VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood is out of quarantine after facing what he called “the worst sickness” he thinks he’s ever experienced.
The sheriff tweeted the update on his condition Monday, more than one week after Chitwood shared that he had tested positive for COVID-19.
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“Clear of symptoms (and) so glad to be out of quarantine,” Chitwood wrote in the tweet, which included a photo of him back to work and wearing a face mask. “Thank you ALL for your well wishes while I was out battling through the worst sickness I think I’ve ever experienced.”
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COVID UPDATE: Clear of symptoms & so glad to be out of quarantine. Thank you ALL for your well wishes while I was out battling through the worst sickness I think I've ever experienced. To all @VolusiaSheriff who kept the momentum going while I was dialing in remotely: THANK YOU! pic.twitter.com/M4lOpum8MS
— Mike Chitwood (@SheriffChitwood) August 10, 2020
Chitwood thanked the members of the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office who kept the agency up and running while he was home working to recover from the novel coronavirus, which forced him to be out of work sick for the first time in his 33-year law enforcement career.
The sheriff confirmed his positive test results several days ago in a social media post about the county’s viral total.
“COVID-19 update for Volusia County - and a positive COVID test for me,” Chitwood wrote.
At that time, the sheriff said he was experiencing mild symptoms from the virus and that he would quarantine for 14 days with no contact with others.
Chitwood has been updating the community daily on how many residences in the area are being monitored for possible COVID-19 cases. Early on in the pandemic, the sheriff was critical of the Volusia County branch of the Florida Department of Health for not releasing that information, putting first responders in danger, according to the sheriff.
After testing positive for the virus himself, Chitwood warned others about how easily the virus can spread without those infected even knowing it.
“I am encouraging anyone who is not feeling up to par to get tested. I have no idea how I contracted this and that is a lesson in itself: Anyone can catch this,” Chitwood wrote.
Chitwood said on Monday he was cleared from the virus and had no more symptoms.
Along with his latest numbers update, he again encouraged residents of Volusia County to get tested for COVID-19.
Since our last chart, we've flagged 118 new addresses that are monitored by the Dept of Health & cleared 74 of them off the list.
— Mike Chitwood (@SheriffChitwood) August 10, 2020
To date, we've flagged 5,002 addresses, cleared 761.
Remember, if you're sick, go to the doctor fast & try to get on the road to recovery asap. pic.twitter.com/jWMBm5I0wE
According to the Florida Department of Health, 7,960 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Volusia County since the outbreak began earlier this year. Of those cases, 135 have resulted in death, according to health officials.
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