'I Couldn't Even Move': Orange County Woman On Coronavirus Diagnosis
HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA) -- According to Johns Hopkins, coronavirus cases in the U.S. have topped 124,000 with over 1,000 people recovered, including Orange County's Yvette Paz, an Army veteran who documented her battle with the virus through a series of Facebook videos.
The 30-year-old is a survivor who wants everyone to take the pandemic seriously.
"It was very extreme. Your energy completely leaves your body. It was to the point where I couldn't even move," Paz said.
She had to be hospitalized for five days at the V.A. in Long Beach, where her doctor approached her about a trial for hydroxychloroquine, a medication often used to treat auto-immune diseases like lupus.
"It's simple to take. It's two little pills. They bring it in a little cup," Paz said.
The nation's leading authority on infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, warns people shouldn't run out and get a prescription for drugs already in short supply for patients who really need it.
"Should you try it even though you don't know it works – that's a decision between a physician and the patient," Fauci said.
The City of Huntington Beach has made Paz the face of a social media awareness campaign about coronavirus.
"I think her story really drives home the fact that coronavirus does not discriminate and anybody in our community can get it," said Bat. Chief Eric McCoy of the Huntington Beach Fire Department.
That's why it's important for people of all ages to listen to guidelines, including stay-at-home orders, maintaining good hygiene and practicing social distancing.
"It's very important. Right now in our community, we know the numbers are going to go up. They went up today compared to yesterday. They're going to continue to go up," McCoy said.
Paz says she's not sure how she contracted coronavirus but believes her job as a security supervisor at large public events may have something to do with it.
For best practices on preventing coronavirus, please monitor the CDC website.
Check out this website for updated information on cases in Huntington Beach.