California man and COVID-19 patient zero thanks nurses

BURBANK, Calif. (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - One of the first Americans to have COVID is returning to thank the SoCal medical team that saved his life.

Gregg Garfield is known as "patient zero," one of the nation's earliest COVID patients, and the first for Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank.

Three years ago, Garfield returned home from a ski trip in northern Italy as the novel coronavirus was slowly beginning to spread.

He had a one percent chance of survival, but he beat those odds and was released from the hospital after a two-month stay.

Garfield says he owes it all to the health care workers who put their life on the line to save his.

"They deserve everything. I wouldn't be here today without them. So I'm incredibly grateful. They don't get the accolades they deserve. The most unappreciated profession out there," Garfield expressed.

As Garfield left that day, he says he shifted from zero to hero, urging the public to take the virus seriously.