ABC13 spoke to Anthony Williams, who tested positive and is now recovering from the variant.
“I just could not breathe. I felt horrible to the point that I did not know I would wake up the next day if I closed my eyes,” Williams said. “A combination of fear and just trying to be proactive. Something said, ‘Just get up and go to the emergency room.’
Williams is a pastor, teacher and veteran who survived an injury during an explosion and was shot on the battlefield in Iraq.
“Honestly, for me COVID-19 and its variants are worse than [the injuries]”Because it’s a very difficult situation not to know if your next breath is your last,” Williams said.
He said he had fully recovered in the meantime.
“What people need to focus on is getting vaccinated and protected from all the strains that are currently there,” Baylor College of Medicine professor Robert Atmer said. “And we will eventually have to give boosters. We do not know yet. I think a lot of people predict that it will be necessary.”
In Harris County, the Department of Health found only the British variant of the virus.
However, this does not mean that the others are not in the area. The health department says residents still have to wait.
RELATED: Houston Health Officials Use New Techniques to Detect COVID-19 Variants
The Houston Department of Health has been analyzing wastewater in various parts of the city over the past year to detect COVID-19.
Just last week, the British variant was found in very low levels in multiple wastewater samples. The variant of Brazil has not yet been detected in our area at all.
Dr. David Persse said no one has ever done that, and it’s a new science they’re still trying to unravel.
“So it’s not a surprise. What we hope to do is get a better idea of how much it’s spreading through the community. Again, this would not be very specific, but it’s pretty sensitive.” so we’ll get an early warning, ‘he said. “While we may not be able to determine anything, we will at least know what is likely to happen.”
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