BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker is begging folks across Massachusetts to not travel or gather with people outside their own household for the holidays.
Baker warns that people not taking precautions could potentially cause a major surge in COVID cases, similar to Thanksgiving.
Boston 25 News revisited the stories of two Massachusetts residents who recovered from COVID-19 in 2020 ahead of Christmas and New Year’s.
Both are sharing their experience with the virus to articulate how serious it can be, even for people who are healthy.
“I was sick for a long time. I mean like six weeks. The worst I’ve ever felt,” said 26-year-old Kara VanGuilder. “Eight months after I had COVID, I still do not have my smell and taste back 100 percent.”
Kara VanGuilder first tested positive in mid-March. It took her five coronavirus tests and more a month to be cleared from quarantine.
“Just scrolling through my timeline and seeing people hanging out with each other, I’m like you’re going back to your family members. That is so dangerous,” said VanGuilder.
The TSA screened 1,064,629 people at U.S. airport checkpoints across the country on Sunday.
64-year-old North Shore eye surgeon Nafis Chowdhury, who ended up on a ventilator in April, also worries that many aren’t taking it seriously.
“It’s so bad, you cannot imagine it at all,” said Chowdhury. “It’s a hidden enemy that you cannot see. This is a virus that’s like death.”
Chowdhury, who is in relatively good health, found himself sedated and on a ventilator days after coming down with the virus. At one point, doctors warned his family that he may not pull through.
“Coming off the ventilator, I felt how bad it is and how much time it takes to recover,” he said. “I couldn’t get food. I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t go to the restroom. I couldn’t talk normally for a while.”
Chowdhury told Boston 25 News he feels better now than he did before after focusing on his health for months.
He said he feels lucky to have survived and credits diligent doctors at Mass General Hospital for his positive outcome.
“I feel for the many scenarios of people who have lost their grandfather, father, son or daughter,” added Chowdhury. “There should be no parties, no gatherings, no nothing for the time being until we can control the virus.”
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