'I Have Never Felt That Bad': EMT Describes Battle Against Virus

ACROSS AMERICA — For years, Garrett Hensley has responded to emergencies as an EMT in Mesa, Arizona.

Hensley works the EMS ambulance and responds to emergencies, according to an ABC-15 Arizona report. He's seen and taken care of numerous coronavirus patients since the pandemic began last March.

Now, it's the community Hensley has served for years that is helping him. Co-workers and friends of the 51-year-old have raised nearly $10,000 to help Hensley and his family, all of whom have tested positive and are recovering from severe symptoms.

"I have never felt that bad in my life. It was horrible," Hensley told ABC-15. He described the body aches, fever and low oxygen levels that have plagued him since he first tested positive for the virus a month ago.

Hensley's 25-year-old son, Nathanial, who has severe autism, was hospitalized along his side.

"They ended up calling a code on him because he ended up going into respiratory arrest, and that's how he ended up intubated," Hensley said. "It was very difficult, very difficult."

"I know this is a horrible virus," he added.

Hensley still needs oxygen and struggles to walk. But he's still hoping to return his work helping others as soon as possible.

"We want to see him back safe and healthy," said Adam Yarlott, Hensley's supervisor. "We miss his laugh a lot, his jokes a lot. It's definitely not the same at the station without him."

Read more via ABC-15 Arizona

The Latest

States that were counting on added coronavirus vaccines from a federal reserve are learning that no such reserve exists, according to a Washington Post report Friday.

The revelation comes after Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Tuesday that the federal government planned to start releasing vaccine doses that were being held in reserve so they would be available as second shots, for those who already had received their first dose.

However, available doses already had been shipped out in December — meaning nothing was being held in reserve or stockpiled, the Post said, citing state and federal officials who were briefed on distribution plans.

Second shots will still be given to those who received a first dose, because states continue to receive their regular shipments, the Post said. But local and state health officials now may have to off on their plans to increase eligibility for vaccines because allocations will not increase as expected, the report said.

"If true, this is extremely disturbing, and puts our plans to expand eligibility at grave risk," Oregon health Director Patrick Allen wrote in a letter Thursday to Azar.

In a turn of events on Friday, Azar announced his resignation as head of HHS, citing the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol and how President Donald Trump's slow response to condemn it have "tarnished" the reputation of his administration and the accomplishments of Operation Warp Speed.

Azar's resignation will be effective on Inauguration Day, the same day he would have left office without resigning.

"The attacks on the Capitol were an assault on our Democracy and the tradition of peaceful transitions of power that the United States of America first brought to the world," Azar said in his statement. "I Implore you to continue to condemn unequivocally any form of violence, to demand that no one attempt to disrupt the inaugural activities in Washington or elsewhere and to continue to support unreservedly the peaceful and orderly transition of power on January 20, 2021."

Meanwhile, despite reports of limited supply and no reserves, President-elect Joe Biden on Friday said getting 100 million shots into Americans' arms in his first 100 days in office is only the beginning of his coronavirus plan.

"You have my word: We will manage the hell out of this operation," Biden said. But he also underscored a need for Congress to approve more money and for people to keep following basic precautions, such as wearing masks, avoiding gatherings and frequently washing their hands.

Biden's Friday address came as the worldwide coronavirus death toll surpassed 2 million. More than 391,000 of those deaths have been in the United States alone.

• Biden's Virus Plan: 100 Million Shots Is Only The Beginning

The address also came just hours after Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion plan to speed up vaccines and pump out financial help to those struggling with the pandemic’s economic fallout.

During a nationwide address from Wilmington, Delaware, Biden detailed the "American Rescue Plan," which would meet his goal of administering 100 million vaccines by the 100th day of his administration and advance his objective of reopening most schools by the spring.

It would also deliver another round of direct economic aid to cash-strapped Americans. In his address, Biden proposed $1,400 checks for most Americans, which — on top of $600 provided in the most recent COVID-19 relief bill — would bring the total $2,000.

The plan would also extend a temporary boost in unemployment benefits and a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures through September.

“We not only have an economic imperative to act now, I believe we have a moral obligation,” Biden said. At the same time, he acknowledged that his plan “does not come cheaply.”

• Biden Details $1.9 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Plan

Meanwhile, a new coronavirus mutation has been found in the United States and it may already be the dominant strain in the country, researchers at Southern Illinois University have found.

According to a preliminary paper submitted for peer review, the so-called 20C-US strain accounts for about half of all U.S. cases. SUI researchers are calling it "homegrown and widespread."

Like the U.K. strain of the virus — a variant called B.1.1.7 — the U.S. strain has undergone mutations in the proteins that form the virus's spiky crown. These spike proteins help the virus attach itself to cells in the nose and can even penetrate the blood-brain barrier. It's these spike proteins that Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines program cells to replicate, creating an immune response.

The variant first discovered in the U.K. has now been confirmed in 12 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On Capitol Hill, a fourth positive coronavirus case was confirmed Thursday among lawmakers who were inside the Capitol building during the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York said he has the coronavirus, according to The Associated Press. In a statement, Espaillat said that he's isolating at home and will continue his work representing his Upper Manhattan district.

At least three other House members have tested positive after a group of representatives went on lockdown in a secure location on Capitol Hill when supporters of President Donald Trump stormed and ransacked the Capitol.

In addition, Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley said Wednesday her husband, Conan Harris, who was with her during the Capitol lockdown, tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and was showing mild symptoms.

It’s not clear where and when lawmakers caught the virus. But the Capitol’s attending physician has told House members they might have been exposed to someone in the room who had the virus.

Newest Numbers

At least 3,776 deaths and 248,007 new cases of coronavirus were reported in the United States on Friday, according to a Washington Post database. The Post's reporting shows that over the past week, new daily cases fell 7 percent, new daily reported deaths rose 13.9 percent and coronavirus-related hospitalizations are down 3.5 percent.

Currently, more than 127,235 people are hospitalized with a coronavirus-related illness in the United States, according to the Covid Tracking Project.

As of Saturday, 46 states and Puerto Rico remained above the positive testing rate recommended by the World Health Organization to safely reopen. Only North Dakota, Vermont, Hawaii, Alaska and the District of Columbia are currently below that rate. To safely reopen, the WHO recommends states remain at 5 percent or lower for at least 14 days.

As of Saturday fternoon, the United States had reported more than 23.6 million cases and more than 393,700 deaths from COVID-19-related illnesses, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Stay up to date on the latest coronavirus news via The New York Times or The Washington Post.

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