SA Rugby Director of Rugby, Rassie Erasmus, has revealed that he, his wife and children all contracted Covid-19.
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Erasmus was diagnosed with microscopic polyangiitis with granulomatosis early in 2019 and underwent chemotherapy throughout the year, including during the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
As serious a condition as it is, Erasmus decided to keep his illness and treatment out of the public domain, not wanting for it prove a distraction during the World Cup.
On Monday, however, during a virtual media conference, Rassie Erasmus confirmed that he and his immediate family all had Covid-19.
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‘Myself, my wife and the kids got it. But their [the children’s] symptoms were just losing taste, they didn’t really feel sick. We [Erasmus and his wife] were in pretty bad in shape,’ Erasmus admitted.
‘I think it was on days nine, 10, 11 to 14 that we were down and out and I was really worried because we have underlying illnesses.’
While the family has now recovered, Rassie Erasmus said his heart rate is still well below average.
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‘For five days it was really, really bad, but there are people who had/have it much worse, so it’s not so bad at this stage. We’re doing well,’ Erasmus explained.
‘The only things that’s left now are headaches and – with my fat body – a really low heart rate for some reason. I’m averaging between 48 and 55 [per minute], which I definitely shouldn’t be, considering how fat I am currently,’ Erasmus added smiling.
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Rassie Erasmus is among the 1.3 million South Africans to have contracted the disease.
Other notable South African coaches to have done so include current Bulls coach Jake White and Proteas coach Mark Boucher.
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