Safe. Smart. Sick?
Zaynab Eltaib wearing a surgical mask while in self quarantine, on March 22. After being in contact with two individuals who tested positive for COVID-19, she has been in self-quarantine for 10 days.
By Haneen Eltaib
At that moment, I wasn’t sure if I’d rather die from a heatstroke or COVID-19.
It was early May and the sun was beating on my face through the windshield, my stomach cramping from the fasting that comes with Ramadan. I was out to get tested to see if I had contracted COVID-19, even though — in my eyes — the chance was unlikely.
I haven’t left my house in a little over two months, but apparently even the confinements of my home couldn’t protect me from the rampant virus. It seemed like my family had taken all necessary precautions, and more. We have boxes of face masks and surgical gloves, bottles of 100% alcohol, and canned goods that can last us a month. We sanitize all the groceries and packages before they get into the house. But COVID-19 has been very prevalent in my family’s life.
Los Angeles county currently has over 3,000 deaths, with almost 100 of those being in Pasadena.
A teacher from my sibling’s school passed from COVID-19 in the beginning of March, my parents were exposed to people who tested positive and my neighbours seem to throw home parties every other day. Since early May, the LA County Public Health Department (LAPHD) has reported that Los Angeles county currently has over 3,000 deaths, with almost 100 of those being in Pasadena.
I got tested in the beginning of May. PCC has been shut down due to quarantine since mid-March. These last two months in quarantine have gone by so fast, but it also feels like only a week since I’ve been on campus.
People always hear of these tragedies that are happening internationally (Flint, Michigan and Palestine are the first two that come to mind), that feel like they belong in a science fiction novel. I’ve always heard of these tragedies, I just never thought it would happen so fast around me.
It’s crazy to think that only a few months ago, this virus wasn’t a big concern in America.
According to the official California COVID-19 page, since May 25, California has over 80,000 reported cases of COVID-19, with almost 4,000 deaths. It’s crazy to think that only a few months ago, this virus wasn’t a big concern in America. The CDC only started recommending wearing masks in April, and even then President Trump emphasized that masks were voluntary — and that he would not be wearing them.
Now we have people coughing in each other’s faces to prove a point.
My coughs, exhaustion and muscle pains were a byproduct of pulling all nighters and fasting, I kept on convincing myself. There’s no way I would be sick. But with my mother going to get tested, I thought “Why not?” Better to be safe than sorry.
The waiting was longer than the actual testing, but convenient, as I never left the car. The employees who were conducting the tests were dressed head to toe in protective gear. Plastic masks that covered their whole faces, cover ups that draped like an oversized apron, and latex gloves. I almost had no contact with the testers, keeping my window up until I got my nasal swabbing.
The swabbing, while odd, didn’t hurt as much as it looked like it would. I didn’t know what it was going to feel like. It was like a mini pipe cleaner they stuck up and wiggled a bit in my nose. It was relatively painless, and left a tickle in my throat and some tears in my eyes. Minus the waiting, the whole testing experience took fifteen minutes, and I was sent home.
So, I went back home. Not knowing if I was sick. Not sure what I’d do if I was actually sick.
The whole time I waited, there was a pit in my stomach.
I could just be a carrier, or I could die or I could infect and potentially be responsible for the death of my loved ones.
All bad possibilities.
I tested negative for COVID-19, but I have to take precautions now more than ever. This virus scare made me more paranoid and more diligent with what comes in and out of my house; I keep online purchases to a minimum, washing my hands constantly, and disinfecting all countertops on the daily.
