contracted it during an outbreak earlier this month.
Christie, who has been asthmatic since he was 13-years-old, wound up spending a week in the hospital and ultimately spent time in the ICU. He also experienced symptoms including a headache, fever and chills.
While Christie admitted on Thursday that he had grown tired of several of the precautionary measures associated with the coronavirus, he warned that they're much more preferable to actually contracting the virus.
"There's no place to hide from this virus if you're not going to take the common-sense steps that the CDC and NIH have recommended to us," he said. "Don't let your guard down. It's not worth it."
Christie also detailed his experiences battling the coronavirus in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal titled "I Should Have Worn a Mask."
Christie's comments come as coronavirus numbers in Ohio continue to surge. In his opening remarks, DeWine stated that for anybody who was waiting for the pandemic to become "serious" before following safe practices, now is the time.