Healing from this is not linear. It is two days of feeling pretty good followed by a day of not great and resurgence of symptoms

There is a huge reason that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is urging the public to not wait for a test to self-isolate if you have symptoms of COVID-19. People who are not at high risk of severe illness may not need to be evaluated in person or tested for COVID-19. Due to limited test kits everyone with symptoms may not be tested right away.  Due to the lack of tests and test results often taking 2 weeks it is imperative that you self-isolate if you are symptomatic and not spread the virus to others.
Over the past week COVID-19 has hit home - literally. In the San Luis Valley we now have 15 confirmed cases and the fear is that as test results slowly come in these numbers will continue to rise.
I personally have nine friends who have tested positive for COVID-19. These are friends who reside in Blaine County Idaho where I lived in the town of Sun Valley for over 15 years. I want to briefly share their stories and the community’s stories in order for us not to replicate the same errors they have made.
Blaine County Idaho has 187 positive cases which is the highest infection rate per 1,000 in the nation. The County’s population is 22,000 with an infection rate of 8.5 per thousand – New York is 2.15 per thousand. There are also two COVID-19 related deaths and 14 health care workers contracting the disease.
The Sun Valley area is a west coast destination resort with many second homeowners from the Pacific Coast states. It has daily nonstop flights from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. Beginning Dec. 18, and running through new year’s, thousands of visitors and second homeowners descend on the community. This is repeated President’s Day weekend and again for spring break in March. Sun Valley Resort did not close its ski resort until March 16.
In order to provide service to these visitors there are approximately 8,000 workers who drive daily to the Sun Valley area from neighboring counties and towns. On March 27 Blaine County commissioners issued a 21 day stay at home order that closed hotels to nonresidents, stopped all construction and closed travel outside of the county for nonessential services. Counties bordering Blaine County have asked its residents not to enter their counties.
I want to share some conversations and correspondence that I have had with my COVID-19 infected Idaho friends regarding their symptoms and to stress the importance of self-isolation if you are symptomatic. In February, most of my friends that have now contracted COVID-19 did not take this seriously and felt that the media was blowing the pandemic out of proportion. I heard the same sentiments in the San Luis Valley.
The three primary initial symptoms are a cough, shortness of breath and fever but not limited to these symptoms as you will read below. Emergency warning signs include: trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in your chest, new confusion or inability to arouse, and/or blush colored lips or face. The CDC states that if you develop these emergency warning signs for COVID-19 to get medical attention immediately.

#1 Case -  “The coronavirus is inside my body right now, trying to kill me. It’s impossible to know when the virus entered, perhaps a patient in the Emergency Department or maybe a stranger on the ski lift. But it was here in the Wood River Valley. I haven’t left town since Christmas. The virus traveled a long way before showing up here, to attack our remote town, to silently invade my body. A few months ago, halfway around the world, a man hugged his wife, who then kissed her daughter goodnight. On the playground, the girl hugged her friend. That evening, the friend crawled up in her daddy’s lap to kiss him goodbye before he got on a plane. The virus hitched a ride on kindness and human connection. My illness began as a whisper that slowly turned into a scream. A runny nose morphed into fevers, bone-rattling shakes and a bed soaked in sweat, every cough raking a throat that felt burnt. My chest and back ached with each breath, the lining of my lungs teeming with replicating sickness. Worst of all was the shortness of breath that awakened me in the middle of the night, the suffocating feeling sparking a most uncomfortable fear.”
#2 Case -  “Initial phase before I felt sick: weakness and ache in muscles, bone pain, intestinal problems, shortness of breath going up stairs, sore throat. Onset after five days: Extremely congested feeling in ears, nose and throat with no mucus, shortness of breath, dry cough, a “wavy” feeling, fatigue, chest pain, loss of sense of taste and smell, chills. Symptoms shift and continue to do so. It is worth noting I have never run a fever, nor had a headache. I do have friends who have tested positive and these are their main symptoms. Healing from this is not linear. It is two days of feeling pretty good followed by a day of not great and resurgence of symptoms. My heart goes out to people who are really sick. I know your “social isolation” is a drag. You are bored. Please do it for yourself and those you could hurt. It is not that long.”
#3 Case -  “My symptoms started Tuesday night (03/17) when I tasted wine and didn’t like it. I had limited all contact before then but noticed that and thought it was weird. When I woke up Wednesday morning (03/18) my head and teeth hurt which is similar to past sinus infections I’ve had. The headache felt like a hangover/dehydration headache. My stomach started acting up. Body aches, chills and constant fatigue set in and continued off and on for a number of days. I would feel like I was getting better then become very weak again and fatigued. Only recently have I had the coughing and lung pain.”
#4 Case - “On Monday morning I devedloped a slight cough and headache with some flu-like aches and pains. Throughout the week I continued to work and thought I was feeling a little better. Unfortunately I made deliveries to every restaurant and convenience store in the Valley twice after feeling ill. I should have self-isolated. On Friday I developed a low grade fever and my cough was more frequent. Sunday morning I had a shortness of breath, a 102-degree fever and went into be tested. The hospital quarantined me at home for two weeks. After the two week period I received by positive test result for COVID-19 but by that time I was already recovered. This greatly emphasizes the importance in self isolation when you have the symptoms.”
If you have any symptoms -- even mild ones -- public health urges you to stay home and isolate yourself until:
You have had no fever for at least 72 hours (without the use of medicine) AND
Other symptoms (cough, shortness of breath) have improved AND
At least 7 days have passed since your symptoms first appeared.
Anyone in your household you have had close contact with (within 6 feet for approximately 10 minutes) should self-quarantine for 14 days, even if you haven’t been tested for COVID-19.
If you have a medical emergency, call 911. If you have severe respiratory symptoms, especially shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, tell the 911 dispatcher about your symptoms. Do not wait for a COVID-19 test to call 911.
CDPHE has recommended that health care providers prioritize testing according to these tiers:

TIER 1
Hospitalized patients
Health care workers with symptoms
TIER 2
Patients in long-term care facilities or other residential settings such as homeless shelters or correctional facilities with symptoms
Patients over age 65 with symptoms
Patients with underlying conditions with symptoms*
First responders with symptoms
Critical infrastructure workers with symptoms**
People with symptoms who work with vulnerable populations or in group residential settings
TIER 3
Other individuals with symptoms
Continue to stay up to date by visiting covid19.colorado.gov