It’s no secret that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected millions of people across the world, and Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth recently revealed that he and his entire family contracted the virus earlier this summer.
According to Stu Jackson of TheRams.com, the family felt the need to get tested after their live-in nanny, Krista, tested positive, and their tests revealed that both Andrew and his wife Melissa, as well as their four children and Melissa’s parents, were all positive as well:
Melissa said she experienced a sore throat, while Andrew dealt with a headache. Then, a few days later, they both lost their sense of taste and smell. One of their daughters had a high fever, while the other had a mild fever and headache. One of their sons dealt with stomach problems while the other, who has asthma, “weezed a little bit” but it lasted only 24 hours.
Out of the nine infected, though, Melissa’s father had the most harrowing experience. She said the virus “immediately was in his chest,” and he dealt with a longer-lasting fever and shortness of breath. Mike’s symptoms were so severe that Andrew had to drive him from Colorado back home to Los Angeles to take him to the hospital, where he stayed for five days and was on oxygen.
The reason the Whitworth’s decided to share their story is to encourage everyone to wear masks and stay inside so that the pandemic can pass as quickly as possible:
“You just never know where you are going to pick it up,” Melissa said during a video conference with her husband Tuesday morning. “It is everywhere.”
While Andrew feels the family took precautions, he admitted that they could’ve done even more:
“The reality is, if one of you has been in any situation where you could’ve possibly picked it up, we talked about this (that) maybe we should’ve all as a family, not necessarily out in public, worn masks when we traveled together in the car,” Andrew said. “Maybe that would’ve eliminated someone from getting it, because we were obviously around other family members and friends during this time that no one got it.”
It is good to see that the Whitworth family has recovered and are using their platform to spread the knowledge they gained through their experience.
Hopefully everyone can continue taking the necessary precautions to avoid contracting coronavirus and the pandemic can be in the rearview sooner rather than later.
