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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Sodium batteries could make electric flight viable
Under the Radar Low-cost fuel cell has higher energy density and produces chemical by-product that could absorb CO2 from the atmosphere
-
Flying into danger
Feature America's air traffic control system is in crisis. Can it be fixed?
-
Pocket change: The demise of the penny
Feature The penny is being phased out as the Treasury plans to halt production by 2026
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study finds
Speed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
-
Measles outbreak spreads, as does RFK Jr.'s influence
Speed Read The outbreak centered in Texas has grown to at least three states and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting unproven treatments
-
RFK Jr. offers alternative remedies as measles spreads
Speed Read Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes unsupported claims about containing the spread as vaccine skepticism grows