1,500 people are dying a day and one of the hard sz hit states right now is kentucky where hospitalizations are up 867% in the past two months. our miguel marquez is out front in kentucky. >> reporter: billy couch didn't think much about covid until he got it. >> don't mess around because this ain't a joke. this is not fun and games. i've been here so long i want to go home. but i can't go home because i can't breathe still yet. this is not a game at all. >> reporter: in the hospital 19 days now the unvaccinated 42-year-old isn't sure how he picked up the virus. he toughed it out at home for eight days before being admitted. how serious is covid? >> it's bad to the bone. i recommend everybody wash their hands, do what they got to do, stay home, stay social distanced because it's bad. trust me, it's bad. >> reporter: until you had it, did you think it was bad? >> no. >> what did you think it was?