From: Sarah Franklin
Columbus
I am making this post for transparency and for you to understand how quickly and unknowingly this coronavirus is spreading.
Late Thursday evening I started to feel just a little muscle sore. Then I woke up with a slight fever and nasal congestion on friday morning. Now, on saturday morning, I am having a constant 99.0 fever, chest pains/shortness of breath, dry cough, and a stuffy nose.
Due to the fact that I go to IUPUI in Indianapolis and I work for Cummins (which are big international places) I worked from home on Friday and called the Coronavirus Hotlines. I am not worried for myself but I was worried for my immunocompromised family, friends, and my coworkers.
Before I started to show symptoms I was doing all the things you are supposed to do, washing your hands, not touching things like elevator buttons, light switches, and doorknobs, not giving handshakes and etc.
It didn’t seem to matter.
I went to get tested. I wanted to see what it was, especially if it was Covid-19. And firstly, I have to give a shout out to all our medical professionals being truly awesome people in this time of crisis. They got me in, tested me for other things like the regular strains of flu and strep relatively quickly. But they are between a rock and a hard place.
I have the common symptoms and my results for the other common illness were negative. I was told they would have wanted to test me for Covid-19 if they didn’t have to ration tests. There is one testing center that services three counties. They have around 50 tests to last for one week. 50 tests.
Let me put that in perspective. As of the numbers in 2017, there are 82,000 people in Bartholomew County alone. Fifty tests to serve a number roughly triple that.
I am home. It could be another type of upper respiratory virus but I’m told to treat it like it could be Covid-19: to self quarantine, wear a mask, rest, and drink lots of fluids. And if my symptoms get worse then I am to go to the ER.
Do not dismiss this. I urge you to call your representatives and ask them what they are doing to get testing supplies to our communities.
