The coronavirus has put households all over the world on high alert with those showing symptoms being ordered to self-isolate. The outbreak’s merging with flu season has made detection of the virus difficult. Flu season begins in October and subsides in April. Lower Bucks County resident and mother Gloria Walsh told her story of mistaking the flu for the Coronavirus.
“It was a low-grade fever, and then it went up to about 100.8 on Friday night. So, on Saturday when I woke up I was very concerned, the achiness, the intense headache, and a fever.”
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) states that those who have a fever or cough “might have COVID-19”. This alarmed Gloria and her family, as CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield reported up to 25% of those who have the virus may show limited to no symptoms.
Gloria called her primary doctor the moment she realized she had a fever. She was instructed to stay away from other family members and call the doctor again if symptoms did not subside within five days.
“So then on Sunday my fever totally subsided, the headache went away, and I actually felt better when I talked to my primary again on Monday. So, she just told me to self-isolate for the next 5 days just in case. But we really felt I was in the clear and it was just some type of bug” Gloria said.
The CDC orders all people who suspect to have coronavirus to call their primary doctor immediately for further instructions and evaluation for testing.
Gloria expressed the uncertainty of her situation as the scariest part of the experience. “My biggest concern was is this just a 24-hour bug, or was this the beginning of the coronavirus? I had three symptoms of the Coronavirus, but I had no type of chest pain, I had no trouble breathing, and I had no cough.”
It was concluded that the “bug” Gloria came down with was a mild flu. The flu resembles coronavirus in many ways. Johns Hopkins Medicine reports that both viruses share the symptoms of “fever, cough, body aches and fatigue”. The two also can be spread through droplets “from an infected person coughing, sneezing or talking”.
The experience made Gloria more vigilant in protecting herself and her family.
“I do wear masks when I do go out grocery shopping or to pick up my prescriptions at the pharmacy. I’m always wiping things down and using hand sanitizer when I am out and about” she explained.
Gloria is continuing taking these measures along with healthy diet and exercise in hopes of preventing another sudden illness, especially coronavirus.
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