CNN's Chris Cuomo says his coronavirus fever got so bad, he hallucinated seeing his dead father

CNN host Chris Cuomo, who tested positive this week for coronavirus, revealed Wednesday night that his fever got so bad he hallucinated seeing his late father. Cuomo, the younger brother of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, has been self-isolating in his basement to avoid infecting his wife and kids.

The 49-year-old shared his experience battling coronavirus — from body aches and shivering to a fever so severe he was hallucinating. 

"Never had anything like it," Cuomo said in his opening remarks on his show, "Cuomo Prime Time." "I totally get why so many are so scared all over this country." 

His 103-degree fever felt "like somebody was beating me like a piñata," he said, adding that he shivered so much that he chipped a tooth.  

The symptoms took a troubling turn overnight Tuesday, Cuomo said, when he saw a vision of his father, former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, who died in 2015. 

"I'm telling you I was hallucinating." he said. "My dad was talking to me. I was seeing people from college, people I haven't seen in forever. It was freaky what I lived through last night, and it may happen again tonight."

Ribbing between the Cuomo brothers has been among the memorable stories during the coronavirus pandemic. Cuomo joined his politician brother at a news conference via video call on Thursday, saying he was feeling better even as he was battling the fever. He told his brother that he saw him the other night, too. 

"I had the hallucination seeing Pop," Chris Cuomo said. "You came to me in a dream. You had on a very interesting ballet outfit and you were dancing in the dream. And you were waving a wand and saying, 'I wish I could wave my wand and makes this go away.' And then you spun around and you danced away."

The New York governor also offered his share of teasing, but continued to give props to his sibling. "I've never been prouder of you than I am right now," he said. "I love you, everybody loves you, this is going to be fine."

While showing an unflattering photo of his brother Wednesday, Governor Cuomo praised him during a news conference for continuing to host his show despite his illness. The younger Cuomo later responded on his show.

"What am I going to do, sit around all day and watch that there's not the right information being given still?" Cuomo told his viewers. "That we're letting states make choices about whether or not they do they do the only single thing that can make a difference? Nobody can sit on the sidelines right now — least of all somebody who's been blessed with a platform to talk to you about it." 

"I'm lucky," he added. "No matter how my journey goes with coronavirus. I want you to think about everybody who isn't as lucky as I am who are dealing with this thing and ten times worse, especially after what I learned last night." 

In:
• COVID-19
• Chris Cuomo