Page 28 - November 2020 Voices
P. 28
FIELD NOTES
Covid-19 is Real.
Peter De Graff, VC5
COVID-19 is real. so I could have the antibodies. Days after my
This is my third draft of this article. I tried to first symptoms, I sent an email to my healthcare
make those earlier drafts relatable and entertaining. provider as an afterthought. Three days after
I decided you need to hear real. my first symptoms, I felt much better. I decided
I had COVID-19 September 19th until early I would go for a run. A few hours later I was on
October. Let me tell you what I learned. the couch with chills, fever, cough, etc. The run
was an afterthought.
COVID-19 is real. Get the immediate attention of your
healthcare provider. They should direct you to
COVID-19 is not Democrat, Republican, a COVID-19 testing site. They need to give you
Independent, far left or far right. Its objective is a plan of action to fight COVID-19. They need to
to survive and flourish. It does this by finding follow your progress through the illness.
vulnerable hosts. It only cares about using a host I was slow to bring my healthcare provider
and moving on to the next one. into my condition because I thought I could fight
You need to protect yourself. I’m an old guy, it off. As my symptoms worsened, my family
68. I’m a male. Two strikes. I let peer pressure urged me to make a virtual appointment. It was
dictate how I protected myself. I pushed back not until I went to the emergency room, a week
some, but, not enough. I believe I contracted into the symptoms, that I had the right treatment
COVID-19 at a dinner in Dallas, TX where very plan.
few people wore masks. There was no social Get your family, friends and/or trusted people
distancing. I asked for it. in your life involved in your illness. I found that
If you believe you have COVID-19, take it as my symptoms increased (fever, night sweats,
seriously. Get in touch with your healthcare aches, cough, and headache) I did not think
provider immediately. Get tested. Get a plan of as clearly (COVID-19 fog). I needed my wife
action to care for yourself. When I got COVID- and children to observe me, listen with me to
19, I thought I could fight it off easily. I’m in great healthcare provider instructions, track when I
shape. I run 25 – 40 miles a week. In February, needed medications and when I needed to check
I even told a friend I wish I could get the”virus” my oxygen level and temperature.
28 ONE COMMUNITY
