It’s a Tuesday morning. I wake up and my throbbing headache is gone, but I still can’t find the sliver of motivation to get myself out of bed. I sip my fruit punch flavored Gatorade of which I cannot taste. The steam from the humidifier comfortably cools my face and I groggily drift back to sleep.
A couple hours later, my eyes open again. Sun rays shine through my window, illuminating my pillow. My mom knocks on my door and enters, wearing two masks, and asks if I’m hungry. I say no, because what’s the point of eating if you can’t taste it?
I sit up in bed and check Snapchat, seeing pictures of my friends running through the tall grasses of the backwoods of Playwicki Farm. Dread fills me and soon enough I’m laying back down on my side coughing and sniffling. Eventually, my mom brings me soup and a fresh cup of water.
When I have to use the bathroom, I put two masks on and slide my feet across the hardwood. I take a hot shower and let the steam rise and fall off my congested chest. I start feel a little better, but most of me is still in a foggy haze. My mom is in the kitchen cooking dinner that she will place on the table I can’t eat at. She says she wishes she could give me a hug.
That is what it was like for 10 days when I was diagnosed with COVID-19. Thankfully, my symptoms were not severe and I recovered quickly. My mom worked tirelessly to not only take care of me when I was sick, but my father as well.
My mom was vaccinated early, as she works in the health field, which allows her to feel comfortable with going out to dinner and hugging her mother for the first time in months, but ultimately made her the designated caretaker when my dad and I got sick.
Luckily, my mom and brother did not catch the virus, or any of my friends that I hung out with just a day before I got my positive test result back.
I asked my friend Kai about how they felt when I was diagnosed
“I was just like, shit is she gonna be okay? I was also really worried because I live with my grandparents who are very high risk so I had to quarantine in my room for a bit,” they said.
According to the CDC, since the beginning of the pandemic, teenagers and other school-age children have been abundant spreaders and catchers of the virus, “May–September 2020, average weekly incidence (cases per 100,000 children) among adolescents aged 12–17 years (37.4) was approximately twice that of children aged 5–11 years (19.0).”
News outlets all over the country from, NBC to Fox, have covered the amount of teen and young adult partying. A study conducted through my Instagram account shown that 45 percent respondents had COVID-19 at one point.
As someone who has had COVID-19, I encourage you to wear your mask, be safe, and if you’re feeling sick, get tested.