People die from these infections. My father had one. Christopher Reeve died from it. If Reeve's infection started the past week, and he died Sunday, there is no way he was talking on the phone Saturday.
This is the accurate view of the situation.
You don't go from gabby to dead in 12 hours.
Reeve was in Very Bad Shape for days. This is like Kerry hearing that CIA men were in Cambodia, but failing to understand they were inserted using locals' boats, not Swift Boats.