Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro says his father passed away due to COVID-19 last week.

The 67-year-old was taken to Valhalla’s Westchester Medical Center where he was eventually put on a ventilator. 

Molinaro described his father as healthy and says he doesn’t know how he contracted the virus. “It hit him instantly. He was resting at home, got out of bed and just collapsed. He didn’t have enough oxygen and he just couldn’t hold himself up,” he recalls.

The two-time county executive says he’s sharing his tragedy in hopes others will take the pandemic more seriously. 

"We all have a role in this. If we all hunker down just a little longer, if we engage in the distancing just a little bit longer we'll slow the spread,” says Molinaro.

He also mentioned the doctors and nurses who cared for his ailing father and demonstrated compassion to his family during these trying times.

When describing them, he says heroes aren’t a good enough term. "We were all very comforted in knowing that my father didn't die alone, he had those people who are angels around him."

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