Braselton Mayor Bill Orr is using his own experience with COVID-19 to urge his constituents to take the pandemic seriously during the holiday season.
Orr told his story in a Facebook post on the city’s page. He first felt symptoms of the disease while on a business trip in Knoxville, Tennessee in late October. A few days after arriving home, he developed a fever. When his fever it reached more than 104 degrees, he went to the emergency room at North Georgia Hospital. Doctors found small blood clots in Orr’s lungs, and told him they were caused by COVID-19. He was released from the hospital the same day. Six days after the fever began, Orr’s temperature returned to normal and he began to recover.
Orr said he’s mostly recovered, but is still sometimes unable to taste, or tastes only an “overwhelming taste of smoke.” Loss of the senses of smell and taste are a symptom of COVID-19.
Orr urged Braselton residents to be cautious about potential exposure to the disease during the holiday season. Georgia has seen record numbers of new cases over the past two weeks.
“Please take this threat seriously as you travel and entertain over the holidays! It is real and while many have mild reactions there are just as many that experience what I experienced and many much worse,” Orr said. “As we move into Christmas and Hanukkah and the winter months, please take every precaution you can to avoid being exposed.”
