Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell, who tested positive for the coronavirus last week, is keeping himself busy playing video games while isolating himself at home.
In a video released on social media on Saturday, Mitchell, 23, thanked his fans for their support and said he feels “fine”. The incubation period before symptoms begin to appear is 2-14 days.
A message from @spidadmitchell pic.twitter.com/YtChd3eNng
— NBA (@NBA) March 14, 2020
In an unprecedented move, the NBA cancelled its season after Rudy Gobert, 27, was the first to test positive on Wednesday. Mitchell announced he tested positive on Thursday. Gobert and the 2018 NBA All-Star slam dunk champion are the only 2 Jazz players or staff member to test positive for the virus.
ESPN and Sports Illustrated report that Mitchell is “frustrated” with Gobert for his lackadaisical behavior before he tested positive.
Gobert said he felt “embarrassed” after jokingly touching reporters’ microphones and touching his teammates’ gear in the locker room in the days leading up to his positive test.
In an Instagram post on Thursday, Gobert apologized for being “careless”.
The Athletic reported that Mitchell and Gobert were unusually close teammates. They sat next to each other on the team’s chartered plane and bus rides. And they have adjacent lockers in Utah’s Vivint Arena.
No one knows whether Gobert infected Mitchell or Mitchell infected Gobert. Both men could have easily contracted the virus from thousands of people who are infected but have not been tested yet.
As more celebrities and public figures recover from the virus, the mainstream news media’s manipulation and fear mongering tactics will become more obvious.
Trump supporters are suspicious of the overhyped coverage of Covid-19. There was no sense of panic when the Obama administration tackled the deadly H1N1 pandemic in 2009.
Many believe the virus is being politicized to destroy the economy and hurt Trump’s chances for reelection in November. But others note that panic shopping is stimulating Trump’s economy and making retailers richer.
On Saturday, the White House announced President Donald Trump tested negative for the coronavirus.
The news comes amid reports of fist fights over toilet paper and paper towels in stores in New York and Georgia. President Trump called for calm and reminded the populace that the CDC says the virus causes mild flu-like symptoms in most healthy people and no symptoms in others.
All those infected with the virus have not been tested yet. When they are tested, the mortality rate will drop well below 1%.
The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak stands at 52 in the U.S. The average age of those who died is 81.
The virus causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and potentially fatal pneumonia among the elderly population, particularly those with chronic illnesses such as respiratory and heart problems.
Also at risk are people with weak immune systems, smokers (cigarettes, weed) or young people who vape. Smoking or vaping damages the lining of the lungs. The lungs also express ACE2, an enzyme that the virus attaches itself to in order to attack human cells.
People who have a high concentration of ACE2 receptors, such as the Chinese, are more likely to contract coronavirus. ACE2 receptors are located in the nose, mouth, lungs, kidneys, and other internal organs.
Black people of African descent have mid to low range levels of ACE2, and are at low risk of catching the virus (that doesn’t mean Black people can’t catch the virus).
The CDC offers the following tips to avoid spreading the flu or Covid-19 virus:
1. Wash your hands frequently with soap for at least 20 seconds
2. Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands
3. Avoid close contact with sick people
4. Stay home if you are sick
5. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, refrigerator handles, etc.
