Long-time New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton revealed to ESPN on Thursday that he has been diagnosed with coronavirus, becoming the first public figure in the NFL to speak out about contracting the virus.
The Super Bowl-winning coach told the news agency that while he has not experienced any serious side effects, he has decided to speak out about his diagnosis to rally the country together and encourage people to take the virus seriously.
“I was fortunate to be in the minority, without the serious side effects that some have,” Payton told the news agency. “I’m lucky. Younger people feel like they can handle this, but they can be a carrier to someone who can’t handle it. So we all need to do our part. It’s important for every one of us to do our part.”
“If people understand the curve, and understand the bump, we can easily work together as a country to reduce it,” said Payton. “Take a minute to understand what the experts are saying. It’s not complicated to do what they’re asking of us. Just that type of small investment by every one of us will have a dramatic impact.”
In encouraging the public to “understand the curve,” Payton is referencing a strategy that public health officials call “flattening the curve.”
According to Vox, the trajectory of new coronavirus cases, also known as the curve, minimizes and flattens when the public engages in self-quarantines and social distancing, which can help slow the spread of the virus and delay the peak of the epidemic.
By slowing down the transmission rate, society at-large can prevent doctors and hospitals from being overwhelmed with patients all at once, which increases health outcomes for all people in need of medical services, not just coronavirus patients.
In a twitter post, Payton acknowledged the diagnosis and thanked the public for wishing for a speedy recovery.
Appreciate the well wishes. I’m feeling better and fortunate to not have any of the respiratory symptoms. 4 more days at home.#BEATCovid pic.twitter.com/vvjbnqoeZx
— Sean Payton (@SeanPayton) March 19, 2020
As The Daily Wire previously reported, Surgeon General Jerome Adams has encouraged celebrities and public personalities to help the public, particularly young people, that the virus needs to be taken seriously.
“What I really think we need to do … [is] get our influencers — [NBA players] Kevin Durant, Donovan Mitchell, we need to get Kylie Jenner, we need to get our social media influencers out there and helping folks understand that look, this is serious,” Adams told “Good Morning America,” reports The Washington Times.
“This is absolutely serious. People are dying. We again are seeing new data emerging from Italy that suggests that young people may be at higher risk in different situations than what we previously thought,” said Adams, reports the news agency. “Stay off the beaches,” likely in reference to reports of young people flocking to Florida beaches and nonchalantly dismissing concerns about the virus.
According to STAT, a medical news website, the Trump administration began urging the American public to avoid social gatherings of more than 10 people.
“My administration is recommending that all Americans, including the young and healthy, work to engage in schooling from home when possible, avoid gathering in groups of more than 10 people, avoid discretionary travel, and avoid eating and drinking at bars, restaurants and public food courts,” said Trump.