Overcoming COVID-19: Officials say almost 900 people have recovered in Mecklenburg County

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Out of nearly 1,500 people who’ve tested positive for the COVID-19, almost 900 people are now marked as recovered in Mecklenburg County.

Overcoming the virus can look different for each person who contracts it, but the relief that comes from getting over is almost always practically the same.

Almost two weeks ago, WBTV spoke to Bishop Cory Moses who is the head of Redemption Christian Ministries. He is now back in the church pulpit but was sick with the virus right before Easter. His cough stemming from COVID was so bad, it was his wife who ended up leading online church services.

On Monday through text messages, he told WBTV’s Bria Bell he’s doing good. He said his breathing and energy levels aren’t at 100 percent, but he’s feeling so much better.

Rachel Brummert is someone else who’s also finished her fight with the virus. She’s been symptom-free for several days. She went to get retested, just to have a doctor confirm what she already knew.

“I am feeling better, but I’m worried about the permanent effects from it,” said Brummert.

Before her diagnosis of COVID, Rachel’s immune system was weak as she is living with an autoimmune disease called, Sarcoidosis.

She says she was already self-quarantining for weeks before the state-regulated stay at home order, but had to make one trip out. That’s where she thinks she picked up the virus.

“I went out to the pharmacy to get some medication. I figured I’d be stuck in the house for a while and got some medication,” said Brummert.

Forced to become her own nurse, she was able to figure out what made her feel better.

“I did take a lot of Tylenol for my fever. I also took Zithromax because I had a secondary bronchial infection and I laid on my stomach a lot. It took the pressure off of my lungs and made it a little bit easier to breathe so when I coughed, I would be flat on my stomach and it wouldn’t hurt as badly if I stayed in that position,” she said.

In her opinion, she says the biggest misconception is that the virus is similar to the flu.

“I want people to know that it is nothing like the flu. A lot of people are like, ‘well, it’s just the flu. It’s just another virus.’ It is not. This is unlike anything I’ve ever dealt with,” she added.

She’s sharing her journey in hopes of bringing comfort to those who are concerned about their health, especially those with preexisting conditions.

“There is hope if you are immunocompromised. I do get a lot of messages about that, [on] how I’m recovering considering that I can’t fight things off and luckily everything was okay and was not hospitalized,” said Brummert.

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