LA PLATA COUNTY, Colo. — Former La Plata County Planning Commission Chair Jim Tencza thought he had a sinus infection when the initial symptoms of COVID-19 began to show.
“I was diagnosed on March 21, so I was one of the early ones,” said Tencza. “And prior to the that, like a week before, I thought I had a sinus infection. And then the early morning of the 21st of March, I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, fell down, couldn’t get back up — I was so weak.”
Paramedics were called and Tencza was taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango where he was treated. He eventually recovered, but says he feels weaker than he did before.
Tencza talked to La Plata County Public Affairs Officer Megan Graham about his battle and recovery in a county-produced video released Wednesday. Learn more about his story in the video embedded below.