David “Doc” Sands became the first big name poker player to knowingly contract the coronavirus. The high-stakes pro shared details on Twitter about his current condition.
David “Doc” Sands is the first high-profile poker player to knowingly catch COVID-19. (Image: wpt.com)
Sands assured his followers that he’s doing fine and will fully recover. At his age, 35, he isn’t in a high-risk demographic for severe complications due to COVID-19. That is especially true given he is healthy and doesn’t have any preexisting conditions, he claims.
Poker Player with COVID-19 in Good Spirits
Poker player Doc Sands certainly isn’t panicking despite his positive COVID-19 test result. Instead, he remains in good spirits and shared some details about the virus with his Twitter followers.
1/ I was diagnosed with COVID-19 last night. I want to share my experience in case it is helpful to others. I am 35yo male with no preexisting conditions who is married with two children. I don't smoke, rarely drink and workout 4x/week during normal times.
— David Doc Sands (@Doc_Sands) March 22, 2020
In the 13-post thread, the poker player gave some great insight on what it’s like to have coronavirus. And he also explained the symptoms that led to him seeking a test from a doctor.
According to the CDC, common symptoms of COVID-19 include a cough, fever, and in more severe cases, difficulty breathing. Forbes, however, reports that nearly half of coronavirus patients studied experienced abdominal pain and/or diarrhea as an early symptom.
Sands, in his tweet-storm, said he felt fatigued on Monday and soon developed a severe headache. By Tuesday, he still had a bad headache and a slight cough. On Thursday, the symptoms remained so he sought a coronavirus test. He said he received the results on Saturday that he tested positive.
The high-stakes poker player is unsure of how he contracted the coronavirus. He said he’s taken numerous precautions such as washing his hands regularly and avoiding touching his face to prevent catching the virus.
Sands says he will remain in quarantine until he receives “a negative test result back from my doctor.”
Many other high-profile poker players such as Phil Hellmuth, Phil Galfond, and Erik Seidel, wished Sands well and for a speedy recovery.
Coronavirus Impact on the Young and Healthy
David Sands is only one of over 300,000 people worldwide to have contracted the coronavirus. But he’s yet another example of a young and apparently healthy individual who isn’t experiencing severe conditions from the virus.
Although millennials (and younger) are not immune to catching the coronavirus — or even dying from it — approximately 80-percent of the known deaths in the world have been age 50 and above. Those with preexisting health conditions, regardless of age, are also at risk.
Sands, however, said on Twitter he doesn’t have any health conditions and, at age 35, isn’t a high-risk patient. He said he works out four times a week, rarely drinks, and doesn’t smoke.
So although Sands, and other healthy people his age, is unlikely to die or become seriously ill based on coronavirus studies, it just goes to show that few are immune from catching the virus. Stay safe out there, folks.
