The highest number of deaths in the US was reported from Washington state
A woman in Seattle has shared her experience of contracting the Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19 and how she recovered from it. Seattle in Washington state saw the highest number of deaths due to the highly contagious coronavirus in the US.
About the initial symptoms, she said she didn't in the early stages suspect she had got the coronavirus, which originated at a seafood market in China's Wuhan.
"Initially, I was feeling tired and groggy, and I thought I had been exerting myself too much. I had gone out with friends and by midday I got headache and fever," the woman said. "Feeling tired, I took a nap and when I checked the temperature, it was 101 Fahrenheit. At that time I knew I was sick. I didn't suspect it to be the coronavirus as the symptoms were not there... Later, I was shaking uncontrollably," said the woman.
"The next morning the fever came down a bit. This was three weeks ago. I was happy my fever had come down without having gone to the doctor... I rested a lot, I took vitamins, drank lots of water... I have had a flu shot. As you know the vaccine doesn't cover every flu," she said.
"My other friends also reported similar symptoms. Coincidentally, we had attended a house party together. It was odd we had all gotten sick from the same party... Several of my friends went to the doctor. I believe a few of them were given Tamiflu. None of them suspected they had coronavirus since they didn't have respiratory issues," she said.
She added they all went for a test and they were found to be infected with the coronavirus.
On what she would like to tell others who could be experiencing symptoms, she said, "Please don't panic. There's a lot of anxiety, lots of dramatic things from the news. I would tell people that if you're experiencing symptoms, please try to stay at home and isolate yourself from others... There are others in the community, elderly people, pregnant women, we have to be mindful of them."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US has issued nationwide guidance recommending that events gathering 50 people or more be cancelled or postponed, not including day-to-day education or business activities.
Los Angeles also said it would close bars, restaurants and nightclubs for at least two weeks, while California's Governor Gavin Newsom asked all people over the age of 65 to self-isolate at home.
Massachusetts and Washington State have imposed similar shutdowns. Several major Las Vegas casinos and hotels were shuttered, and party town New Orleans issued guidelines halving the capacity of bars and nightclubs.