SAN ANTONIO – Justice Luz Elena Chapa, with the Fourth Court of Appeals, says she is now on the mend and another step closer to seeing her family in-person, out of isolation after her month-long battle with COVID-19.
After attending a virtual children’s town hall forum with San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg on Facebook on Monday morning, the judge said although her voice is still raspy, she’s officially near the end of her recovery with the coronavirus and hopes to be out of isolation very soon.
Recommended Videos
“I’m feeling incredible strong. Thanks to all of the prayers and doctors, and I’ve been following all the guidelines very strictly,” Justice Chapa said. “Thankfully, my fever is gone for almost a week now. Yesterday (Sunday), I received some incredible Easter news from my doctor. I tested negative (for COVID-19) on Friday.”
Justice Chapa will need to test negative one more time before she’s able to leave quarantine and see her family members face-to-face. She tested again for COVID-19 on Monday, but she has yet to receive the results.
She first contracted the virus after going on a ski trip over spring break. After her return flight landed in San Antonio in the evening, she said she saw signs and symptoms of the virus, which included extreme pain through her body and a high fever.
After contacting her doctor on March 15, Justice Chapa said she went in for a flu and strep test, both of which came back negative. She met the criteria and received a test for COVID-19 and in just 48 hours, it came back positive.
Chapa said she’s shown a variety of symptoms throughout her diagnosis, which included an ongoing fever, which is mainly what has kept her in quarantine.
“This virus affects everyone differently, and so each case is taken on its own merits. So I’ve been following doctors’ advice very closely,” Chapa said. “I wanted to make sure my family was safe and remained healthy and my community, as well. They’ve remained in quarantine and stayed at home throughout this process, and I’m in my bedroom.”
Throughout her recovery behind closed doors, Chapa said her husband has been a “superhero" dad, helping with their three kids and day-to-day responsibilities.
“My husband has been superhero dad. I’m not sure how he’s managed to do it all. We’ve had dinners together every night," Chapa said. "We get to share dinner every night together, so that’s been one of my saving graces and has given me incredible peace every evening.”
As she moves forward in her recovery from the virus, Chapa says although there’s no set timeline for when the coronavirus will end, she believes the community is strong enough and will overcome it altogether.
“I know that there’s hope if we all work together and we show kindness and love and patience,” Chapa said. “I’m not so sure when it’s going to end, but we will get through this. I know we will.”
To listen to Chapa’s full story, you can tune in to the Facebook live video of the children’s town hall below.
Mayor Nirenberg's COVID-19 Children's Town HallWe will be live for a Children's Town Hall on COVID-19 where Mayor Ron Nirenberg will connect with San Antonio's youngest residents to answer questions about the current pandemic.
Posted by City of San Antonio - Municipal Government on Monday, April 13, 2020
COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019. The disease first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, but spread around the world in early 2020, causing the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic in March.
MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE FROM KSAT: