Mississippi sheriff with coronavirus says God healing him, urges people to heed warnings

Published 12:02 pm Tuesday, March 31, 2020

A Mississippi sheriff who tested positive for coronavirus took to social media Monday to let people know he’s OK and that he believes God is healing him quickly.

Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten posted a live post to his Facebook page Monday night to dispel rumors and urge residents to heed public health warnings.

“I am not dying or anything of that nature,” Patten said. “I know there’s rumors out there that I’m doing real bad, health wise or whatever, no I am not.

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“So many people have been concerned, I wanted to do this live to let you know that i am OK. … I’m not on my death bed.

“God is still in the plan,” he said. “I believe that everything happens for a reason when it comes to who gets sick and who doesn’t.”

Patten said he’s talked to many reporters since he publicly confirmed his positive case of coronavirus, but that often they leave out the most important part of his message.

“I love all the reporters that call me, but … They always cut out the part about God,” Patten said. “I want this community to know that I’m a believer. That I’m being healed right now in the name of Jesus and that God has me covered.”

Patten said he’s in self-quarantine to avoid the possibility of anyone else contracting the COVID-19 coronavirus from him.

He also explained his health symptoms and that he’s unsure how he contracted the virus.

“I’m one of those people who don’t run to the doctor,” he said. “At first, I may not have been taking this virus seriously enough until it hit home with me, and I got it.

“First I had muscle aches in my body, then it went from that to a fever of 101.5. … for almost three days … After fever broke, I went five days without a single symptom at all,” Patten said.

After five days of believing whatever was making him sick had passed, the coronavirus reared its head again in a surprise, he said.

“Then the next thing you know my chest started feeling like I had weight on it,” he said. “The next day I started coughing. When I started coughing for 30 minutes and couldn’t stop, I took myself to the emergency room to get tested.”

A few days later, his positive case was confirmed.

“All of you all’s prayers and support has really changed the whole outlook of this thing,” Patten said. “As you’re praying for me, I ask you all to pray for all the other people who have COVID, or for the ones who lost loved ones due to this.”

“As a community we need to take this seriously,” he said. “This disease is spread so easily. If it happened to me, it can happen to you.

“I think it happened to me because the Lord knew my immune system was strong enough to handle it. But also that it would be bring awareness (to others).”