BIRD ISLAND, Minn — In the wake of Minnesota's first COVID-19 related death and 137 confirmed cases as of Saturday, leaders with MDH are urging Minnesotans not to let down their social distancing guards just yet, as numbers continue to climb.
"I think the bottom line is that there is a lot of COVID-19 circulating in Minnesota and that's why its so important that people take the community mitigation measures seriously," said MDH Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann in a conference call Saturday.
68-year-old John O'Neill says he is one of those confirmed cases, and knows firsthand the impacts the virus is having on human health.
"I'm the person that should've gotten deathly sick from it, but I didn't, I don't know why," said O'Neil.
For O'Neill it all started after returning to his home on Bird Island from a trip to Rancho Mirage California on March 3.
"We'd gone out to supper, we'd gone to a couple movies there and they were reporting their first two cases of coronavirus," said O'Neill.
Within four days he says body aches and a low-grade fever kicked in.
"I was running a temperature, it was just like the flu," said O'Neill.
O'Neill, who has a number of underlying health issues, reached out to his primary care doctor who ordered he be tested as his health began to decline.
"Its kind of like getting hit in the face with a fist," said O'Neill.
Within a matter of two days after heeding strict doctor's orders to stay home O'Neill says he was fortunate enough to bounce back.
"You don't have to be very sick to have the coronavirus, it hits everybody different," said O'Neill.
The global pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 11,000 people around the world, and if there's one thing O'Neill wants people to take away from his experience, it's to simply stay home.
"People if you're not feeling well or any hint if you might have had it even if you don't know if you were exposed or not, you really don't [know], but stay home til we get through this." said O'Neill.
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The state of Minnesota has set up a hotline for general questions about coronavirus at 651-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3903, available 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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