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Phillies' Scott Kingery Details COVID-19 Diagnosis, Cautions Taking It Lightly
July 8, 2020
Philadelphia Phillies infielder Scott Kingery told Jim Salisbury of NBC Philadelphia that he was diagnosed with COVID-19 in June and had the illness for nearly a month.
Kingery described his symptoms and the toll the coronavirus took on his body:
"It started on a Thursday when I came down with a headache. I tried to play it off but it didn't go away.
"Saturday around 10 a.m., I got chills so bad I couldn't move without my whole body shaking.
"That night, my fever spiked so high that I sweated through my sheets. It left an imprint of my body.
"My fever broke Sunday morning and I actually felt a little better.
"But then three or four days later, I lost my sense of taste and smell for a few days. That was really annoying."
"For a week, I was so tired. Low energy. Fatigue. Then I experienced shortness of breath for a week. I felt like I laid on the couch for three weeks without moving. I was tired just going up the stairs."
That Kingery, a 26-year-old professional athlete in peak physical condition, was impacted so severely by the coronavirus is a reminder of how serious the pandemic remains.
"I want people to know this is not a two-week thing if you get it," he said. "You're not supposed to do any physical activity for 10 to 14 days after a positive test. That could be a month. That's a huge part of the season, so you don't want to get it. You have to take the precautions and protocols seriously."
Kingery said he is asymptomatic and healthy, though he isn't yet training with his teammates "because his test results were initially wrong and then were delayed by the Fourth of July holiday," Salisbury wrote.
He has begun working out again and is hoping to play in the team's July 24 opener, though it is uncertain if he'll be cleared by the Phillies and MLB.
"I've passed one test," he said. "As soon as I get the results of the second one and it's good, I'll be on a plane to Philadelphia."
Kingery was a breakout player last season, hitting .258 with 19 homers, 55 RBI, 64 runs and 15 steals in 126 games. He's a major part of the team's core, and any time he misses will be a blow to Philly's postseason aspirations in the shortened 60-game season.