| General Non-Fiction posted November 4, 2021 |
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In the clutches of Corona? The waiting game begins
The Worst Possible Timing
by Elizabeth Emerald
On Tuesday, my daughter underwent a six-hour Ocrevus infusion, her second in an ongoing series of semi-annual treatments. It is hoped that the drug will halt the progression of Lauren's Multiple Sclerosis.
As in every medical facility, you don't get in the door unless you pass the Corona Quiz.
1. Fever? NO.
2. Coughing, sneezing, sudden loss of taste or smell? NO.
3. Contact with an infected person? NO.
It wasn't until Wednesday afternoon that Lauren learned she'd answered question three incorrectly.
Her friend Kristen, with whom Lauren had spent most of Saturday night at a jam-packed Halloween costume party, tested positive for the coronavirus Wednesday morning.
Kristen, a nurse practitioner in an urgent-care facility, was among the first to get vaccinated. The staff are tested twice-weekly, regardless; as it happened, Kristen had awoken with a sore throat, a common symptom of the highly contagious delta-variant of the virus.
Kristen blames herself for having gone to a crowded venue Saturday night. She could have just as likely contracted it from a patient last week, notwithstanding that Friday's test result was negative. (False negatives abound; the post-infection incubation period of the virus ranges from 2-14 days, before which its presence cannot be detected.)
Lauren has not been vaccinated; she chose to forgo vaccination in light of uncertain recommendations for MS patients.
Lauren's immune system is compromised by her disease; it has been further compromised by Tuesday's infusion treatment.
Had Lauren's doctor been aware of her recent exposure to the coronavirus, he would have canceled her session.
Lauren developed a sore throat shortly after the infusion. At the time, it was assumed to be consequential to her allergic reaction to the drug, in the course of which her throat constricted.
As I write this, two days thereafter, Lauren's throat remains sore.
* * * * * *
Ten minutes after I posted this, Lauren came downstairs, masked: she just learned she'd tested positive.
On Tuesday, my daughter underwent a six-hour Ocrevus infusion, her second in an ongoing series of semi-annual treatments. It is hoped that the drug will halt the progression of Lauren's Multiple Sclerosis.
As in every medical facility, you don't get in the door unless you pass the Corona Quiz.
1. Fever? NO.
2. Coughing, sneezing, sudden loss of taste or smell? NO.
3. Contact with an infected person? NO.
It wasn't until Wednesday afternoon that Lauren learned she'd answered question three incorrectly.
Her friend Kristen, with whom Lauren had spent most of Saturday night at a jam-packed Halloween costume party, tested positive for the coronavirus Wednesday morning.
Kristen, a nurse practitioner in an urgent-care facility, was among the first to get vaccinated. The staff are tested twice-weekly, regardless; as it happened, Kristen had awoken with a sore throat, a common symptom of the highly contagious delta-variant of the virus.
Kristen blames herself for having gone to a crowded venue Saturday night. She could have just as likely contracted it from a patient last week, notwithstanding that Friday's test result was negative. (False negatives abound; the post-infection incubation period of the virus ranges from 2-14 days, before which its presence cannot be detected.)
Lauren has not been vaccinated; she chose to forgo vaccination in light of uncertain recommendations for MS patients.
Lauren's immune system is compromised by her disease; it has been further compromised by Tuesday's infusion treatment.
Had Lauren's doctor been aware of her recent exposure to the coronavirus, he would have canceled her session.
Lauren developed a sore throat shortly after the infusion. At the time, it was assumed to be consequential to her allergic reaction to the drug, in the course of which her throat constricted.
As I write this, two days thereafter, Lauren's throat remains sore.
* * * * * *
Ten minutes after I posted this, Lauren came downstairs, masked: she just learned she'd tested positive.
As in every medical facility, you don't get in the door unless you pass the Corona Quiz.
1. Fever? NO.
2. Coughing, sneezing, sudden loss of taste or smell? NO.
3. Contact with an infected person? NO.
It wasn't until Wednesday afternoon that Lauren learned she'd answered question three incorrectly.
Her friend Kristen, with whom Lauren had spent most of Saturday night at a jam-packed Halloween costume party, tested positive for the coronavirus Wednesday morning.
Kristen, a nurse practitioner in an urgent-care facility, was among the first to get vaccinated. The staff are tested twice-weekly, regardless; as it happened, Kristen had awoken with a sore throat, a common symptom of the highly contagious delta-variant of the virus.
Kristen blames herself for having gone to a crowded venue Saturday night. She could have just as likely contracted it from a patient last week, notwithstanding that Friday's test result was negative. (False negatives abound; the post-infection incubation period of the virus ranges from 2-14 days, before which its presence cannot be detected.)
Lauren has not been vaccinated; she chose to forgo vaccination in light of uncertain recommendations for MS patients.
Lauren's immune system is compromised by her disease; it has been further compromised by Tuesday's infusion treatment.
Had Lauren's doctor been aware of her recent exposure to the coronavirus, he would have canceled her session.
Lauren developed a sore throat shortly after the infusion. At the time, it was assumed to be consequential to her allergic reaction to the drug, in the course of which her throat constricted.
As I write this, two days thereafter, Lauren's throat remains sore.
* * * * * *
Ten minutes after I posted this, Lauren came downstairs, masked: she just learned she'd tested positive.
 Recognized |
#16 November 2021 |
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