(CNN) — Covid-19 was the last thing on his mind when he went to a crowded bar in Scottsdale, Arizona, Jimmy Flores said.
“We were on the way to reopening, and we really didn’t care about the covid, to be honest,” Flores said.
Two days later, he woke up with a high fever and body sores, Flores told CNN’s Erin Burnett. A week later, she was in the hospital, where she was put on a breathing tube during her week-long stay.
Arizona has been one of the most affected areas in the pandemic recently, with cases on the rise. The state now has at least 84,093 people infected, compared to 46,689 reported on June 19.
That night at the bar, Flores said he was there with friends and “we were just enjoying our lives at that time,” he said.
The bar was packed with between 300 and 500 people, Flores said.
But days later, when the fever appeared, “it was pretty bad. I knew something was wrong, “said Flores. Days later, his covid-19 test had come back positive.
READ: A 23-year-old girl took precautions and still got coronavirus in Texas
The cough started when he took a deep breath, Flores said.
“In 24 hours I couldn’t breathe without fear for my life,” he said.
Before catching the virus, Flores said he was active, went to the gym, and had no pre-existing conditions.
“I would never have imagined in a million years that I would contract this virus the way I did,” becoming seriously ill about a week later, Flores said.
“When I decided to go to the hospital, I also decided to make this message public, because I knew I had made a mistake,” Flores said.
– .
