MACON, Ga. — As we've reported in the last month, The Georgia Department of Public Health is not relasing statistics on COVID-19 recoveries. That's because they aren't tracking them.
Not everyone who has the virus will get tested, so it's hard to tell how many people have actually gotten better, but in an effort to see the light at the end of the pandemic, we're sharing stories of people who have recovered from the virus.
Last month, 58-year-old Jack McAdoo flew to New York City for a motivational speaking event. He never thought that by the time he touched back down in Georgia, he'd be a coronavirus statistic.
"We went to the event. It was in a small area and we were waiting for someone to come in. It was the guy who owned the plane that flew me up, and we found out that he was sick," says McAdoo.
Two days later, the online radio host from Atlanta had to put his podcast on hold when he developed a cough.
"You dread going to sleep, because you can't sleep well," says McAdoo. "There were two nights where I had to take a hot shower just to feel good."
He tested positive in a north Georgia hospital, and for almost two weeks McAdoo says he suffered from a cough, fever, and intense body aches.
"It was around day 12 where I was just like I didn't know if my body could keep doing it, because you know you're fighting it. It's not like the flu where you know it will be over in about a week. This thing just kept coming and coming and coming. It's like, 'OK, when is this going to end?' Then one day you wake up and it's like,'Boom!' It's done. I'm serious. You wake up and it's like, there's no fever," says McAdoo.
The good news is McAdoo is one of thousands worldwide that have recovered from the virus. Of Georgia's roughly 13,000 cases, about 3.5% of people that tested positive have died.
When 13WMAZ made a post asking for people to share their stories of hope and recovery, McAdoo's Central Georgia followers encouraged him to share his.
"If you're supposed to be quarantined, make the best of it. You can walk around your neighborhood, get some air, get some exercise. Just relax," says McAdoo.
McAdoo says nearly a month after testing positive his lungs "still feel like they're healing" and he has a slight cough, but it's nothing compared to the two very intense weeks he endured while the virus ran its course.
If you've recovered from COVID-19 and would like to share your story, you can e-mail us at news@13wmaz.com, or you can message our Facebook page.
FACTS NOT FEAR | At 13WMAZ, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the coronavirus. To see our full coverage, visit our site section here: www.13wmaz.com/Coronavirus.
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