Filipino shares his experiences as coronavirus survivor

BANGKOK (AP) — When Carlo Navarro, his wife and 15-year-old daughter visited Japan from the Philippines in February, they knew they were taking a chance with the coronavirus, but thought they would be spared if they took precautions. They wore masks and gloves and always had alcohol handy to sanitize their hands.

But Navarro, a 48-year-old tax lawyer, began showing symptoms after they returned home. He became the first Filipino to be officially confirmed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. There are now 552 confirmed cases and 35 deaths in the country.

He has since recovered, and as someone who felt he had been close to death, vowed to spread awareness. The Associated Press asked Navarro five questions about his experience in a telephone interview as he continues his self-quarantine on his farm in Lipa, Philippines.

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Q: Where do you suspect you got the virus?

A: "The entire time that we were in in Japan, there was really no contact with anyone that had a cough or cold. But on our way back ... I was seated in front of a person, a Filipino person who was coughing vigorously. My daughter told me, 'Dad, I think it's dangerous to sit there. You need to move right now.' I couldn't move because the plane was about to take off. So it took me another 20 minutes before I could transfer to another seat. And true enough, seven days after we arrived back in the Philippines, I started to develop chills and my temperature was fluctuating. And that night of March 3, I started coughing vigorously. So the following morning, I decided to go to St. Luke’s (hospital) ... to have myself tested. That's the start of my journey as a COVID-19 patient."

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Q: What does it feel like to be a patient?

A: “In the hospital, the coughing persisted. The chills were still there....