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One morning about three weeks ago, I had an unexplained cough. The coughs continued occasionally throughout the day. While annoying, they were not frequent enough to be a cause for concern.
The next morning, the coughs continued and I felt a little “off.” I suspected something might be wrong and thought about getting tested to determine whether I was infected with the coronavirus. That afternoon, my suspicions were confirmed. I was feeling worse. The coughing got more frequent. I had a headache as well as aches in other parts of my body. I was beginning to have trouble breathing. By late afternoon, I was unable to work. I had chills and felt like I had a fever. I had leg pain and was barely able to walk.
I contemplated going to the hospital but due to the recent surge of coronavirus cases in my area, I had a feeling that I would have to wait a long time before I was seen. The idea of waiting hours in the ER waiting room seemed more painful than what I was going through at the time. So I decided to just hang in there unless I really needed to go.
The next day, I was starting to feel better. While the fever subsided, I was still coughing and breathing was still difficult. I felt fatigued, lost my appetite, and still had some body aches.
Later that day, I got a coronavirus test and tested positive.
I spent the remainder of the day making phone calls. I called my doctor, and she advised me to take some aspirin for the pain and over-the-counter cold medicine for the coughs. She also told me to quarantine myself for two weeks from the time the symptoms first appeared. I then called family members and two people who I have seen in the last week to tell them I tested positive.
For the first few days of my quarantine period, I wondered how I got infected. I seldom leave my house except to get food and walk around for exercise. I wear masks every time I go out and I wash my hands almost every time when I return home. I didn’t go to any anti-mask rallies, or any other protests. Nor did I go outside celebrating when President-elect Joe Biden was projected to win the election as some people in my area did. Only one member of my immediate family also tested positive, but I have not seen him in weeks so I don’t think I got it from him.
I concluded that it was a matter of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, and I let my guard down. Currently, one in 17 Americans have tested positive for the coronavirus and one in 1,000 has died as a result. With the current surge in cases in the heavily populated Los Angeles County, I wouldn’t be surprised if the ratio of infected people was actually one in 10.
For a while, I thought the worst in people. To be honest, I don’t think a lot of people are taking the virus as seriously as they should. And I’m not just talking about people who think the coronavirus is a hoax. Every day I see at least one person wearing a mask incorrectly. I look around and traffic is as bad as ever – I doubt some of these people are doing something “essential.” I also see people eating in restaurants when they should be ordering take-out or having the food delivered. Sure they are socially distanced and the restaurant meet safety guidelines. But this is not foolproof. And I just shake my head at what some people are posting on social media. It seems like there are a lot of people who talk a big game about “flattening the curve” but do something totally different. And then there are those who flat out don’t give a [crap] about infecting others because of their personal issues with the world or just being straight-out crazy.
I suppose I could have done better too. As stated earlier, I take precautions to minimize my chances of getting infected. But maybe I could have been more disciplined. Did I really need to go to McDonald’s to get a McRib sandwich or the dollar coffee? Maybe I could have done jumping jacks at home instead of walking around the neighborhood.
Thankfully, while the virus took a lot out of me for a few days, I did not experience the worst symptoms nor was I hospitalized. A week after my symptoms, my condition improved to the point where I could work again although it was limited to sending emails and filling out paperwork. Talking to clients or government personnel was done sparingly as my cough still lingered.
As for my recovery, once my condition improved, I tried to stay in bed as little as possible as being sedentary would not help. I did breathing exercises several times daily. And I also tried sleeping on my stomach instead of lying on my back. And drank a lot of water.
A week ago, I took the coronavirus test again and tested negative. While this is good news, I did not see anyone during Christmas. Because of my cough, I did not call anyone either. I’ll continue my isolation until after the new year begins, and even then I’ll see people only on an as-needed basis.
I wish my last column for 2020 could have been about a more positive topic. But at least it ended up on a positive note. Given the vast number of cases in the U.S. today, even people who take adequate precautions can get infected. While social distancing and mask wearing can help, it is not guaranteed to prevent infection. So please stay safe, keep New Year’s Eve festivities to a minimum, and let’s hope that 2021 brings better days ahead.
Steven Chung is a tax attorney in Los Angeles, California. He helps people with basic tax planning and resolve tax disputes. He is also sympathetic to people with large student loans. He can be reached via email at sachimalbe@excite.com. Or you can connect with him on Twitter (@stevenchung) and connect with him on LinkedIn.