Georgetown's Patrick Ewing 'Doing Much Better' After Positive COVID-19 Diagnosis

Georgetown men's basketball coach Patrick Ewing says he is doing "much better" after being diagnosed with COVID-19 but cautioned people to take the virus "seriously."

"I'm doing better. ... Just still taking it a day at a time," Ewing told John Fanta of the Big East Conference on Thursday (h/t Adam Zagoria of Forbes). "For those folks who are not taking this coronavirus seriously, please do."

Ewing was hospitalized because of complications from COVID-19 last month.

He told Fanta:

"I don't really even know how I caught it, but I did. And I'm doing much better today than I was. ... Everyone's experience is different. My older daughters had it, who lived in New York. They lost their taste, sense of smell. Mine, I had the chills, I had high temperature, shortness of breath. Of course, you feel crappy, you don't feel yourself. But I'm just happy that I'm better, and I say thank you to all the people at Georgetown University Hospital [who] took care of me."

Ewing is heading into his fourth season as Georgetown coach. The Hoyas are 49-46 under the Hall of Fame center, who won the 1984 national title at the school. Ewing said he advocates continued social distancing. 

"Just be safe," he said. "Don't take it for granted. Just continue to practice social distancing. Wear your mask, wash your hands, do all the things that everyone is telling you to do. Even with doing all that, you still might get it."

Nearly 2.4 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the United States, per the CDC.