TEMPE, Ariz. — In the first week of classes at ASU, Max came down with COVID-19.
"I haven't even completely moved in yet," Max, who didn't want to use his last name, said.
Max said he tested positive for the coronavirus last week and started feeling the usual symptoms: fever, shortness of breath, loss of taste and smell.
“I kind of knew it was bad when I tried walking around and I just couldn’t breathe," Max said.
Since then Max has quarantined himself, not leaving his off-campus room. He shares an apartment in a large complex with two roommates that he's tried his best to avoid
“My kids, like any other parent, they are the absolute light of my life," Max's mom Melissa said.
Melissa said Max wasn't even going to classes in person, only online. He caught the virus anyway.
“Within a week of the rest of the students getting back to campus, he was positive," Melissa said. "It’s a terrible feeling.”
“All the classes came back in Tempe kind of became a lot more of a densely populated place," Max said.
ASU has reported 480 cases of COVID-19 among students and employees as of Friday.
The university has said it has isolation space for people who live on campus and test positive.
And university officials say they’ll discipline any students who organize or go to large parties or events.
Meanwhile, Max says he’s slowly getting better.
His fever is gone, but he’s still in isolation for at least another week.
