I Tested Positive for COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

According to the CDC we are no longer contagious and now have immunity against COVID-19. This being said, if anyone in the San Diego area needs a volunteer with immunity against the virus, I am happy to assist.

Editor’s Note: [Wed. March 25th] I have recently heard there are now two strains of the virus, which means we are still vulnerable to the second.

Where I think I got infected

My siblings and I attended a music festival in San Diego March 7th & 8th. This was before government/medical officials advised us to self-quarantine, hence why the festival was still a go. Fast-forward to a week later, the festival has since confirmed a few attendees who recently visited foreign countries tested positive for Coronavirus.

There were people walking around the festival with masks on

I was walking through a crowd when a random person next to me shouted and made fun of someone with a mask on. The guy with the mask took his mask off and HE PROJECTILE COUGHED in the direction of the instigator. Guys, I was in the cross-cough because of the walking momentum AND I GOT ACCIDENTALLY/ INTENTIONALLY FCKING COUGHED ON, like straight on my fcking face.

Another possibility could be that I got infected by sharing food with friends or walking through crowds of people who were already infected. The doctor told me they are behind in their testing/reporting but that San Diego County alone has more than 2,000 confirmed cases.

Everyone’s body processes things differently and it is clear people are experiencing different symptoms.

I did NOT experience “common” COVID-19 symptoms

My Symptoms (began March 10th)

• Fatigue
• Excruciating headaches (extreme light + noise sensitivity)
• Body aches (NO fever)
• Cough + phlegm
• Light sore throat for first 2 days
• Lost sense of taste and smell

Common COVID-19 Symptoms

• Fever
• Rapid heart rate/difficulty breathing
• Dry cough

Overall, I feel much better and would describe my experience as a mild flu-like sickness.

My symptoms began (March 10th) with aggressive headaches, body aches and light chills. By day 2, I had developed a cough and light phlegm. These symptoms lasted for about 3 days. My symptoms were very aggressive in the mornings. In the late afternoons, I would feel better enough to walk around my house, clean and work for about two hours. These symptoms would act up again in the evenings which meant I wasn’t sleeping well at all.

I lost my sense of taste and smell on day 4 or 5.

It is now day 15 and I still can’t fully taste or smell much at all. I began regaining my sense of smell just yesterday but I still can’t taste anything.

My brother documented our experience, check it out below.

(Article continued below video)

Why you need to self-quarantine during this time

If you are not self-isolating, you do not know who you are infecting. Example:

• Karen got infected yesterday but she won’t know until 2-14 days later.
• Karen thinks she’s healthy and is infecting 10 people per day.
• These 10 people think they are ok, they travel, go out and infect 10 people each (100 people).
• These 100 people think they are healthy and infect 10 people each (1,000 people).
• No one knows who is or is not infected. Everyone is different and will process this virus differently.

Example inspired by @enna_nutschell

For the majority of people, the Coronavirus is an “inconvenient” flu or quarantine. The Coronavirus to at-risk friends, family members, children, neighbors and loved ones is a serious threat to their health and mortality.

"At-risk" is anyone who has a compromised immune system (immune compromised) and elderly who have low immune systems.

I have a grandmother who is quarantined by herself in Spain. Knowing that she is considered to be one of the most at-risk people because of her age and is quarantined alone in a different country rattles my fcking core. I survived this. If she is exposed, she may not.

I have a best friend with an autoimmune disease. If she is exposed, there is a very high chance that she would not survive this. She was hospitalized a few months ago after being exposed to one of the “common flus” by her sister.

I’m literally tearing up thinking about how this virus could take away anyone in my life.

How to get tested for COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

I got tested because I lost my sense of taste and smell. I’ve heard that we are short on testing but if I hadn’t lost these senses and if my doctor did not recommend the test, I would have not gotten tested.

My father called me a few days ago and encouraged me to get tested. I then spoke with my doctor and they called in a test for me based on the symptoms I was experiencing.

An hour later, I drove to their office and they had me park in their underground parking structure. There were two nurses that came to my car and administered the test with me sitting in the passenger seat (my brother was driving). The test is a cotton swab of the back of your throat and nostril (really high up in there and yes, it’s very uncomfortable).

Two days later, (Sunday, March 22nd) I received the news about the positive test via FaceTime from my doctor.

What to do if you think you may have COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

“Call your doctor: If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your healthcare provider for medical advice.” - CDC.gov

If you think you may have COVID-19, please see the CDC guidelines here for more information.

Stay safe, stay in.

With love,

Stephanie Daily

Picture by: Erick Mclean @introspectivedsgn