Westfield Dad With Coronavirus: I 'Argued' To Get Tested

WESTFIELD, NJ — As the town of Westfield announced this week that it has had four positive cases of the new coronavirus, Mayor Shelley Brindle shared a story from one of those residents, a 38-year-old dad who talked about how hard he had to work – and even "argued" – for days to even get tested.

On Wednesday, Brindle posted the resident's story on Facebook. In a nutshell: The man got sick but didn't have all of the standard symptoms of the virus. Still, he was worried because he had an immunocompromised son.

After four days of trying, he was finally tested, and then it took him days to get his positive test result.

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss announcements in Westfield and statewide about novel coronavirus precautions. Sign up for free Patch breaking news alerts and daily newsletters.

Before sharing the man's story, Brindle wrote on Facebook: "I’m copying the following post from a friend and Westfield resident who is openly sharing his story so that we all know the signs of COVID-19. Please practice social distancing so that we can #flattenthecurve. The virus is much more prevalent in our community than what the limiting testing indicates, so we should all behave like it’s everywhere. Stay well everyone."

The resident's story:

<blockquote>In the interest of public health, I would like to share that I have tested positive for Covid-19. I first felt ill on 3/10. My first symptoms included fatigue, chills, and some aches. The next day was worse. I had a fever, dizziness, lots more chills, and a slight cough/runny nose. I went to the doctor.

I asked to have a mask during my visit. The receptionist said that wasn’t necessary.

My doctor gave me a flu test, which, obviously, was negative. She thought that I had some run-of-the-mill virus. On Thursday night, I began having diarrhea (but no stomach aches). I actually took that as a sign that I did not have Covid-19 because I was under the mistaken belief that GI symptoms are not associated with the virus.

On Friday, my doctor’s office advised me to go to CityMD in Clark, NJ, to get tested. However, the on-call doctor at CityMD said he wouldn't administer a test because my lungs sounded fine, I was under 60, and I hadn’t been exposed to someone with a positive test.

I argued that I have a child with a suppressed immune system. That made no difference.

On Saturday night, I was informed that a significant proportion of Covid-19 patients do, in fact, present with GI problems and do not necessarily show any respiratory issues.

With this new information, I contacted Mayor Brindle, who got back to me immediately. But even she couldn’t arrange for a test (and this is the woman who launched HBO GO, mind you).

I only managed to get tested on Monday and get the results back tonight by using our connections.

In other words, I could easily have fallen through the giant cracks in our pathetic excuse for a testing regime. And, at that point, I would never have been able to alert my family, friends, students, and coworkers about my positive test.

So where does that leave me? My symptoms have stabilized into a predictable daily pattern: I have a slight fever in the morning, along with fatigue, problems regulating my body temperature, and a cough. My fever then spikes between 100 and 101 during the evenings. I also have diarrhea. My breathing is fine. I do not have any shortness of breath.

The takeaway? I am 38-years-old and in otherwise fine health. I had never missed a day of work from sickness before last Thursday. I have no clue how I got Covid-19. But it comes with a variety of symptoms, even though we’re only focusing on the pulmonary ones. So be alert.</blockquote>

After Brindle posted the story, residents reacted.

"Thank you for sharing and yes NO one will test unless you can’t breathe and are hospitalized!" wrote a woman. "It’s a joke we have been trying to get a test for one in our house!! This is why the spread will continue because if you don’t know you have it and run to get groceries bam."

Another woman wrote, "Thank you for sharing the article. My daughter-in-law right now has some aches and a low-grade fever. Keeping my fingers crossed that it isn’t a virus because we cannot go up and take care of my 16-month-old grandson."

In Westfield so far, according to Brindle's Facebook posts, the other residents who tested positive are "all males, ages 59, 44, and 40 (this resident has also asked to self-report as handsome in his public description). Each of these residents is in stable condition and managing symptoms at home."

Because of a shortage of tests, officials believe the number of reported cases will rise drastically in the future.

As of Thursday, 10 people had died from the virus in New Jersey, including four in one family based in Freehold. A total of 742 residents were reported as having the virus.

Brindle said that for residents who want to be tested, "Beginning Friday, March 20, a COVID-19 community-based testing site will be open at Bergen Community College in Paramus. To be eligible for testing, individuals must be current NJ residents who are experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness. Priority will be given to symptomatic individuals experiencing cough, fever (99.6F or above), and shortness of breath. This drive-thru testing center will be open seven days per week, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Testing is free and will be covered by the federal government or personal insurance companies. Individuals are encouraged to bring insurance cards if they have one."

She noted, in a newsletter, "NJ 211 has been activated to help handle COVID-19 related calls from New Jersey residents. All residents with questions or concerns about COVID-19 and resources available to them can call 2-1-1. NJ 211 is New Jersey’s statewide, comprehensive, information and referral service operated by United Ways of New Jersey. Residents can also text NJCOVID to 898-211 to receive text information and stay informed. To receive live text assistance, residents can text their ZIP code to 898-211."

Residents are encouraged to practice social distancing and stay inside, or keep at least 6 feet away from others, to help slow the spread of the virus and avoid overwhelming medical facilities.

Medical experts say that the new coronavirus, because it's new, is more lethal and much harder to treat than the flu.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, the COVID-19 virus, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

Got news in Westfield or just want to reach out? Email caren.lissner@patch.com.