JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville man in the hospital with COVID-19, whose brush with death inspired others in his life to get vaccinated, is now back home with family.
The tearful reunion between Nelson Zayas and his wife was caught on cellphone video Tuesday, showing the extreme emotions COVID-19 rendered on his family.
The once-vibrant construction worker and former police officer spent more than two weeks in the hospital, fighting to stay alive after being diagnosed with COVID-19 in April. He ended up on a ventilator and sedated for a week and a half at Orange Park Medical Center.
Zayas' reunion with his wife, daughter and granddaughters was filled with hugs, concerned looks, kisses, tears and laughter. But the family says the disease is no joke.
His brother, Henry, said he was very close to dying. Last week, the ventilator came out, filling Henry Zayas with relief. But, that doesn't mean he'll get too comfortable.
"It's not over. I think a lot of people are overlooking it."
While Nelson Zayas has been through his worst days, a new CDC modeling study suggests the country could be through the worst of the pandemic by July.
"The models projected a sharp decline in cases by July 2021 and an even faster decline if more people get vaccinated sooner," Dr. Rochelle Walensky with the CDC said Wednesday.
The researchers examined the potential course of the pandemic in the U.S. based on four scenarios of vaccination rates and mitigation strategies.
The models all projected that cases would continue to rise in April, peak in May, before declining in July.
However, the decline was even faster if vaccination rates are high and people continue to comply with prevention measures.
"The results remind us that we have the path out of this. And models, that used to offer really grim news, offer us reasons to be quite hopeful for what the summer may bring," Walensky said.
For the Zayas family, their summer just got a lot brighter.
While Zayas has been out of work during his battle with COVID-19, medical expenses have been building up. Coworkers and friends have set up a GoFundMe page to assist with those costs. If you would like to donate, you can click here.