ABC13 spoke with Anthony Williams, who tested positive and is now recovering from the variant.
“I just couldn’t breathe. I felt so awful that I didn’t know that if I close my eyes, I’ll wake up the next day,” said Williams. “A combination of fear and just trying to be proactive. Something said, ‘Just get up and go to the emergency room.’ ”
Williams is a preacher, teacher and veteran who survived an injury in an explosion and was shot on the battlefield in Iraq.
Frankly, COVID-19 and its variants is worse than that [the injuries]because it’s a very difficult situation not to know if your next breath is your last breath, ”said Williams.
He said he has since made a full recovery.
“What people need to focus on is getting vaccinated and being protected from all the strains out there right now,” said Robert Atmer, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine. “And maybe we should give boosters. We don’t know yet. I think a lot of people predict that it will be necessary.”
In Harris County, the health department has only found the British variant of the virus.
However, that doesn’t mean the others aren’t around. The health department says residents still need to be wary.
RELATED: Houston health officials are using new techniques to detect COVID-19 variants
The Houston Health Department has been analyzing wastewater in various parts of the city for the past year to detect COVID-19.
Last week, the British variant was found in very low concentrations in multiple wastewater samples. The variant from Brazil has not been found at all in our area.
Dr. David Persse said no one has ever done this before, and it’s a new science they’re still trying to unravel.
“So this is really no surprise. We’re hoping to get a better idea of how much it spreads across the community. Again, it’s not going to be very specific, but it’s pretty sensitive, so we’re getting an early warning,” he said. “While we may not be able to determine anything, at least we will know what is likely to happen.”
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