>>LAUREN VERNO: MORE THAN 4.3 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE CONTRACTED COVID-19 IN THE U.S., BUT NOW
THAT NUMBER IS HITTING CLOSER
TO HOME THAN EVER FOR US HERE
IN NEWS
4 JAX. REPORTER AND ANCHOR AND
MY WONDERFUL
CO-WORKER VIC MICOLUCCI AS ONE OF THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE NOW RECOVERING FROM COVID-19 HE
TESTED POSITIVE
LAST WEEK. HE JOINS US THIS
MORNING BACK YOU’RE LOOKING WAY
BETTER THAN YOU WERE A FEW DAYS
AGO HOW ARE YOU FEELING TODAY.
>> HEY LAUREN THANKS FOR CHECKING IN AND I APPRECIATE YOU CALLING ME AND TEXTING ME
AND MAKING SURE THAT I’M GOOD.
YOU KNOW I FEEL PRETTY GOOD
TODAY, I’M BEING CAUTIOUSLY
OPTIMISTIC BECAUSE I KNOW THAT
I HAVE NOT COMPLETELY RECOVERED
FROM THIS VIRUS AND I NEED TO
TAKE IT SLOWLY THAT’S NOT
SOMETHING THAT IN MY NATURE I
WANT TO GO BACK OUT THERE AND
DO THINGS. BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT
THIS IS A MEAN NASTY BUGS AND
HE DID YOU KNOW TAKE IT
SLOWLY AND STILL GOT A LITTLE BIT OF A HEADACHE AND A LITTLE BIT OF A
FEVER YESTERDAY. THE COUGH IS
STILL THERE SO IS THE CHEST
CONGESTION BUT WE’RE GETTING
THEIR DAY BY DAY HOUR
BY HOUR.
>>LAUREN VERNO: AND YOU KNOW
WE’VE BEEN TALKING THROUGHOUT
THIS AND THAT FIRST WEEK
THOUGH.
IT BROKE MY HEART TO HEAR
HOW BAD YOU WERE DOING IT CAN
YOU EXPLAIN TO THE VIEWERS AT
HOME KIND OF THE SYMPTOMS YOU
HAD.
>> YEAH AND LORD WE DON’T WANT
TO ADMIT WEAKNESS NOWADAYS,
ESPECIALLY IN THE AGE OF SOCIAL
MEDIA WHEN YOU CAN BE ROASTED
FOR
ANYTHING PUT. I FELT TERRIBLE I
DIDN’T WANT TO GET OUT OF MY
BED, I MEAN WALK INTO THE
FRIDGE GOING TO THE RESTROOM
WAS A BIG TO DO LET ALONE
DRIVING ACROSS TOWN TO GET THAT
COVID-19 TEST WHICH ULTIMATELY
CAME BACK POSITIVE.
YOU KNOW, SO WE STARTED WHERE I
JUST WOKE UP AND I DID FEEL
MYSELF I HAD
A HEADACHE AND DIDN’T HAVE A
REASON TO BELIEVE THAT I WAS
GETTING SICK, BUT I JUST
SOMETHING WAS OFF.
WITHIN A COUPLE OF HOURS I
FOUND OUT THAT I HAD BEEN
EXPOSED TO A PERSON WHO
RECENTLY
TESTED POSITIVE. SHORTLY AFTER
THAT I FELT LIKE A TON OF
PRITCHETT ME I KNOW IT’S CLICHE
BUT THAT’S THE BEST WAY TO
DESCRIBE IT. MY TEMPERATURE IS
CHANGING EVERY TIME I
TOOK MY. THERMOMETER OUT SO I
WENT UP TO ABOUT 101.4 I HAD
THE BODY ACHES
I HAD THE CHILLS I HAD THE
SWEATS I
WAS UNCOMFORTABLE. THEY TURNED
INTO STOMACH PAIN AND TURNED
INTO A COUGH SHORTNESS OF
BREATH. A LOT OF THE THINGS
THAT YOU WOULD SEE WHEN PEOPLE
DESCRIBE THE CORONAVIRUS
AND I STILL HAVE WHAT’S BEING
DESCRIBED AS A MILD
CERTAINLY. I’M NOT ONE TO
COMPLAIN AND I DON’T WANT THAT
TO BE WITH THIS INTERVIEW IS
ABOUT BECAUSE I KNOW THERE ARE
SO MANY PEOPLE THAT LITERALLY
CAN NOT BREEZE THAT HAVE TO GO
TO THE
HOSPITAL SOME INTUBATED IN THE
ICU AND THROUGH THIS PROCESS
I’VE LEARNED JUST
HOW FORTUNATE. I AM TO AT LEAST
SO FAR HAVE NOT SYMPTOMS.
I’VE HEARD FROM SO MANY
PEOPLE OR WHO HAVE BEEN SO MUCH
SICKER OR THEIR LOVED ONES HAVE
BEEN SO SICK, SOME OF THEM.
IN FACT IT PROBABLY HAD 4, 5
PEOPLE THAT SAY THEY’VE LOST A
LOVED ONE DUE TO COVID-19 AND
MY HEART BREAKS
FOR THEM.
>>LAUREN VERNO: YOU KNOW, AND I
KNOW YOU ARE YOU ARE SO PROUD
AND YOU GET, BUT YOU DIDN’T DO
YOU DIDN’T TALK ABOUT THIS
BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO DO
A STORY. NO YOU DIDN’T WANT TO
BE SICK, BUT YOU HAVE A LOT OF
THE FAMILIES THAT
ARE DEALING IN THE HOSPITAL
RIGHT NOW WE’RE ACTUALLY
REACHING OUT TO YOU.
THANK YOU. FIRST A SHARING YOUR
EXPERIENCE WHY DO YOU THINK
THAT IT’S.
>> YEAH AND THIS STORY IS ABOUT
THEM. IT’S NOT ABOUT
ME LOOK I’M NOT UNIQUE OR
SPECIAL ON ONE OF ABOUT 4 AND A
HALF MILLION AMERICANS WHO HAVE
THIS VIRUS. AND YOU KNOW I’VE GOTTEN LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF E-MAILS I STAYED UP AS LATE
AS I COULD LAST NIGHT I KNEW I
HAD TO DO THE MORNING SHOW
TODAY JUST TRYING
TO RESPOND TO EVERYBODY AND YOU
KNOW SO MANY PEOPLE SAY THANK
YOU FOR SHARING THIS BECAUSE AS
MANY PEOPLE HAVE
THIS VIRUS. IN MY OPINION YOU
DON’T HEAR FROM
THAT MANY AND THERE’S A
STATEMENT ABOUT IT LOOK AT THE
FIRST TIME THAT I GO OUT EVEN
AFTER RECOVERING, I GO TO THE
GROCERY STORE, I KNOW, I’M
PROBABLY GOING TO
GET LOOKS AND PEOPLE ARE GOING
TO BE CONCERNED PEOPLE ARE
GOING WANT TO STAY AWAY.
AND I’VE HEARD SOME OF THAT
SENTIMENT FROM PEOPLE THAT ARE
LOOK LOOK AT YOU YOU KNOW CRYING, WOLF THIS AND THAT BUT YOU KNOW THAT THE
MESSAGE IS IT’S OK TO SPEAK
ABOUT IT’S OK TO TALK ABOUT IT
AND YOU’RE NOT ALONE,
EVEN THOUGH PHYSICALLY YOU ARE
AND THAT’S BEEN ONE OF THE
HARDER THINGS HERE IS.
LOCKED IN MY HOUSE
AWAY FROM ANYBODY FOR MORE THAN
A WEEK. AND I KNEW THAT I HAD TO DO THAT TO BE RESPONSIBLE TO STOP THIS VIRUS FROM SPREADING.
BUT IT’S NOT FUN. THIS IS THE LONGEST THAT I’VE EVER BEEN WITHOUT ANY KIND OF CONTACT YET
ANOTHER HUMAN.
>> AND YOU KNOW IF YOU KNOW BIG
IF YOU KNOW VICKI, YOU KNOW
THAT HE DOES NOT SIT
AT HOME. HE DOES NOT DO THIS
AND I THINK SOMETHING I WANT
YOU TO HIT ON IS BECAUSE AND
BECAUSE OF
THAT IS WHAT AN ISOLATING
EXPERIENCE IT REALLY IS I THINK
IT’S SO IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE
HERE YOU KNOW THERE WE’RE HERE
FOR YOU. WE UNDERSTAND WHAT
YOU’RE GOING FOR YOU’RE NOT
ALONE.
>> YOU KNOW IN THE FIRST
SEVERAL DAYS OF THE VIRUS.
I DID NOT PUT
IT OUT FOR THE PUBLIC TO KNOW
BECAUSE I WAS BATTLING IT AND I
NEEDED MY PRIVACY OBVIOUSLY THE
PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN IN CONTACT
WITH ME NEW THANKFULLY THEY’RE ALL HEALTHY THEY’RE ALL SAFE. THE PEOPLE THAT YOU KNOW I CARE
ABOUT AND LOVE THE MOST
NEW BUT OTHER THAN THAT I KIND
OF WANTED TO KEEP IT QUIET
BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS
GOING TO HAPPEN
NEXT LAUREN AND YOU KNOW
EVENTUALLY I MADE THAT DECISION
SAYING LOOK I’VE BEEN REPORTING
ON THIS CRISIS
FOR MONTHS. I FEEL LIKE THERE
IS STILL A LACK OF INFORMATION
AND THERE’S A LACK OF
TRANSPARENCY IN EVERYBODY HAS
THEIR OWN PREROGATIVE AS FAR AS
WHAT THEY WANT TO DO WITH
TELLING THEIR STORY IF THEY
HAVE COVID-19 OR A LOVED
ONE DOES IT WAS MY GOAL TO TELL
THE STORY TO SAY HEY IT’S OK TO
TALK ABOUT IT. IT’S OKAY TO
SHOW THAT THAT YOU’RE A LITTLE
BIT WEAK RIGHT NOW THAT YOU’RE
VULNERABLE AND THAT. WE’RE
GOING THROUGH THIS AND AGAIN.
YOU KNOW MY HEART
HURTS FOR THE PEOPLE THAT THAT
HAVE IT SO MUCH WORSE I HAVE
FRIENDS THAT ARE IN
THE HOSPITAL. I HAVE FRIENDS
WHO HAVE LOST THEIR PARENTS
THEIR SIBLINGS AND THIS VIRUS
IS VERY REAL IT’S NOT GOING
AWAY YOU CAN TURN OFF SOCIAL
MEDIA YOU CAN TURN OFF THE NEWS
AND IT WILL FEEL LIKE IT’S
GONE.
>> RIGHT ONE.
>> IT’S NOT THESE NUMBERS ARE
STILL YEAR PEOPLE ARE GETTING
DIAGNOSED EVERY DAY PEOPLE ARE
GETTING HOSPITALIZED EVERY
SINGLE DAY AND SADLY WE’RE
LOSING AMERICANS AND PEOPLE
ACROSS THE WORLD.
>> EVERY DAY. >>LAUREN VERNO: NICK WE LOVE YOU YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU WE MISS
YOU AND WE WILL SEE YOU VERY
SOON THANK YOU SO MUCH WE’LL