SAGINAW, Mich. – A Michigan doctor who has tested positive for coronavirus is offering insight into what it’s like and sharing an important tip for fighting the spread.
Dr. Mark Pankonin is a gastroenterologist in Saginaw. He took a ski trip to Utah with his girlfriend and some friends a few weeks ago.
But on the return home, his friend wasn’t feeling well. Pankonin, who went to medical school at Wayne State and now works at Covenant Hospital in Saginaw, said he felt a little run down but didn’t think much of it.
He knew getting tested was important, though, so within days he learned he was the first person to test positive for the coronavirus in Bay County.
Pankonin left work immediately and has been in self-quarantine since, he said.
He’s now urging everyone to take Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s message seriously: stay home and avoid contact with others. Pankonin said that’s the best way to stop the coronavirus from spreading.
You can hear what else Pankonin had to say in Hank Winchester’s full video above.