In final words, former Alabama state senator says 'we messed up' on COVID-19

Before Larry Dixon, a former Republican Alabama state senator and director of the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners, died of COVID-19 last week at age 78, he shared with his wife one final message about the virus.

"We messed up," Dixon told his wife, Gaynell, according to longtime family friend David Thrasher. "We let our guard down. Please tell everybody to be careful. This is real, and if you get diagnosed, get help immediately."

About two weeks ago, Dixon attended an outdoor event "with a couple of guys," Thrasher told NBC News, and he was exposed to the virus. Thrasher, a pulmonologist, said he treated Dixon following his diagnosis, but after his condition worsened, Dixon was placed on a ventilator. Gaynell Dixon tested positive for COVID-19 last week and is recovering.

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Larry Dixon spent 35 years as director of the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners and represented Alabama's Senate District 25 for 27 years, retiring in 2010. Prior to that, he was a member of the Montgomery City Council and the state House. Thrasher called Dixon "the finest human being," and told NBC News that at the end of his life, Dixon thought of others, encouraging them "to be careful, wear a mask, don't socially gather. He said, 'Let's save some lives.'"

There have been nearly 270,000 COVID-19 cases recorded in Alabama and 3,889 deaths. Over the last seven days, Alabama residents have tested positive for the virus at a rate of 34.7 percent.