Teacher, Father Of 8 Fighting COVID-19 In Wright Co. Hospital

WRIGHT COUNTY, MN — A Buffalo High School teacher and coach spent was hospitalized after contracting COVID-19 in early November, according to his sister.

Mike Curry was admitted into Buffalo Hospital after waiting for 30 hours in the emergency room, Melissa Zuniga wrote Nov. 21 on a GoFundMe campaign that’s raising money to support Curry’s wife and children and help cover medical costs.

Curry is a 46-year-old social studies teacher and basketball coach at Buffalo High School, KARE 11 reports. He has five children and three stepchildren, four of whom live at home, Zuniga said.

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Curry told KARE 11 he did not get vaccinated as he was healthy and felt he was at low risk for contracting the virus.

“I didn’t get vaccinated. I am a healthy 46-year-old with no other issues,” Curry said in a statement to the outlet. “I did not think COVID would cause this.”

Curry developed pneumonia about a week and a half after first contracting COVID-19, Zuniga said, adding that he responded well to an initial treatment at the hospital before he “took another turn for the worse.”

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He was almost forced to seek medical help in Wisconsin as no hospital beds were available in Minnesota but one opened at Buffalo Hospital after he waited more than a day in an emergency room, Zuniga said.

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 cases in Minnesota have been at their highest levels of 2021 in recent weeks, with more than 1,400 coronavirus patients in the hospital Wednesday, including 330 in intensive care units, the Star Tribune reported.

Just 34 adult ICU beds were available Monday across Minnesota, while almost 94 percent of the state’s 7,300-plus adult non-ICU beds were in use, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

National Guard Activated To Support Long-Term Care Staff: Walz

Gov. Tim Walz last week activated 400 National Guard members who will be trained and deployed as certified nursing assistants and temporary nursing aides to help long-term care facilities cope with staffing shortages.

National Guard members are also being deployed to several alternative care facilities to help patients who no longer need to be hospitalized, which will open up space for patients with COVID-19 and those who need emergency treatment, officials said.