KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — In February, an East Tennessee doctor experienced one of the first COVID-19 outbreaks.
It happened on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.
Dr. Arnold Hopland and wife, Jeanie, spent weeks quarantining.
Since then, he's been busy on the frontlines fighting the virus almost everyday.
It's hard to believe it's been almost a year since Hopland was introduced to COVID-19.
"We really are concerned about how this thing can spread," he said in an interview with 10News in February.
When he finally returned to the US after weeks of quarantining, he knew the battle with COVID wasn't going to end anytime soon. "My concern then was that the death rate could be dramatically worse than it is."
He sees hope with a vaccine but says more needs to be done.
"I would like to see us do better. Certainly this vaccine is wonderful that it's out there. I'm recommending anyone that has access to it to take it immediately."
Hopland would like to see more treatments available, as some are hard to come by. He's been busy treating as many patients as he can in his Elizabethton clinic.
"I have over 100 healthcare employees that work for me and they have been courageous in continuing to work. One of my employee's husbands died of COVID," said Hopland. "This is not a request for action, we got to do something."
Looking back on the year, he said it's been a crazy one. Never expecting to one day step on a cruise ship and step off into a whole different world.
He's learned a lot since then, but says overall there's still much more to grasp.
"We need to learn and it seems we're having trouble with that. We don't seem to be learning very fast."
As the vaccine begins to trickle out, he's urging people to use good judgment until they receive it.
"Stay out of crowds, wearing a mask, and social distancing," he said.
The Hoplands have been in good health since the cruise.