HOUSTON – Missouri City Councilman Jeffrey Boney is in ICU recovering after testing positive for coronavirus.

Boney said he didn't initially suffer from the usual COVID-19 symptoms, involving fever or shortness of breath. He said he had the chills, diarrhea, and a loss of appetite.

Then, Boney said he started coughing up blood. He said he remained self-insolated until he was advised to head to the emergency room.

"They started running tests on me," he said. "They did CT scans, and they realized that I had spots on my lungs, which was pneumonia," Boney said.

Boney said doctors tested him for coronavirus, and the results came back positive Friday. He said in the last few weeks he attended the Houston Rodeo and Mardis Gras in New Orleans, so he is not sure when and where he contracted the virus.

As he fights the virus, Boney said the doctors are still monitoring his heart rate, which is at a high-level.

Boney urges the public to take social distancing seriously and follow all the guidelines to limit exposure.

“I want to be extremely clear with you… I am in great spirits and I plan to overcome this temporary challenge. But, please know that this is a very serious epidemic and anyone is susceptible,” Boney wrote in a Facebook post to Missouri City residents.