Fort Bend Co. man details what it’s like to have a South African variant of COVID-19

FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) – Houston Methodists have discovered the South African variant of COVID-19 in Fort Bend County, and experts are worried that vaccines appear to be less effective against it.

ABC13 spoke with Anthony Williams, who has tested positive and is now recovering from the variant.

“I just couldn’t breathe. I felt horrible to the point that I didn’t know that if I closed my eyes I would wake up the next day,” Williams said. “A combination of fear and just trying to be proactive. Something said, ‘Get up and go to the emergency room.'”

Williams is a pastor, teacher and veteran who survived a blast injury and was shot dead on the battlefield in Iraq.

“Honestly, for me COVID-19 and its variants is worse than [the injuries], because it’s a very difficult situation not to know if your next breath is your last breath, ”said Williams.

He said he has since made a full recovery.

“What people need to focus on is getting vaccinated and protecting themselves against all the strains that exist today,” said Robert Atmer, professor at Baylor College of Medicine. “And we might end up having to give boosters. We don’t know yet. I think a lot of people are predicting it will be necessary.”

In Harris County, the health department found only the UK variant of the virus.

However, that doesn’t mean the others aren’t in the area. The health department says residents still have to keep their guard.

RELATED: Houston Health Officials Use New Techniques to Detect COVID-19 Variants

The Houston Department of Health has been analyzing wastewater in different areas of the city for COVID-19 for the past year.

Last week, the UK variant was found at very low levels in several sewage samples. The Brazilian variant has not been detected in our region at all.

Dr David Persse said no one has done this before, and that it’s a new science they’re still trying to unravel.

“So it’s really no surprise. What we hope to do is be able to get a better idea of ​​its spread in the community. Again, it won’t be very specific, but it’s is pretty sensitive., so we’ll have an early warning, “he said.” While we may not be able to identify anything, we will at least know what is likely on the point to happen. “

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