Local Pastor Recovering from COVID-19

Sequoyah County’s first official COVID-19 patient says he is glad to be on the other side of the virus.

Raymond Esteban, a local pastor, said in an interview that he feels much better. “I’m about 85 to 90 percent (recovered) now,” he said, adding that “it’s an experience I don’t ever want to go through again.” Esteban said he was officially released from quarantine Monday by the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

Esteban said his faith and his family got him through the illness, which feels similar to the flu or the common cold. With symptoms such as fever, chills, a cough and a headache, Esteban said the first few days were pretty awful and he has gradually improved a little more every day.

The test for COVID-19 is no fun, Esteban said. It consists of a long cotton swab (like a Q-tip) that goes up into your nasal passages. He said the test feels like “they’ve hit your brain” and was “very painful” but said it “doesn’t last long.”

Esteban was tested at a local clinic and was told to begin self-quarantining before the test results came back. He said a doctor called with the positive results about a day and a half later. 

Esteban, who works in Fort Smith, said he “wasn’t all that concerned” about having the coronavirus, but he “had faith he would get through it.” He said he followed all recommendations from the health department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Anyone who came into contact with Esteban was alerted about his positive test and was immediately placed in quarantine. Everyone who had contact with Esteban is healthy and virus-free, Esteban said.

Esteban stated he isn't sure where he contracted the virus. Both his workplace and his church have been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. 

There are currently 565 positive cases of COVID-19 in Oklahoma. 

Though he doesn’t know how he got the virus, Esteban said it is vital to stay positive. “If you are quarantined, look at the positive,” he said. “Don’t focus on the negative.”

"God brought us through this," Esteban's wife, Renee added.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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