The independent journalist and Latina influencer from Laredo, Texas, Priscilla Villarreal "La Gordiloca," asked for prayers for herself and her baby, who have been hospitalized due to Covid. She did it through a live Facebook video, in which she also alerted the public to resume preventive measures against contagion because "Covid is back."
"Letting you know that I'm just asking for prayers, please continue praying. I have Covid with bronchitis, and now they just admitted the little one, so it's me and the little one," shared Villarreal, a journalist known for her controversial approach to the darker side of this city on the U.S. border.
Driving an old truck, this former junk dealer -she used to make a living by removing scrap from truck collisions- hurries to cover traffic accidents, drug raids, and crime scenes, delivering unique stories to her Latino audience in her social media accounts under the name 'Lagordiloca News LaredoTx'.
Her tagline on her Instagram account provides a quite representative bio: "I'm a freelance reporter, quite controversial here in the city of Laredo, Texas. Look me up on Google! You'll find everything there."
The Latina journalist became well-known after she took legal action against county officials of Laredo, Texas in 2019, accusing them of orchestrating her arrest with the aim of intimidating and suppressing her freedom of speech. Her legal challenge is currently under review by the conservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals based in New Orleans, according to an article of Texas Observer and the 'National Association of Hispanic Journalists palabra'.
In 2017, the journalist was arrested for seeking and obtaining non-public information from the police, a case that has drawn national media attention and advocates for freedom of expression.
Villarreal contends that she is entitled to compensation because she believes she should never have been arrested for posting information on her Facebook page.
Lagordiloca News LaredoTx transmitió en vivo.
"Guys, you need to take care of yourselves right now. The ER is full. And there's a lot of Covid going around again. So, please be mindful. If you think you have Covid, if you have symptoms, wear a mask; you all need to start wearing a mask again. You all have basically forgotten how bad it was. We all have forgotten how bad it was. I'm including myself. Because it's getting bad again," she urged.
Based on the most recent CDC data on Covid-19 in wastewater, the United States is currently undergoing the second-largest surge of the pandemic since the first Omicron wave. Some experts anticipate that the surge will reach its peak in the upcoming week, with an estimated 2 million infections daily.
She continued with an alert for the following days: "If you don't have to go out, don't go out. Be very mindful of using hand sanitizers. Everything that we were using during COVID, start using it again. COVID is back. It hasn't gone anywhere. It was probably just dormant because of the heat. Remember: the heat was keeping COVID dormant. El calor. Ya aventamos frío. Ya entró patrás el desmadre otra vez. So you all need to take care of yourselves, take care of your kids. Have medication ready."
In the video, she appears almost in tears, expressing gratitude to people for their support and requesting prayers. "Unfortunately, the baby got sick, and she is here with me. We've got to get through this together. And hopefully, she doesn't get worse. But prayers are very powerful. Y hay más gente ora, que gente que envidia."
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