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@TH E O NTA R I O N
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breathing, and developing a sore throat and cough. I don’t think that is the behaviour of someone crazy. I thought it was the responsible thing to do, and quite honestly, it was very hard. I was scared, uncertain, worried about money and worried that I might be overreacting, but I had to do it. My issues with the lack of testing in Canada comes from my concern that I may have been exposed to COVID-19 in February. My partner went to a conference in Las Vegas on Feb. 25 and when he returned on Feb. 28, he was ill. He had a fever, night sweats, and issues breathing. We were planning to go to Jamaica on March 1, and after he got sick we considered cancelling, wondering if it was COVID-19. But at the time and to our knowledge, there were no confirmed cases in Las Vegas. Even though he was worried, my partner was certain he had just caught a head cold or a bug and that the chances of it being COVID-19 were low. He downplayed it, not wanting to make a fuss. At that point, the consensus was not to worry and the government was still saying it was safe to travel. We didn’t have proof yet that, on this side of the world, the virus was spreading. So, armed with Tylenol Cold & Flu tablets, sanitizer, and inhalers, we boarded a flight a few days later with him still fighting a high temperature. A week after we had returned, I began to have symptoms. Could it be a common cold or flu? Or could it be the deadly, highly contagious disease that had been creeping through our communities for weeks, even as we went on unaware. I will never know if I have the virus because I was denied testing, but at the time of writing this, I have to assume that I do.
C O R O N AV I R U S S C R E E N I N G C L I N I C AT 6 5 D E L H I S T | P h o to b y A l e x V i a l e t te
I Think I Have COVID-19 But I Can’t Get Tested By Monica Mehmi
Editor’s Note: The following was written on March 21 while Monica Mehmi, a third-year English student at the University of Guelph, was in self-quarantine. She had shown flu-like symptoms from March 14 to 22 and had repeatedly tried to get tested for COVID-19, however, due to the limited availability of tests and the strict guidelines and criteria regarding testing, she was denied.
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N WEDNESDAY, March 19, Sean Cunnington, a 51-year-old man from Milton, died from complications as a direct result from contracting COVID-19. Cunnington had developed flu-like symptoms on March 4 and was taken to hospital a few days later. Since he had not travelled abroad recently, he was not tested to see whether he was carrying COVID-19. He was sent home with antibiotics. Five days later, he was rehospitalized after his symptoms worsened. He was tested for COVID-19, but by then it was too late. Cunnington tested positive, but the results came back 10 hours after he had passed away. Sean leaves behind three daughters and his wife, Teri. His was the first coronavirus-related death in the Halton Region. Despite him having no recent travel history, his symptoms aligned with those of COVID-19. So why was he sent home?
Who else might have come in contact with him or his family while he was contagious? Where did he get the virus from? And most importantly, why wasn’t he tested? I ask all this because I have legitimate concerns that I may have COVID-19. WITH THE NUMBER of confirmed cases in Canada and worldwide growing every day, people have started taking COVID-19 seriously. We now understand the importance of quarantining and maintaining social distance as ways to attempt to flatten the curve of infection. But the virus is still spreading within communities. Because symptoms are similar to the common cold or flu, COVID-19 has been going untested, and in some cases unnoticed, for weeks. The number of confirmed cases being reported to the public are only the numbers of the positive tests that have come back
out of administered COVID-19 tests so far. The true numbers of COVID-19 cases are likely exponentially higher than the numbers we’re seeing. That is why quarantining right now is crucial. Eighty per cent of the people infected will have manageable symptoms while still being contagious, and testing is very, very limited, which is part of the reason why we are being told that if you have any symptoms at all, it is essential to treat yourself as if you have COVID-19. We will probably never know how many people were and are truly infected by this virus. I HAVE BEEN told that I couldn’t possibly have COVID-19, that I’m crazy, that I’m feeding into propaganda and spreading fear because I chose to work remotely and quarantine myself after experiencing fever, aches, headaches, night sweats, difficulty
I FIRST EXPERIENCED symptoms on March 14. I had awful body aches, a fever, and night sweats. My head hurt so badly that any noise felt unbearable, and it became hard for me to breath. After being in isolation for a week, my head still hurt, I had a mild cough, and I still struggled throughout the day with my breathing. I did what I thought was right, and sought medical attention. My doctor wanted me to get tested after hearing that my diabetic father was ill as well, and I first called Public Health on Sunday, March 15. They called me back the next morning, but I missed the call. I was sleeping off a fever. I called again Monday afternoon and never received a call back after leaving a message. At the same time, I was also calling my doctor’s office, but the secretary there told me to call Public Health or go to a screening centre, and that under absolutely no conditions should I come to the doctor’s office. On March 17, my partner called Public Health again for me, and within a day someone called back and told him that I should quarantine until I did not show symptoms for 24 hours. Over the next few days, my headaches were bad, and I still had body aches and fatigue. I developed a cough and needed to use an inhaler to help with my breathing each day, which was abnormal for me. On March 19, I was able to get a doctors CON T IN UE D ON P AGE 1 6
