At the beginning of the lockdown during COVID-19, my family responded like anybody else. We stayed inside as much as possible and only left for necessary items. My older brother, who is currently a junior in college, flew back from Philadelphia to stay with us after his school was closed. On his flight, he recalls sitting next to a visibly sick woman who was coughing uncontrollably. About four days after arriving home, he formed a fever. Within the next three days, my entire family had the same symptoms, and we were highly suspicious of that my brother contracted COVID-19

At the time, testing was still very limited, and my parents struggled to figure out where to go. On the morning of March 26, my parents decided to drive all the way to Rochester, Minnesota to get tested at the Mayo Clinic. After they were tested, they were told that their results would be ready within the next few days.

The next morning, my little brother woke me up with the news that we did in fact have COVID-19. My whole family was nervous and relieved at the same time. We were particularly nervous for my dad because he’s in his late 50s and has mild asthma. However, we were also a little relieved that we contracted COVID-19 so early because we would not live in anticipation of getting the virus.

Although we all started feelings sick at around the same time, the types and lengths of our symptoms all varied. My two brothers and I all went through the same cycle. We each had a mild fever for a day, very low energy for two weeks, and no sense of smell or taste for about a week. My sister had a fever for about three days and that was it. My parents definitely had it the worst. My mom had an on and off fever that came and went three times within two weeks. My dad had a lot of trouble breathing in the mornings and at night. Their symptoms lasted about three weeks.

Since my parents were the only ones who were actually tested, they had to send in information throughout their COVID-19 experience to the doctors who tested them. They were sent a scale to weigh themselves every morning and had to fill out a survey full of various questions every morning.

Once we had no symptoms, we had to wait ten more days until we were allowed to leave our house. In total, we spent about a month and one week inside. 

I know our situation wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but I hope that my family’s story helps illustrate that COVID-19 isn’t just affecting the people you see in the news. It hits home in our own community here at BSM. I hope everyone stays safe and continues to social distance.