>>LAUREN VERNO: MORE THAN 4.3 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE CONTRACTED COVID-19 HERE IN THE
U.S. THAT IS A STATISTIC THAT
WE UPDATE YOU EVERY DAY ON HERE
ON AIR AND OF
COURSE ONLINE AND WE’VE GOT
EVERYTHING WEEKEND AT NEWS 4
JAX TO HELP KEEP EMPLOYEES
HEALTHY UCS AND SEPARATE
STUDIOS OUT IN THE NEWSROOM, WE
WEAR MASKS, BUT STILL ONE OF
OUR OWN HAS THE VIRUS. IT WAS
ABLE TO BE ISOLATED JUST TO HIM
SO REPORTER AND ANCHOR VIC
MICOLUCCI IS ONE OF THE
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE RECOVERING
FROM COVID-19 AFTER
TESTING POSITIVE. LAST WEEK SO
BIG JOINS US THIS MORNING VIA
ZOOM, VIC, YOU LOOK PRETTY
GOOD, WHICH IS REALLY GLAD TO
HEAR WE ARE SO HAPPY YOU’RE
FEELING BETTER. YOU ARE JUST A
FEW DAYS AGO.
SO CAN YOU KIND OF WALK US
THROUGH HOW LONG DID IT TAKE
BEFORE YOU HAD THOSE FOR
SYMPTOMS.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: YEAH THANK YOU
MAU SO IT’S GOOD TO BE HERE AND
FIRST OF ALL IT’S SOBERING
BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY
OTHER PEOPLE IN A SIMILAR
SITUATION THAT ARE VERY SICK
AND THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT’S
GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT BECAUSE
YOU CAN
JUST GOOGLE A CORONAVIRUS
TIMELINE ON WHEN WILL I GET
THESE SYMPTOMS BUT TO
YOUR QUESTION. I THINK THAT I
GOT SYMPTOMS ABOUT 3 DAYS AFTER
I WAS EXPOSED OR AT LEAST I
KNEW I WAS EXPOSED.
AND YOU KNOW YOU START JUST
FEELING A LITTLE BIT
OFF SOMETHING’S WRONG WITH YOUR
BODY AND THEN WITHIN A COUPLE
OF HOURS BEFORE IT HITS YOU
LIKE A TON OF BRICKS
RIGHT THERE. AND IT’S AS CLICHE
AS IT SOUNDS WERE LITERALLY
YOU’RE JUST YOU’RE SICK AND YOU
DON’T WANT TO DO ANYTHING YOU
DON’T WANT TO GO ANYWHERE.
I WAS TO A POINT WHERE I FELT
SO BAD THAT I DIDN’T EVEN
I THINK THAT I WAS GOING TO BE
ABLE TO PHYSICALLY DRIVE TO THE
OTHER SIDE OF TOWN TO GET MY
COVID-19 TEST NOW IS
ABLE TO FEEL A LITTLE BIT
BETTER DANE SOME ENERGY AND I
KNEW HOW IMPORTANT WAS TO GET
TESTED TO KNOW
FOR SURE.
>> AND I WAS ABLE TO DO THAT
GET POSITIVE TEST. YEAH AND I
MEAN ONE THING ABOUT IT YOU
TALKED ABOUT AND WHAT YOU WROTE
ON OUR ON NEWSFOURJAX DOT COM
IS THAT THAT ISOLATION WAS
REALLY DIFFICULT
FOR YOU. I WAS I WAS WONDERING
TOO DID YOU HAVE ANY OF THAT
BRAIN FOG THAT PEOPLE TALK
ABOUT.
>> ABSOLUTELY I JUST DIDN’T
FEEL MYSELF AND I
WAS WORRIED. TIME MEANT NOTHING
I HAD TO LOOK AT MY PHONE
CONSTANTLY TO SEE WHAT TIME IT
WAS WHAT DAY IT WAS
IN FACT ACTUALLY WROTE STUFF
DOWN BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE
ABLE TO
REMEMBER IT AND THAT’S PROBABLY
ONE OF THE SCARIER THINGS
MELODY BECAUSE YOU KNOW WE LOVE
TO BE WITH IT RIGHT YOU WANT TO
BE SHARPLY WANT TO BE ON TOP OF
THE SITUATION
AND THEN ALL THE SUDDEN YOU
CAN’T AND YOU’RE DOING IT ALONE
2 AND THERE’S REALLY NO SET
GUIDELINES AS FAR AS HOW TO
RECOVER FOR THIS TO TAKE
MEDICINE. I DO I GET ADDITIONAL
TREATMENT. I HAD A LOT OF
DIZZINESS AND BRAIN FOG.
IT JUST WASN’T FEELING MYSELF
FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
IT’S NOT FUN AND YOU KNOW YOU
THAT I DON’T WISH THIS UPON
ANYONE AT TALK ABOUT YOUR
SOMETIMES YOU SAID YOU GOT YOUR
FEVER WAS AT A 101.
>> AT ONE POINT YOU DID HAVE
TROUBLE BREATHING. YOU KNOW YOU
HAD EVER THE CHILLS ALL THE
THINGS THAT YOU EXPRESSED WHAT
DID YOU TAKE IT WHO DID YOU
CONSULT.
>> ALL RIGHT SO ABOUT THE
SYMPTOMS MELANIE, SO THE FIRST
BY THAT NIGHT I HAD ONE O 1.4 I BELIEVE AGAIN I WAS KIND OF IN A FOG SO TAKING PICTURES
OF MY THERMOMETER SO THAT I CAN
EVEN REMEMBER WHERE I
WAS AT I HAD THE BODY ACHES I
HAD THE SWEATS I HAD THAT SHOWS
NOTHING WAS COMFORTABLE, I
COULD
BE ANYWHERE AND THEN IT GREW TO
COUGH TO CHEST CONGESTION
SHORTNESS OF BREATH TO EVEN
STOMACH ISSUES FOR A
LITTLE BIT. I WAS TIRED I WANT
TO SLEEP ALL DAY THAT I WANTED
TO BE A HOME HI TO ME THE
ROLLER COASTER THEY ARE CHANGED
BY THE HOURS.
AS FAR AS WHAT I TOOK SO I
DID HAVE ACCESS TO SOME GREAT
PHYSICIANS AND NURSES, THEY
GAVE ME ADVICE. PHONE
OF COURSE.
BUT I START WITH US IN A MINUTE
AND
SO TYLENOL, A LOT OF WATER SOME
VITAMINS TRIED TO EAT REALLY
HEALTHY BARRY’S VEGGIES REAL
CLEAN FOOD.
I DID NOT TAKE ANY OF THE
BIG TIME CERTAINLY IT WAS
TALKED
ABOUT, BUT I DIDN’T REALLY WANT
TO GO THERE AND DEAL WITH THE
POTENTIAL SIDE
EFFECTS THERE. THIS REALLY FOR
THE MOST PART IS A VIRUS THAT
YOU HAVE TO RIDE OUT NOW THERE
ARE PEOPLE THAT HAVE TERRIBLE
SITUATIONS, I HAVE FRIENDS
THAT HAD TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL
IN FACT I HAVE BODIES THAT ARE
IN THE HOSPITAL
RIGHT NOW AND I FEEL FOR THEM
BECAUSE EVERYONE EXPERIENCES
THIS DIFFERENTLY. BUT FOR THOSE
WITH THE QUOTE UNQUOTE MILD
CASES WHICH ARE STILL PRETTY
UGLY. AND JUST RIDE
IT OUT UNFORTUNATELY, BUT YOU
DO IT ALONE AND YOU KNOW THE
WAY FROM PEOPLE BECAUSE
YOU DON’T WANT TO HURT ANYBODY
ELSE AND YOU DON’T WANT TO
SPREAD THIS THING NEEDED
FURTHER RIGHT OF
THAT RESPONSIBILITY.
>>LAUREN VERNO: SO I WANT TO
ASK YOU ONE THING IS I THOUGHT
THIS WAS REALLY INTERESTING AND
KIND OF RESONATED WITH SOME OF
THE INTERVIEWS WE’VE DONE WITH
DOCTORS, BUT YOU TEST NEGATIVE
ON MONDAY. AND NOW TUESDAY
BECAUSE
OF POSITIVE. SO THAT REINFORCES
THAT YOU KNOW IF YOU KNOW
YOU’VE BEEN EXPOSED YOU DO HAVE
TO KIND OF WAIT
IN ISOLATION, THOSE COUPLE OF
DAYS BEFORE GETTING TESTED
BECAUSE YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT
YOU’RE FINE.
>> SURE
I TESTED NEGATIVE ON TUESDAY.
I TESTED POSITIVE ON THURSDAY,
OKAY CLEAR FOR THAT CORRECTION
I TESTED NEGATIVE ON TUESDAY MORNING WITH I SAW YOU I MEAN WE BOTH HAVE OUR MASKS ON WE
KEPT THEIR DISTANCE.
BUT I THERE WAS NO REASON FOR
ME TO TEST BESIDES THE FACT
THAT WE HAD A GUEST ON THAT WAS
TALKING ABOUT RAPID TESTING AND
I WANTED TO SHOW THAT IT WASN’T
ALL THAT TERRIBLE BECAUSE A LOT
OF PEOPLE ARE QUITE FRANKLY
CONCERNED TO GET
THEIR TESTS. SO YEAH I TOOK
THAT AND I HAD HEARD FROM DAY
ONE FROM THESE DOCTORS AND
MEDICAL EXPERTS
JUST BECAUSE YOU GET A NEGATIVE
TEST DOESN’T MEAN YOU HAVE A
CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH IT DOESN’T
MEAN THAT YOU’RE NOT GOING TO
DEVELOP SOMETHING
SO YEAH, YOU KNOW IRONICALLY
SADLY UNFORTUNATELY
VERY QUICKLY AFTER TAKING THAT
TEST I IT
DID CHANGE. BUT YOU KNOW YOU
HAVE TO GO BACK TO KEEPING 6
FEET APART FROM PEOPLE. WASHING
YOUR HANDS WIPING DOWN ANY SURFACES THAT YOU’RE ON BECAUSE I FIRMLY
BELIEVE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO
KEEP IT TO JUST ME MY
COLLEAGUES WERE SAFE.
2 OR 3 FRIENDS THAT I
HAD SEEN WERE SAFE. THANK GOD.
MY FAMILY WAS SAFE, I WAS
WORRIED ABOUT THEM. I TOOK MY
DAD OUT TO DINNER ON SUNDAY
NIGHT. I HUNG OUT WITH
MY MOM SAYING I WANT YOU KNOW
THAT’S REALLY WHAT SCARED ME,
THEY’RE WRAPPING ME BUT I DO I
DO WANT TO ASK ONE QUESTION
BECAUSE I THOUGHT THIS WAS
INTERESTING YOU KNOW YOU POSTED
THIS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, IT’S ON
NEWS 4 JAX
DOT COM.
>> AND THE POLITICS SURROUNDING
THESE FIRES ARE REAL SO YOU’VE
GOT SOME BACKLASH. DID YOU
EXPECT THAT FROM THE GENERAL
PUBLIC.
>> OBVIOUSLY I THINK THAT YOU
AND I BOTH WORK IN THIS
INDUSTRY AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT
THERE’S GOING TO
BE BACKLASH. AND PEOPLE ARE
GOING TO MAKE YOU FEEL BAD FOR
BEING SICK AND YOU CAN’T DO THAT YOU CAN’T MAKE PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY’RE A BAD PERSON
FOR HAVING THIS VIRUS,
YOU KNOW. I WAS CAREFUL, YOU
KNOW I I WASN’T GOING OUT.
AND PARTYING IT WASN’T
GOING TO EVENTS WITH PEOPLE YOU
KNOW I KEPT MY DISTANCE YOU
KNOW ALWAYS KEPT A
MASS CANDY. I THINK THAT ABOVE
THE BACKLASH IS ALL OF THE
POSITIVE REACTION THAT I’VE
GOTTEN FROM
PEOPLE SAYING. I WAS IN THE
HOSPITAL FOR 3 WEEKS WITH THIS
I STILL FEEL TERRIBLE.
MY LOVED ONES ARE SICK WE’RE
DEALING WITH THIS AND IT’S DAY
ONE. THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME
SOME SORT OF
STORY HERE. SOMEBODY SAID THEY
LOST THEIR SISTER WHOSE ONLY 30
YEARS OLD NOW I’M IN CONTACT
WITH THEM THAT BREAKS MY HEART
AND THERE’S SO MANY PEOPLE IT
SAID I WAS SCARED TO SPEAK OUT
BECAUSE OF.
YOU KNOW WHAT SURROUNDS THIS
VIRUS AND NOW I FEEL LIKE I CAN
I THINK THAT’S SUCH A GOOD
POINT BECAUSE I THINK SOME
PEOPLE MAY BE A LITTLE
EMBARRASSED.
>> BUT TO BE ABLE TO GET THE
STORY OUT THERE
KNOWING THAT YOU KNOW YOU WANT
PEOPLE TO KNOW WHAT IT WAS LIKE
AND THAT THERE’S NOTHING TO BE
EMBARRASSED
ABOUT SO WE ARE KEEPING YOU IN
OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS AND WE
HOPE YOU CONTINUE TO GET BETTER