She runs a gift shop, but shut down the store mar 12, because cleaning all the knickknacks would be nigh impossible.
UPDATE – she took another test and it came back negative, thankfully, but still. 7 days after her first 12 day wait.
Her timeline –
Got my test results today.
Covid-19 has been detected.
It says more info available on website (um, what website?).
I feel like Typhoid Mary. Like I’m a plague pit. Desperately trying to remember all my interactions for the 2 weeks before my fever started.
Here’s the timeline for what’s been up with me, for the sake of contact reference and progression of symptoms.
2/19-tooth infection, start taking antibiotics, finish course on 3/5 or 6
2/27-A has her surgery so I’m now in the shop almost every day.
3/2-Meck burgers, don’t remember which group of folks were there. THIS IS 14 DAYS BEFORE THE FEVER STARTED.
3/6-work a couple hours at Lost Dog, G had already instituted incredibly thorough additional sanitation practices. Dinner at Town Run with 2 folks. *This is the day I posted that everyone needed to stop sharing bongs, joints, and pipes.
3/8 dinner at Kome with 1 person.
3/10 lunch at Maria’s with my dad
3/11 lunch at Kome with 1 person. (I had decided this was my last time eating out, including carry out, for the duration of this emergency.)
3/12 Close my store for the social good because there is absolutely no way I can keep it safely disinfected.
3/13 Stock up on groceries at Aldi.
3/14 Buy the penultimate thermometer at Rite Aid for $60. Attend Shepherdstown Shares meeting. Wash hands as soon as I walk in, maintain 3 foot distance.
3/15 afternoon: Took temperature with my fancy new overpriced thermometer. 99.5. (My normal is 97.6) Went into quarantine, wondering if it could be tooth infection returned.
3/16-3/20: call a couple times about testing but haven’t been around someone whose been out of country and no cough so no test. Fever between 99.4 and 100.7, usually the low end. 2 days (not consecutively) over 100, slept all day both those days.
3/21 still have fever, call again, tell them fever, slight chest tightness but I have seasonal allergies, and tell them someone I know is waiting on test results (which is technically true though I hadn’t actually been in contact with them). Go to drive thru test.
3/22-3/30: fever still hanging around. 1 day with it over 100. Generally between 99.2-99.8. Notice a bit of phlegm deep in the back of my throat and kind of on the back of my tongue and have post nasal drip but the Bradford pear outside my open windows just burst into bloom. Gargle A LOT of Listerine. Have a couple twinges in the infected tooth, so really suspect the infection is still present.
3/31: fever starts being consistently below 99.2.
4/2: Fever finally under 99 consistently. My water heater broke. Test results finally in (it only took 12 days).
Spoke with Doctor. It’s pretty much what it has been: isolation minimum 14 days after symptoms start but until symptoms have been gone for 3 days.
Question #1: If I’ve been isolating and my friend has been isolating and that person tests positive, is it at least okay for the 2 of us to spend time together if we are both positive?
Answer: It’s not ideal. The virus has been mutating but they don’t know the rate. It’s possible people could pass this back and forth.
Question #2: What is long enough to stay isolated? I read that the virus has been detected in people as much as 35 days after symptoms end, with a mean of 20 days.
Answer: latest scientific paper indicates a mean of 8 days with most people showing clear within 2.5 days which is why the CDC is saying 3 days symptom free AFTER 14 days of first symptom.
Question #3: Is there a retest after symptoms are gone?
Answer: Not at this time. There aren’t enough testing resources and PPE to do that.
