FSIN executive shares his battle with COVID-19

David Pratt will tell you COVID-19 is no joke.

The second vice-chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations has been fighting off the virus for nearly two weeks after he first started showing symptoms at his home.

Pratt said he started getting chills on Nov. 20 and the illness developed into “the worst head cold” he has ever had.

“I kind of had a feeling,” he said. “I’ve had head colds and they usually last one or two days and that’s it. I thought, ‘God, this is Day 5. I’ve probably got bloody COVID.’ ”

His fear was realized when his test came back positive on Nov. 26. He decided to go public with his diagnosis to educate others about how dangerous the virus can be.

“It’s not a joke. If (people) can, just stay the hell home,” he told 650 CKOM’s Brent Loucks on Wednesday.

“I’m 49 years old and I’ll tell you the truth: There is a lot of anxiety that comes with this. My message to anyone out there who contracts it is to reach out to other people. The survivors are talking. There are supports out there. You’re not alone.”

Pratt hasn’t experienced severe fatigue or breathing problems that others have. Twelve days after his first symptoms, he hopes he’s now over the worst of it.

“(I’m) just basically staying at home (and) staying hydrated,” he said. “(I’m) coughing it out and doing everything I can to try helping it along and get over it as soon as possible.”