Do you think you had the coronavirus already? What would you do if you went to take an antibody test and it not only confirmed that you previously had the coronavirus but that you had three different strains of it?
Well for South Carolina resident Bob Natale, that's exactly what he says happened.
Natale spoke with ABC 15 back in April. Natale said he had more than 20 days of high fever and heavy coughing but was unable to get a coronavirus test done because his doctor didn't have any at the time.
Natale said on May 11 he went to his doctor to have a blood test done and the results confirmed what he believed to be true.
“Yeah, so I had a follow-up appointment with my doctor and he had done a blood test and at that time there was some significant ability to have tests done and this was back on May 11. So yeah, then DHEC got back to me right away and said yes I was confirmed and so my doctor said yeah so now you have the antibodies," Natale said.
Natale said he had a feeling it was the coronavirus at the time but having that confirmation was a relief.
“It was comforting to know that I had it and I have survived and came through it so I had the experiences in the background of knowing that this is what it was, it wasn't just a cold or whatever," Natale said.
Natale said battling COVID-19 was one of the toughest periods of his life and he lost several pounds.
“I lost 30 pounds in this process now I've gained back some of that now because I had lost my appetite completely it was even difficult to even put down a half a piece of toast," Natale said.
The road to recovery was a long one according to Natale, he said it took about four weeks for him to make a full recovery.
“It was truly a four-week process the first two weeks I was very sick, you know, high fever and coughing and just overwhelming coughing. It took until the third to the fourth week for the cough to stop and to feel like I was getting back to normal," Natale said.
Now that Natale feels like himself again he said it's important that people across the state follow the directions of health professionals so South Carolina can avoid another shutdown.
“I want to get back to normal. And I think we all do and I think we all have to pitch in together and I said if only half of us are doing it. It's not gonna work. Believe me, the last thing that South Carolina and Horry County need to do is shut down again. That could kill our economy. I mean just literally kill us all and that’s just horrible I mean that’s the last thing anybody would think we would want to do," Natale said.
He said wearing a mask and social distancing is crucial right now and although he doesn't think he will catch the virus again, he's still being safe when it comes to wearing one.
“I'm going with the thought that I'm not going to get it again but I'm not going to take any chances so yeah I am wearing a mask and understanding that wearing a mask on my side is more so protecting you than it is protecting me," Natale said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified seven coronavirus types. There are four common human coronaviruses and three additional viruses that infect animals and could become a new human coronavirus.
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