Sean Payton described his improving condition while battling the coronavirus

Saints head coach Sean Payton was the first NFL figure to test positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Payton received the test last Monday after coming down with a fever and chills, and he found out about his positive result on Thursday. But in the four days since his diagnosis, the 56-year-old Saints head coach says that he’s seen a dramatic improvement in his condition.

Payton, who is still in self quarantine at his home, called into ABC’s Good Morning America on Monday and discussed his battle with the coronavirus. Payton compared his initial symptoms to the seasonal flu and added that he never experienced the respiratory symptoms that have been widely associated with COVID-19.

Payton said:

“I’m feeling OK. I would say it’s been a week now — a week today — that I got tested, so it’s Monday. Mostly fatigue. When I went in last week on Monday, I had more chills, I had a low-grade fever — certainly felt like I had the flu. Just as we all would know what that feels like — like where you just want to lay in bed and not do anything. And then gradually, during the course of this week, I would say I’ve progressively gotten a little better each day. I haven’t had to deal with any respiratory issues, and then, Thursday was when I found out the test came back positive.”

When asked about the images of people across the U.S. ignoring social-distancing orders, Payton urged people to think about others when it comes to the coronavirus and follow the preventative measures to keep the virus from spreading to high-risk individuals.

He continued:

“There’s some common sense here. There’s too much science right now, there’s too much data for us to be ignoring that. You get terribly frustrated when you see that.”