As the days go by, we’re hearing more and more firsthand accounts from people speaking out about their experiences with COVID-19. Tarana Burke, founder of the “Me Too” movement, revealed on Twitter that her fiancé was diagnosed with coronavirus.
“I went back and forth about talking about this but my partner has COVID and the last two weeks of my life have been some of the scariest,” she shared in a recent Twitter thread. “The reason why I’m sharing is because I’ve read so much information, but the most informative has been first-person accounts of folks with it.”
Burke says she and her partner with both exposed in mid-March. Being that he’s an essential worker who interacts with the homeless, he was exposed again on the job. She says in a matter of three days, her fiancé “went from feeling a little weak to 101.5 fever.”
In addition to the classic symptoms of fever, headache and fatigue, Burke says he also developed sensitive skin that needed to be soothed with aloe. “Day 5, we went to the ER because his fever spiked to 102.3 and a nurse told us he might have sepsis,” she reveals. “[Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City] had an AMAZING staff and a seamless process. I was taken in the ER, too, because I started feeling a little bad and you can’t accompany patients if you aren’t one.”
After undergoing testing and receiving IV fluids, the couple was discharged and sent home. They were later informed that Burke tested negative for coronavirus while her fiancé was confirmed positive.
“The next few days were BAD,” Burke tweeted. “The worst was day 8 when his fever went to 102.9 and he began to have convulsions.” After being told by a telemedicine doctor that she needed to get his fever down, Burke put her partner in the shower and gave him a dose of extra-strength Tylenol, which worked.
“Just have to say this was the SCARIEST night because the pressure of making the wrong decision was overwhelming,” Burke shared. “Felt like one wrong move could kill him.”
Burke’s fiancé is feeling much better, but “not 100%” just yet. Now that they’ve recovered from the worst of it, Burke warns her followers to keep their houses stocked with medicines and herbal remedies like oregano oil at all times. She also recommends downloading the Heal app to find out which hospitals in your area offer the best care. “I don’t know if our story is helpful,” she writes, “I hope so. I just want folks to know it’s not just like a bad flu or cold.”