Kansas Citians recover from COVID-19 as pandemic enters sixth month

It's been six months since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern.

TODAY - MISSOURITOPPED 50-THOUSANDCOVID-19 CASES TODAY,WITH MORE THAN 15-HUNDRED NEW CASESADDED..THAT NUMBER OF NEWTIES WITH WEDNESDAY TOBE THE FOURTH-MOSTCASES IN A SINGLE DAY.KANSAS SAW THELARGEST NUMBER OF NEWCASES SINCE LAST FRIDAY.WITH 858 NEW PATIENTS,THE TOTAL IS NOW MORETHAN 28-THOUSAND.WHILE THE FIRST CASESOF COVID-19 IN MISSOURIAND KANSAS WEREREPORTED MARCH 7TH --THE WORLD HEALTHORGANIZATION DECLAREDIT APUBLIC HEALTHEMERGENCY FIVE WEEKSBEFORE.AND THIS WEEK MARKSSIX MONTHS SINCE THATEMERGENCY STARTED --41 ACTION NEWSREPORTER MCKENZIENELSON EXPLAINS WHEREWE STAND IN THE FIGHTAGAINST CORONAVIRUS.MCKENZIE NELSON - REPORTINGIT'S BEEN 6 MONTHS SINCETHE WORLD HEALTHORGANIZATION DECLAREDCOVID-19 A PUBLIC HEALTHEMERGENCY - ANDPATIENTS WHO TESTEDPOSITIVE WANT PEOPLETO TAKE THE VIRUSSERIOUSLY.BRIAN HERNANDEZ - HADCOVID-"It's bad, you don't want it.It'sreal, it's not fake news, itreal."BRIAN HERNANDEZ SAYSHE CONTRACTED THEVIRUS AFTER A FAMILY TRIPTO COLORADO.HERNANDEZ"The 3rd of 4th day, I hadnoticed that I had completelylost my sense of smell whichwas pretty bizarre."HERNANDEZ IS JUST ONEOF MILLIONS WHO HAVEBEEN INFECTED.NEARLY 16 MILLION CASESHAVE BEEN REPORTEDAND MORE THAN 640-THOUSAND DEATHSWORLDWIDE.IN THE U.S - THERE HAVEBEEN MORE THAN 4.4MILLION INFECTIONS ANDAT LEAST 150-THOUSANDDEATHS ACCORDING TOTHE W-H-O.DR. ANTHONY FAUCI - DIRECTOROF NATIONAL INSTITUTE OFALLERGY AND INFECTIOUSDISEASES"I think there was such adiversity of response in thiscountry from different statesthat we really did not have aunified bringing everythingdown."THIS IS THE 6TH TIME AGLOBAL HEALTHEMERGENCY HAS BEENDECLARED AND THE W-H-OSAYS COVID-19 IS THEMOST SEVERE.AS NUMBERS ARETRENDING IN THE WRONGDIRECTION LOCALLY -HERNANDEZ SAYS HISEXPERIENCE WITH COVID-19 IS NOT ONE HE'D WISHON OTHERS.HERNANDEZ4:37"Still to this day I only haveabout 50 percent of my smell.The fatigue is 1000% betterbut there are still days whereI'm tired, especially if I trytodo anything strenuous."AS THE SEARCHCONTINUES FOR ANEFFECTIVE VACCINE -THE W-H-O SAYS THEREARE MORE THAN 100 OUTTHERE - SOME UNDERCLINICAL EVALUATION ANDOTHERS IN THE PRE-CLINICAL PHASES.FAUCI"There's never a guaranteethat you're going to get a safe,effective vaccine, but fromeverything that we've seennow in the animal data as wellas the early human data, wefeel cautiously optimistic thatwe will have a vaccine by theend of this year and as we gointo 2021."HERNANDEZ"Definitely will do it, I'llhavemy kids do it, I'll have my wifedo it, I'll definitely do it."MCKENZIE NELSON, 41ACTI