"It got extremely scary. Day 5 in the hospital is when the virus seriously attacked me and I didn't think I was gonna make it through the night."
Michael Green made it. He survived COVID-19. Back in March he spent seven days at Sinai hospital in New York.
"I had an intense burning sensation on my chest like somebody but lighter fluid on my chest and just lit it on fire, and then put like an 8 ton elephant on my chest."
After he fought the virus and won, Green took to social media to counter posts he was seeing.
"There was a lot of misinformation that it's not affecting the black community or the minority community as hard."
"African Americans are dying disproportionately from COVID. We are dying at three times the rate of whites."
Dr. Sherita Golden, of Johns Hopkins Medicine will take on the topic of undoing the COVID-19 Confusion in the African American community along with Green, other medical experts and a vaccine participant.
Golden says studies have shown Blacks are reluctant to get the vaccine.
“Because there have been historical practices in our history of experimentation without consent this happened during the time of slavery and continued post Civil War era. People remember the Tuskegee experiment of course."
Even after Green's brush with death, he's still a little reluctant.
"Further down the line I would, on the initial roll out I would say no."
"We need to educate the community using trusted community messengers ,our faith leaders our civil rights organization leaders to make sure everyone understands.
To help clear up some of that confusion Monique Cephas, President of the Baltimore County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority says they're hosting a free virtual symposium Saturday.
"We're trying to make sure the right people are talking to them and they understand what's being communicated, they understand the importance of getting immunizations, understand the importance of wearing the masks and social distancing."
Michael Green says he wants to share his story with anyone willing to listen. He believe he caught it at work. Now he works from home. His message is simple.
"You can still live a life during this pandemic. You just have to be smart about it."
If you'd like to take part in the symposium on December 12, click here.
