As a resident of a facility serving people with developmental disabilities, 58-year-old Ives Green had limited contact with the outside world, and he did not know why he had been feeling unwell, according to his family.

But Green’s condition deteriorated so much recently that the medical staff at Touro Infirmary in New Orleans received the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s permission to give him a test for the new coronavirus, which only a few people in Louisiana have been getting.

It came back positive, and Green on Saturday became the first person in Louisiana to die from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, his family said in a statement released Sunday.

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Another COVID-19 patient at Touro — identified only as a 53-year-old New Orleans resident — died Sunday morning, bringing the state’s death toll to two at that point.

“Ives had a lot more living to do,” his family’s statement said. “People need to take this virus seriously and follow CDC guidelines.”

Green’s family spent Sunday in mourning for a gifted runner and award-winning Special Olympics athlete. He loved fishing, listening to music, pulling for the New Orleans Saints, and screaming “touchdown” — decked out in the team’s hat and jersey — each time they scored.

Adopted as an infant by two parents who raised him in Kenner, he liked to feast on spaghetti and meatballs, red beans and rice, gumbo and potato salad.

Every Christmas, he would ask Santa Claus for a boombox and headphones.

Until the COVID-19 epidemic that has been sweeping the world in recent weeks, Green’s family thought they had more fishing trips and boombox gifts in their future, their statement said.

Green’s family said he had no comprehension of COVID-19 and did not know he was fatally ill. But now that the disease’s dangers are better known, Green’s relatives implored the public to heed government leaders’ warnings about how to prevent COVID-19 from spreading.

New Orleans area officials have been advising residents to avoid large crowds and to minimize any unnecessary contact with people because COVID-19 is highly contagious.

As of Sunday evening, Louisiana had 104 confirmed cases, nearly all of which were in the metro New Orleans area. But officials believe the true number of those infected is higher because of limited testing capacity. Only 284 people in the state of about 4.6 million have been tested for COVID-19.

Experts say people who feel well and don’t experience any symptoms — such as a high fever and a cough — can still spread the disease to others who may not be able to resist the illness as effectively.

“Pay special attention to guidelines. There is no need to be in fear if you follow directions,” the Green family’s statement said. “COVID-19 happens to real people.”