Marlins manager Don Mattingly returns after COVID-19 battle: ‘I was glad I was vaccinated’
Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly returned to the club on Friday in time for their three-game series with the Chicago Cubs after he contracted COVID-19.
Mattingly, who is fully vaccinated, tested positive last month and has been away from the team for two weeks. In total, he missed 12 games.
The 60-year-old said he wasn’t actually surprised by the fact that he tested positive for the coronavirus, as he said he woke up on July 31 and “felt a little funny.” After checking his temperature and realizing that he had a fever, Mattingly tested positive later that day.
“Getting the positive wasn’t necessarily a shocker because of the way I felt that day,” he said, via The Associated Press. “I’ve been taking my temperature every day for two years and never had a fever. And all of sudden I had a fever and got a little headache, this doesn’t feel good. Honestly, you test, you’re positive and they kick you out the backdoor and you don’t see anybody for 10 days. It’s definitely an experience you don’t want anyone to go through.”
Mattingly: ‘I was glad I was vaccinated’
Mattingly received his vaccines in April, and is one of about 50% of Floridians who have been fully vaccinated as of Friday night, according to The New York Times. That is right in line with the national average, as about 50% of Americans are now fully vaccinated, though 22 states have vaccinated more of their residents.
Florida is dealing with the second-worst outbreak in the country, however, behind only Louisiana. The state is averaging more than 21,000 new cases each day — the highest figure among any state in the country by far and an all-time high — and about 99 cases per every 100,000 people.
Even though he still contracted the coronavirus, Mattingly was extremely happy that he was vaccinated beforehand.
“Seeing so many people have so much trouble, you don’t want to be flippant about this thing and just think, ‘Oh it’s not a big deal,’ because there’s lots of people that have had trouble and obviously lost their lives and things like that,” he said, via the Miami Herald. “But I was glad I was vaccinated from the standpoint of I had a couple days of mild symptoms and I felt good. And I didn’t pass it on to like my kid or my wife. Tried to do the right thing, but definitely glad I was vaccinated.”
Now, with the coronavirus behind him, Mattingly is ready to get back to baseball.
“It feels good to be back,” he said, via The Associated Press. “It’s a little different watching games on TV. I see a lot of different things. But that gets old really quick. Once you start feeling better, like these last eight days, OK let’s go. I’m ready to go.”
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