Hastings Mayor, family recover from COVID-19 diagnosis

HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) - Hastings Mayor Corey Stutte and his family are in the clear after what he says were two of the most difficult weeks of his family’s lives. He along with his wife, Laura, and daughter, Lila, all tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-September.

“In early-to-mid September, I started to feel kind of foggy you could say," Stutte said. "I started developing some headaches and a throat issue, which is usually just a ragweed issue when it comes to hoarseness in my throat. I just thought it was regular seasonal allergies and really just wasn’t sure what was going on. Then the symptoms really started to take off about two and a half weeks ago and we quarantined at that point.”

Stutte said the next two weeks were everything he feared it might be. From shortness of breath to loss of taste, he and his family experienced many of the tell-tale symptoms associated with the virus.

“This was probably the worst illness that we’ve had," Stutte said. "It’s something that when you read about it, it’s kind of abstract, but when you’re in the middle of it, it’s very apparent that it’s not a normal flu. The sensation in your chest and all the other things that come with it and the fatigue - specifically the fatigue, and the fog that comes with it at least for us was very apparent.”

Fortunately, Stutte tells Local4 both he and his wife were able to quarantine without infecting anybody else within the city of Hastings or at the YWCA of Adams County where Laura is the Executive Director. However, it was seeing his whole family infected with the virus and experiencing the symptoms to a significant degree that had the experience hit home for him.

“It was very concerning," he said. "It’s something you don’t want to see happen to your family. It’s something you don’t want to see happen to your community. It’s very real, and I want people to understand that as we enter into this second wave. I want people to be cognizant of the fact that they need to be out there practicing all the tips and all of the guidelines that the CDC sets forward.”