LUMBERTON, Texas — For many across the country, being at home has become our new reality because of the spread of the coronavirus but for a Hardin County man his time at home just got started.
On Saturday Chris Fredrick, who describes himself as a healthy guy, became the first Hardin County resident confirmed to have the virus.
"I'm not able to be around family at all so I'm here by myself. It gets a little bit lonely,” Fredrick told 12News on Saturday via phone.
He believes he caught the virus while working in Louisiana, where he tested positive for COVID-19.
"You'll think you're okay and next thing you know you start feeling hot and a little bit kind of dizzy,” he said.
It turns out that dizziness along with shortness of breath for Fredrick was the coronavirus.
“I never would have thought that it would have happened to me because I have taken a lot of precautions and I just so happened to be around someone at work who had it," he told 12News.
“I’m just going to repeat what I've been saying, everybody needs to stay home. They should only be getting out if they need to go pick up essentials supplies,” Hardin County Judge Wayne McDaniel told 12News on Saturday.
Fredrick wasn’t the only new case in the area.
The Beaumont Health Department confirmed a second case of the virus on Saturday.
The health department says the person is quarantined at home and will stay that way for at least 14 days.
The first case in Beaumont was reported on Wednesday, March 18, 2020.
Fredrick has a message for those who may be worried about having a positive case in their area.
"For all the people that might be a little concerned about having someone sick in their community, I'm also being responsible and not leaving the house. I got nowhere to go and nothing to do until i get better,” he said.