SAN ANTONIO — As Bexar County continues to see another record day in positive coronavirus cases, one man is sharing his story.
Raymond Vasquez wants people to understand the impacts of the virus, but his message is more about what happened before he got infected.
“This thing spreads easily. I really thought with a mask I would never get it,” said Vasquez.
Vasquez is still in disbelief, the 41-year-old father thought he did everything possible to stay safe from the virus.
“I thought I would limit the number of times I go out. I thought, I'm not gonna get it. And sure enough, here I am,” said Vasquez.
Vasquez tested positive, and now he’s on day six of symptoms like fever, chills, headaches, and all over body pain.
“There's a common misconception that if you're young or if you're healthy or if you work out, whatever it is, you're immune to this,” said Vasquez. “It attacks you on all fronts.”
Vasquez said he has no idea how he contracted the virus.
“It's a million-dollar question. I've gone to a bar on the weekend before and I'm thinking maybe that's it,” he said.
Vasquez said he also visited a few area stores, and went to the gym, but it’s still uncertain how he was infected.
That’s why Vasquez said before he started showing symptoms he had no idea he was infected.
And one simple move by Vasquez has motivated him to take a stand against the virus with a message he wants the public to hear loud and clear.
“I was going out like, H-E-B, or to run errands or I would meet people, and if I had the mindset of the anti-mask, I wonder how different it would be for them too,” said Vasquez. “If I had COVID and I was contagious and I just chose not to wear a mask, all those people I was exposed to, they'd be at risk of contracting it.”
Vasquez said he has been reflecting on how many people could have been exposed had he not been wearing a mask.
“I'd gone to Walmart. I had gone to a restaurant. So, just there are several hundred people. I mean, who knows,” said Vasquez. “You're walking down these aisles, had I coughed, that stays in the air. Someone's walking past me. I just I can't even fathom.”
That’s why Vasquez has taken to social media, using the platform to advocate for wearing face coverings.
“This thing doesn't know politics. It doesn't know who you're going to vote for. All it knows, is it’s looking to spread. It's looking to affect people and cause as much damage as possible,” said Vasquez. “You never know when you have it. And it's something as simple as putting on a little piece of cloth over your face, that can literally save someone's life.”
Vasquez said he’s hoping his message will save other’s lives.
“Take it serious because I'm living proof. I live in San Antonio. I'm one of your neighbors. I went to the same restaurants stores that you went to. I was sick. I was infected,” said Vasquez. “It's out there, there's thousands of people like me that some of them don't even know, and they're walking around without masks, exposing other people.”