LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Five years ago, the first COVID-19 case was reported in Nevada.
I spoke to that man — Ron Pipkins — who became patient zero after getting diagnosed with the virus at the VA Hospital in North Las Vegas.
Ron Pipkins shares his story with Channel 13
"Yeah, I don't wanna ever live that again."
The words of Pipkins, who met with me in studio to reflect on the pandemic that changed the world.
JOE MOELLER: "What is it like for you knowing that you were patient zero here in Nevada?"
RON PIPKINS: "I feel blessed, but, I feel like it's not a good thing to be known as patient zero. Why I woke up out that coma was about faith. And I look at what happened to me as a miracle. It was a miracle. That God just said, 'you are not gonna go.'"
MOELLER: "When you think about what the COVID-19 virus turned into — a pandemic and a shutdown — the city was a ghost town, it felt like. What goes through your mind?"
PIPKINS: "Late April, my son drove me down the Strip and an everything was black. I was like, wow, we'll never see this again. ... I was just thought about all the people that were laid off.
"A lot of people lost jobs, my ex-wife was uh was actually sent home because they assumed that maybe she had been sick from cold because of me.
"You know, I feel truly blessed because every day I wake up and I'm breathing and I'm still able to walk my dog that, you know, I've had for four years that has really given me a lot of motivation to move forward."
COVID-19 Five Years Later, Channel 13 is bringing you special coverage all day Monday as we explore the lasting impacts and lessons learned.
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