'It's Like I Died': Man Survives After 3 Months On Ventilator

BELLINGHAM, MA — Jose Orellana was surprised when he first tested positive for the coronavirus several months ago. He only got a test because other employees at the Market Basket grocery store he works at came down with the virus, according to a report from WCVB-5-Boston, and he didn't feel any symptoms for two weeks after his positive test.

That changed, however, and Orellana was rushed to the hospital. He would spend the next 112 days on a ventilator in the intensive care unit at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. Doctors weren't optimistic about his survival.

"The doctor said that it's like I died for 10 or 15 minutes," Orellana told WCVB. "The only thing I remember when they were hitting me hard in the chest, and they were saying, 'Jose, Jose, you're strong. You got to get out of this.'"

Dr. Jamel Ortoleva, one of the anesthesiologists treating Orellana at Tufts, credited Orellana's positive attitude for beating the odds, according to the news station.

"I'm so happy to see you doing well and smiling," the doctor told him.

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The Latest

As the number of coronavirus deaths in the United States ticks swiftly toward 500,000, a new study released in a respected British medical journal claims at least 40 percent of U.S. coronavirus deaths could have been prevented.

The study, published in The Lancet, compared U.S. health outcomes on the coronavirus with the weighted average of other G-7 nations. Doing so, it came to the conclusion that the United States could have saved at least 40 percent of the people who have died from COVID-19 — about 190,000 at this point — if it had performed similarly to its economic peers.

The report also offered a damning assessment of the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus, according to a Slate report.

“Instead of galvanizing the U.S. populace to fight the pandemic, President Trump publicly dismissed its threat (despite privately acknowledging it), discouraged action as infection spread, and eschewed international cooperation. His refusal to develop a national strategy worsened shortages of personal protective equipment and diagnostic tests. President Trump politicized mask-wearing and school reopenings and convened indoor events attended by thousands, where masks were discouraged and physical distancing was impossible,” the report read.

As the report makes headlines on Thursday, a new state has taken the distinction of having the most residents to die of coronavirus.

While New York previously held the distinction, data suggests it has now shifted to California.

As of Thursday, the two states are the only to record more than 45,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data, with California's number now roughly 50 ahead of New York's.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new mask-wearing guidance Wednesday, suggesting people double up on face coverings to help prevent spreading the coronavirus and contracting it themselves.

Specifically, wearing a cloth mask over a surgical mask is the best way to go, the new guidance suggests.

Experiments were conducted to assess two ways of improving the fit of medical procedure masks: fitting a cloth mask over a medical procedure mask, and knotting the ear loops of a medical procedure mask and then tucking in and flattening the extra material close to the face, the CDC wrote on its website. Each modification substantially improved source control and reduced wearer exposure, according to the report.

The new guidance comes as many Americans indicate they have no plans to ever get a coronavirus vaccine.

Skepticism toward the vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech runs widespread in the United States, according to numbers from an Associated Press-NORC poll released Wednesday.

Fifteen percent of the 1,055 poll respondents said they are certain they will not get a vaccine when one becomes available to them, and another 17 percent said they probably won't, according to the AP.

Meanwhile, those who want to get a vaccine may get to do so by April, according to the nation’s top infectious disease expert.

Speaking on NBC's "Today," Dr. Anthony Fauci on Thursday predicted the rate of vaccinations will pick up in the spring as more doses become available and more locations start administering shots.

"I would imagine by the time we get to April, that would be what I call ... open season. Namely, virtually everybody and anybody in any category can start to get vaccinated," Fauci said, according to a report by The Hill.

Two of America's most recognizable companies, Walgreens and Uber, are partnering to help speed up the vaccine rollout in minority communities across the country. The two said in a joint statement Tuesday that free rides to vaccine sites will be offered as part of a larger effort to address equity.

Vaccinations are scheduled to begin Friday in Walgreens stores for eligible people based on state and jurisdiction guidelines, and may include health care workers, people age 65 and older, and persons with pre-existing conditions.

Pilot programs of the Walgreens-Uber effort will soon begin in Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and El Paso, according to a news release.

Yet as the American coronavirus case total surpassed 27 million and COVID-19-related deaths inch closer to 500,000, a number of states are easing restrictions that were enacted to slow the virus's spread.

In Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds has lifted all restrictions, including mask-wearing, social distancing requirements and other mitigation measures, according to the Des Moines Register and other reports.

Reynolds' office did not explain why restrictions would be lifted so abruptly in a state that has struggled with the virus for months, the Register reported.

Iowa in particular has struggled with its vaccine rollout. The state is ranked last in vaccine first-dose distribution, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only 7.5 percent of Iowans have received one dose of a vaccine, KCCI reported.

In all, nearly 1 in 10 Americans have now received at least one shot, according to The Associated Press.

Newest Numbers

As of midday Thursday, the United States had reported more than 27.3 million cases and more than 472,900 deaths from COVID-19-related illnesses, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

At least 3,387 deaths and 95,796 new cases of coronavirus were reported in the United States on Wednesday, according to a Washington Post database. The Post's reporting shows that over the past week, new daily reported cases have fallen 22.8 percent, new daily reported deaths have fallen 15.1 percent and COVID-19-related hospitalizations have fallen 15.6 percent.

More than 65.9 million vaccine doses have been distributed and 44.7 million administered in the United States as of Thursday morning, according to the CDC. More than 33.7 million people have received one dose, and more than 10.4 million have received two.

Currently, 76,979 people are hospitalized with a coronavirus-related illness in the United States, according to the Covid Tracking Project.

As of Thursday, 30 states and U.S. territories remained above the positive testing rate recommended by the World Health Organization to safely reopen. To safely reopen, the WHO recommends states remain at 5 percent or lower for at least 14 days.

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

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