From the radio booth to the hospital: Moose Cannon's fight against COVID-19

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — We've been warned for months about a possible "twin- demic" this winter.

COVID-19 and the flu.

Now, a local radio host says that the twin-demic is here and nearly took his life.

After going from the radio booth to the hospital, now Q102 host Moose Cannon is recovering, after spending 5 days in the hospital with COVID-19 and the flu.

"There's no guarantees. We're going to do what we can. But you got to fight," Cannon recalls a nurse telling him at MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center.

"My symptoms started to get worse, a couple of weeks ago on Friday," said Cannon. "When I got tested, it came back as influenza-A and also COVID-19."

For nine days, he stayed home as his condition worsened.

"I thought I could fight it off. I did everything I could, the influenza took me out, though, absolutely wiped out everything I had," said Cannon. "Then COVID-19 just stepped right in and took over after that."

After testing positive, his brother got a pulse oximeter for Cannon.

The device measures oxygen levels and heart rate.

Cannon noticed that while his levels would dip, they would come right back up after rest.

"Thanksgiving, I was not doing well. I thought I turned a corner. That did not happen," said Cannon. "Saturday morning my numbers dropped to 84 and I watched it happen and I thought, 'okay, they'll come back up they always do.' And then they didn't."

Cannon was admitted to MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center for treatment.

There, he was placed on oxygen and a 5-day course of the drug Remdesivir.

"I got stuck and poked and, and hit with needles more times in my life than I ever have, but I made it through," said Cannon. "So that's what's matters."

Every day he had to fight.

"There were some moments where I wanted to make videos for me, my family and my kids, because I didn't know ... and then I abruptly decided, 'no, I'm not going to do that. I'm going to continue to fight. I'm not going to give up,'" said Cannon.

He recalled one nurse who cared for him.

"Although there were no guarantees, they were going to do everything they could," said Cannon.

He says, during that time, he knew what he had to do.

"For me, I had to keep a positive outlook as much as possible, even though my stats dropped to 50%. And, I was, my oxygen was up to five and he just said 'you got to keep fighting.' And so that's pretty much what I've done ever since then, is just keep pushing forward and keep fighting and fighting and fighting," said Moose. "Do a little bit more each day. Just try and get better."

After 5 days in the hospital, Moose Cannon was cleared to go home.

"My quarantine's over, but they want me to spend the next week strengthening up, getting better," said Cannon. "My numbers are coming up every day."

The combination of COVID-19 and the flu that Cannon faced could complicate COVID-19 cases this winter.

"I know that the doctors and nurses all told me the same thing, they were worried that influenza-A and COVID together, like I had, and on top of that, bronchitis, they think that those two are going to be the new norm for the winter," said Cannon.

Health professionals say getting your flu vaccine is especially important this year, to decrease your risk of a double infection.

"Wash your hands. Stay safe. Take care of your family. And please don't gather in massive groups," said Cannon. "I was safe. I kept away from people. I stayed in my own studio. I stayed away from gatherings. I have no underlying health conditions whatsoever. And I still ended up with this thing and it still could have killed me. And I still feel incredibly lucky today that I'm alive."