Arizona lawmaker released from hospital after COVID-19 fight

Arizona lawmaker leaves hospital after recovering from coronavirus

At one point, State Rep. Lorenzo Sierra was placed on a ventilator at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland.

PHOENIX - An Arizona state lawmaker who was put on a ventilator for a time during his battle with the coronavirus will return to Arizona in the coming days.

According to Rhonda Cagle, her husband, Lorenzo Sierra, has left the hospital as of Oct. 14. She announced the news on her unverified Twitter page.

"@Sierra4AZ [State Rep. Sierra's Twitter handle] has made nothing short of a miraculous recovery. We are so grateful!" Cagle wrote.

"His doctors have told us that it is nothing short of miraculous at the speed at which he has recovered," said Cagle, in an interview with FOX 10. "We know that most COVID patients that find themselves on a ventilator, it can be weeks or months before they are released."

State Rep. Sierra, who lives in Avondale and represents the state's 19th legislative district, was visiting family in Washington, D.C. with Cagle when both began exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19.

"We had been watching his symptoms carefully," said Cagle. "For us, the moment the decision was made to take him to the Emergency Room was when we saw his oxygen falling dangerously low."

At one point, Cagle said her husband was on a ventilator at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. On Oct. 8, the Associated Press reported that State Rep. Sierra was breathing on his own.

State Rep. Sierra is the third Arizona lawmaker to be diagnosed with COVID-19. More than 100 state lawmakers nationwide have tested positive for the disease and three have died.

Doctor weighs in on potential 2nd wave of COVID-19 cases

Meanwhile, Doctor Sam Durani, Chair of the HonorHealth Medical Staff for COVID-19 Task Force, says the second wave is starting to creep up in different parts of the world, such as Spain and Italy.

In Arizona, it's hard to tell if that will happen at the moment. While medical officials have seen a steady increase in cases, they say it seems to have plateaued a bit.

"I think we will see a second wave. It's just a matter of will it be a tidal wave, or will it slowly rise wave," said Dr. Durani. "We're hoping with the mask compliance, it's just a slow rise. We expect an increase. It's just a matter of doing it the right way, not being thrown out of a slingshot like we were back in April."

Arizona Rep. Lorenzo Sierra has been hospitalized with complications related to COVID-19. (City of Avondale)

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COVID-19 symptoms

Symptoms for coronavirus COVID-19 include fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. These, of course, are similar to the common cold and flu.
Expect a common cold to start out with a sore or scratchy throat, cough, runny and/or stuffy nose. Flu symptoms are more intense and usually come on suddenly, and can include a high fever.
Symptoms of COVID-19 may appear more slowly. They usually include fever, a dry cough and noticeable shortness of breath, according to the World Health Organization. A minority of cases develop pneumonia, and the disease is especially worrisome for the elderly and those with other medical problems such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes or heart conditions.