One of 4 Biloxi firefighters with COVID-19 says it’s like the ‘worst flu in the world’
Biloxi Firefighter Cameron Harris thought he had a sinus infection at first, but it turned out to be COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
He had the sniffles and a dry cough, but no fever at first, so he thought it was the high pollen messing with sinuses, or at worst, the flu.
Soon, the 37-year-old who is usually in good health was having trouble catching his breath.
Harris, a firefighter in Biloxi for nearly five years, reached out to healthcare providers to share his symptoms when his fever started to spike.
That was over two weeks ago, when he first started feeling bad. Over the days that followed, his temperature would spike off and on to as high as 103 degrees.
Harris is now one of four Biloxi firefighters to test positive for the coronavirus.
“It’s just like you’ve had the worst flu in the world, and your taste buds are shot, ” he said. “There were three of four days there where it had me so down and out that I thought I felt pretty good after that. I feel a lot better today, but I’m nowhere near 100%.”
Now, his wife, Paige, has the same symptoms and he’s almost certain she, too, has the virus. She’s consulting with a healthcare provider and will likely be tested herself.
Harris is just hoping their son, Jaxon, 13, doesn’t catch it, too.
In the meantime, Harris and his wife are self-isolating at home, mostly in their bedroom, and their son is staying in his upstairs bedroom away from his parents.
Harris doesn’t know where he caught the virus, but said he was one of those people who didn’t really take the coronavirus that seriously at first.
Now, he has some advice for others:
“If you don’t have to leave the house, there is no point in going out right now,” he said. “I would just stay at home and try to protect yourself and your family. It seems like the sooner everyone does that, we will all be better off.”
He said he also couldn’t imagine suffering from the same virus if he had a compromised immune system.
“If your breathing gets that bad, you could end in the hospital,” he said. “Just stay home.”
Since he’s been sick, Harris has kept up with his fellow firefighters fighting coronavirus and believes all them are on the road to recovery.
