A 27-year-old man, a recovered Covid-19 patient, claims that being infected with Monkeypox is “100 times worse” than Covid-19 as it feels like someone was sticking needles in him

In the last couple of weeks, the number of new Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations has been constantly on the rise, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to update the pandemic guidance for most counties nationwide. Per the CDC’s County Map, more than 35.46% of the counties nationwide are now in the red zone, 39.65% are in the yellow zone, and 24.88% of the counties are in the green zone.

Those living in red-zone counties are highly advised to stay up to date with the Covid-19 vaccines, wear face masks indoors, avoid crowded places, and test for the virus if they develop any of the well-known Covid-19 symptoms. Per the 14-day trend data, America is adding 129,943 new Covid-19 cases on average per day, which is a +15% increase.

Just when Americans are again forced to deal with the high Covid-19 infection rate in most areas nationwide, the Monkeypox virus is slowly becoming a real concern for the federal health officials. According to the CDC’s data, there are a total of 1,972 confirmed Monkeypox cases in America right now and that number is expected to grow as Monkeypox testing increases.

A Danish company is currently the only company in the world that makes safe-to-use Monkeypox vaccine, but a global vaccine shortage makes it difficult for most countries to get the wanted supplies. The Biden administration last week confirmed that a total of 5 million Monkeypox vaccine doses were ordered, but it remains unclear if that supply can meet the demand in case of a spike in cases.

Monkeypox infection is possible “through contact with body fluids, monkeypox sores, or shared items (such as clothing and bedding) that have been contaminated with the fluids or sores of a person with monkeypox.” Fever, swollen lymph nodes, and general body aches before developing a rash are some of the early symptoms those infected develop, and people are asked to immediately seek medical help if they have been in contact with a person positive for Monkeypox.

Luke Shannahan, a 27-year-old man from Texas, is more than certainly not the only Monkeypox positive case who has previously recovered from Covid-19, but he is the first to publicly speak about it and compare the Monkeypox symptoms with the Covid-19 symptoms. Luke shared his Monkeypox experience with NBC DFW few days ago, and his public appearance comes at the right time, just when the number of cases is on the rise. He believes that his experience will serve as a warning to others.

“I’m not allowed to leave my apartment and I’m too terrified to even want to give this to anybody because this has been the most traumatic experience,” Luke told the station. “By Day 2, I started running 101 (degree) fever and that lasted for three days. There was a constant headache. Lymph nodes were swollen like I was a frog,” he continued. “The pain and tenderness was constant,” Luke said. “It’s like if someone took a ball of needles and kept on stabbing you with it.”

Luke tested positive for Monkeypox, but he is not sure where he got it. However, he told the station that he has been pretty active lately, attending pool parties, visiting crowded places like bars, and meeting a lot of people since he works in a restaurant. Last summer, Luke got Covid-19 and he is now able to compare the Covid-19 symptoms he had last year with the current Monkeypox symptoms.

“Oh 100 times worse,” he said. “This (Monkeypox) was a totally different level of extreme fatigue.”

Per Luke, his condition became so severe at one point that he thought he was going to die. Luke is among the few who are lucky enough to get the Monkeypox vaccine. Due to the very limited supply, the Monkeypox vaccine is currently only available to those who test positive on Monkeypox and for best results, the vaccine should be administered in the first four days of the infection. Otherwise, the vaccine has limited impact on the virus.

10 days after the first symptom, Luke is finally feeling much better as he continues his recovery at home.