Norman Chad is still feeling ill months after contracting COVID-19. The ESPN World Series of Poker announcer told Poker.org, however, that he will be in the broadcast booth when the 2020 WSOP Main Event airs on TV.
As has been the case since 2003, Chad will join his broadcasting partner Lon McEachern in the booth. But it won't be easy for him to physically handle the commentary duties.
The former Washington Post sports columnist contracted COVID-19 last summer. He suffered a moderate case and felt extremely ill for well over a week. Fortunately, the 2020 Poker Hall of Fame finalist wasn't hospitalized. But nearly five months later, he's still quite sick.
"My symptoms are simple but somewhat debilitating," Norman Chad told Poker.org. "Extreme exhaustion, coupled with an inability to concentrate or think."
Despite feeling ill, the comedic poker commentator hasn't lost his sense of humor. When I jokingly responded to his comment on being unable to think, "I'm not sure that last one is a post-COVID symptom."
"Good for you," he sarcastically responded.
On a more serious note, Chad is one of many COVID-19 survivors still suffering from the virus months after infection. He said that he "sometimes can't watch TV for more than 10-15 minutes."
"The motion on the screen does something funky to me," he continued.
Norman Chad isn't the only one
Norman Chad is far from the only coronavirus patient who can't seem to shake the virus. In a recent article published in The Atlantic, studies show that thousands of people still have irritating symptoms ranging from mild to severe long after the initial contraction.
More than 21 million Americans, 1 in 15 nationwide, have tested positive for COVID-19, and the disease has caused over 350,000 deaths just since February.
Although a vaccine is finally here, the virus isn't likely to go anywhere for quite some time. The initial vaccine rollout was expected to reach 20 million Americans by the end of 2020. As of January 6, just over 3 million have taken the shot.
Even with the vaccine in place and millions more likely to take the shot in the coming months, there is no guarantee of its long-term effectiveness, and there are still doubts about how many will be willing to get vaccinated.
The vaccine won't help alleviate Chad's symptoms, however. But if enough people in the U.S. and worldwide take the shot by May, there's still a chance for a live World Series of Poker this coming summer. We'll have to wait and see how things progress with the global health pandemic over the next few months.
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