Take Covid-19 seriously, if not for yourself then for those you love, says young survivor.

Dakota Sandoval thought he had a really bad cold. Friends dropped off cold medicine at his door, but nothing could touch his cough or how terrible he felt. It turned out it was Covid-19.

That was back in early March. The 24-year-old had recently finished a few months employed as a seasonal worker in Utah, taking skiers to and from the ski slopes on a bus. As the disease became more well known, the company operating the bus taped off the front section to keep passengers away from drivers. Sandoval estimates he was about 10 feet from the nearest passenger.

“Even then, I still caught it,” Sandoval told reporters on a Zoom call Thursday, June 25, that was arranged by Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System officials. Sandoval spent five days in the SVMHS hospital in Salinas. He wanted to share his experience to warn others—especially young people like himself—about the dangers of the virus.

Back in March, Sandoval left Utah and drove back to California with 104-degree temperature. “It was hard for me to breathe, I was coughing so much,” he said. He has asthma, putting him in the group of people considered vulnerable to the disease.

He stopped in Tehachapi, California, unable to drive any farther and went to an emergency room. His mom drove down from Salinas and followed him back home after he was treated and released.

The next day after returning to Salinas he went to SVMHS' hospital, but his fever was gone, and although the doctor suspected Covid-19, he wasn’t tested and was sent home—this was back when testing supplies were limited and the guidelines for testing were more narrow. That night he nearly passed out walking to the bathroom because it was so hard to breathe.

“The aches and pains, they were the worst aches and pains I ever had,” he said. He estimates he coughed at least 45 minutes of every hour he was sick. He said he wanted to just lie still and do nothing, because laughing at something on the TV or even trying to talk triggered painful coughing fits.

He went back to the hospital two days later, this time with a fever and a case of pneumonia. He tested positive for the virus and was admitted to the hospital.

“The nurses and doctors were all amazing,” Sandoval said. “They gave me whatever I needed. They didn’t act like I was a burden to them at all.”

Today Sandoval is free of the virus, although his lungs are still healing. He sometimes experiences bouts of coughing and doctors tell him because of the asthma it might take a long time to get over the residual effects.

His biggest worry during the time he was considered contagious was that he would pass on the virus to his family, which includes a two-year-old nephew and an 85-year-old grandfather, who moved out of the house while Sandoval’s mother took care of him alone. She seems to have been spared.

“Even if you aren’t afraid for yourself, you can give it to others,” Sandoval said. “At least think of the ones you love who are more vulnerable.”

SVMHS shared the story out of concern over rising numbers of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Monterey County and elsewhere in the state and nation.

“I’m concerned many people are not following the guidelines to stop this virus from spreading,” SVMHS President and CEO Pete Delgado stated in a press release. “We need to be vigilant in practicing social distancing, covering our faces and washing our hands. This is not a time to be complacent.”

Young people make up a big chunk of the more than 1,400 confirmed cases in the county. In Sandoval’s age range, 18-24, they make up nearly 16 percent of all cases. The largest group, ages 25-34, make up 25 percent of the cases.

SVMHS has had 470 positive patients; 81 of those have had to be hospitalized in the hospital's special Covid-19 Unit, according to the release. More than 90 nurses are rotating shifts and working in the unit to care for patients. As of the morning of June 25, SVMHS reported it was caring for eight patients on the unit.