DETROIT – People across the country have experienced loss due to the ongoing pandemic that appears to have no end in sight.
"This year has been crazy, right?” asked Toson Knight of Caught Up Mentoring.
Many Americans can easily agree with that statement. For Knight the phrase is really an understatement.
“Mentally, it’s like I’ve been through a lot this year. My aunt and mom passed from COVID and my uncle died from natural causes. So it’s been like a really tough year just going through all that experience and not being able to have the proper burial and funeral for them,” said Knight.
Knight says his aunt and mom died from the virus just days apart. If that wasn’t enough recently he contracted COVID-19.
“I got COVID, I experienced some symptoms last Monday. I went and got tested Tuesday and they told me that I tested positive,” he said.
Knight says it is frustrating and even overwhelming because the numbers are still rising in Michigan.
It recently hit record numbers. He said that can only mean one thing and that’s people still aren’t taking it seriously.
“The issue I have is people need to recognize that, first it is real and two once you get it, it really sits you down for a while. It really shown me to wear a mask and if you don’t have to go somewhere don’t go. I’ll tell you from the bottom of my heart, it is serious. I definitely would implore people to take it serious because it is definitely, real. The symptoms are real,” said Knight.
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 164,274 as of Tuesday, including 7,239 deaths, state officials report.
Tuesday’s update represents 2,367 new cases and 28 additional deaths, including eight from a Vital Records review. On Monday, the state reported 161,907 total cases and 7,211 deaths.