Two deaf people describe COVID-19 infection and recovery process

I was in touch with two different deaf individuals who said they became infected with COVID-19. Both are in the process of recovering.

The first is a video interview with Robert Ferguson from Austin, Texas. We did a recorded interview on FaceTime and I’ve edited the video down.

Robert said he thinks he became infected around March 8 after he went to an out-of-state conference.

ROBERT FERGUSON:

I had arrived at home then I felt something was just off. It felt like a chill, but I thought nothing of it and I thought I could overcome it. It’s just like overcoming some common flu. I never imagined that I would actually have COVID-19. I never thought I would have it, and I always made a joke of it, you know?

THE DAILY MOTH:

He said he still went to work for two days, but after struggling with high fevers and chills, he decided to stay home to recover. He then found out that his co-worker tested positive for COVID-19.

FERGUSON:

My coworker tested positive for COVID-19. That’s when I realized that I really had to see a nurse or go into urgent care immediately. Then I went to get tested. The test kit said I was negative for COVID-19. I was confused and wondered if I should try a different test kit. I decided to bear with it from March 10 through March 19. I thought I needed to get tested again because I’m still feeling very ill. Three days later, I had a fever that eventually broke, but would later return. My lungs hurt and it’s all been like a roller coaster [coughing] ride for me. I felt like I needed to go to the ER (Emergency Room) at the hospital. Let me tell you…the reaction I saw when I told people there that I thought I might have COVID-19. People absolutely freaked out. They jumped back to keep their distance and told me to stay where I was. Where is my communication access? The nurse needs to write notes for me, but I had to type down text messages and show them to the nurse. It was all I had. They admitted me into the ER and they had me go through a CDC questionnaire (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) that was like a long checklist. There was almost 100, almost 100% of the answers that I provided confirmed that I did have the symptoms. So, they had to stick a COVID-19 testing swab all the way into my nose. It went fully up into my nose. There was an unpleasant burning sensation.

THE DAILY MOTH:

He was sent home and said the next day he received an email confirming that he has COVID-19. He said he stayed home but after several days he felt his health deteriorate and had great difficulty with breathing, so he went to the emergency room and stayed overnight. He was discharged the next day after his breathing improved. He said since then it’s been up and down with his recovery process.

FERGUSON:

Now, I seem to be better and better, but I still have this cough. Sometimes, I’ll start to feel better then my health will decline very quickly. The virus itself has a timeline while I don’t. So, I have to really keep fighting, to keep going and I need to try to stay as healthy as much as I can.

THE DAILY MOTH:

Robert said he was sent a letter from the Austin Health Authority an order to stay at home and to not leave for any reason unless he has a medical emergency. A violation of the order could bring a penalty of 180 days in jail or a fine of $2,000 or both.

[Image of a close-up portion of the letter warning of the penalties]

I asked Robert how the letter made him feel.

FERGUSON:

I do fully understand. It is the state of Texas’ goal to make sure to mitigate the spread of COVID19. Not just for myself, but that letter was for everyone as well. It was meant to make sure that everyone else understands that this is not a joke. That’s why I made these comments on my Facebook. Do not mess with Texas. Texans have a reputation for being blunt. I read the letter and I was in agreement that I should stay home, but it’s a lonely and isolating experience. These are very lonely times.

THE DAILY MOTH:

I asked him how can he be considered clear from the infection.

FERGUSON:

I called the CDC and asked questions to verify. I have to take multiple tests and if I have absolutely no positive test results, it all has to be negative, then there will be a 7-day process where they’ll make sure I’ve healed and that I don’t face any risk of relapse. By this, I need to be able to walk up to a door, pull on its doorknob, breathe without problems outside and see people. Humans, humans are what I miss. Thank god I have FaceTime and that I have technology to use. I have the technology to keep talking to my family.

THE DAILY MOTH:

Robert said he is very grateful to his friends who brought him food and said he wouldn’t have made it without them.

Thank you Robert for sharing your story. We can see that you’re still coughing and resting on your bed. Keep on resting until you feel better. We’ll all get through this together.

The next story is from a Deaf woman who lives in Orange County, California, Delia Kimmel. We talked a couple of times on videophone and she asked me to share her story.

Delia said she became infected in the middle of March and suspects she got it from her workplace, as her job requires interaction with customers and she said her customers are typically wealthy people who travel internationally. She said she had been struggling with feeling sick for the prior two months, but felt that her health was deteriorating at a faster pace.

She said she suspected she had the coronavirus and contacted her primary doctor and asked about getting a test, but was told she did not meet guidelines for the test because she did not have recent travel out of the country.

She said her health continued to get worse and that a few days later she saw a phone number on local news for coronavirus-related inquires and was able to find an urgent care center where she could get a CDC test for COVID-19.

She said that at the urgent care center, there was a Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) device set up for communication. She said she had her chest X-rayed, her oxygen levels tested, and her nasal cavity swabbed. She said the swab was really invasive and went deep into the back of her nasal cavity, causing her to cough. She said the urgent care staff was concerned with her oxygen levels and gave her a portable oxygen tank with a mask and called for an emergency transport to a local emergency room in a hospital.

She said she was placed in a four-walled room sealed off from the other patients. She said she was told by her ER doctors that based on her chest X-rays and symptoms, it was very likely she had the coronavirus. Delia said she was told that there was no cure for it, no vaccine for it and she had a moment where she thought “Is this it? Is this how I die?”

She stayed in the ER for 24 hours. Her doctor said she was to be sent home because she could breathe on her own and didn’t need a ventilator, and because they needed to provide the room to other people who were suspected to have COVID-19.

She went home to try and fight the illness by herself. She was prescribed several strong drugs and was given an inhaler.

Delia explained that there was a mix-up with her COVID-19 test because her first name was misspelled as “Dalia” instead of “Delia,” but that particular misspelled test came back as positive for COVID-19. She said she had another test five days later that showed her negative for the virus, but was warned that she could get a positive result in the future.

Delia said she was separated from her family for about two weeks while at home. She is now recovering, but was warned that she could become sick again because her immune system is weak so she had to be extra careful.

Delia said she does feel guilty that she might have contributed to the spread of the virus to others before she realized she was sick, and she also has “survivors guilt” in that she was able to recover while many others died.

Delia said she encourages deaf people out there, if you think you might have the virus, to be sure to talk with healthcare workers who will take the time to sit down and have patience with your communication needs and delays.

That’s all from Delia. Thank you for sharing your story and we hope you are continuing to recover.

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