June 11, 2021

With the emergence of the Delta variant of the coronavirus and its discovery in Tennessee and Georgia, I feel I should document my close brush with what I believe to be the original strain.

It happened my senior year of college. On September 26, 2020, at 3:08 p.m., I received a text message from my roommate telling me she had been exposed to the coronavirus. Since this happened on a Saturday, she had to wait the weekend before she could be tested at the university's student health center. She made the decision to immediately quarantine until such time as she could be tested.

In addition to God's mercy, I believe our saving grace was the design of the apartment. Unlike my first dorm room which was tiny, this apartment was spacious in comparison. Each had her own bedroom and ensuite bathroom, which was ideal for self-quarantine and/or isolation if the situation required it.

The apartment came furnished, so I pulled one of the end tables from the living area close to her bedroom door so we could deal with the dishes, meals, and anything else that needed to go in or out of the room. When handling the contaminated dishes, I put on a mask before touching them. Then, I ran a sink full of the hottest water the sink could produce and dish soap to allow the dishes to soak for a few minutes. Afterward, they went into the dishwasher on the sanitize setting. Once the sink was empty, I sprayed the sink with a bleach-based cleaner and wiped it down. I also wiped the table down. I made sure to thoroughly wash my hands when all this was done.

Sometime between the 26 and 29, the school notified my roommate she would be moved into a unit set aside specifically for COVID positive students. On September 30, she told me she received a positive test result. My next move was to schedule a COVID test since I knew beyond a doubt that I had been exposed.

The test site was a drive-up style. I parked in the designated spot and called the health center to let them know I was ready. I came prepared this time since this was the second COVID test I had received. The first test was because of a voluntary study the school was conducting to gauge the amount of virus circulating on campus; I was randomly selected. For the second test, a nurse, dressed from head to toe in full PPE, wheeled a cart to the side of my car and administered the test. My eyes didn't water nearly as badly this time. The only thing left to do was wait for the results since I had been placed under strict quarantine. The only reason I was permitted to leave the apartment was to take the garbage out.

I kept in contact with my roommate while we were both effectively in isolation. Unfortunately, she did not remain asymptomatic. She had a bit of congestion, but the most major symptom I was aware of was a drain of energy, and it took awhile for her to get her strength back. On the first of October, she had to go to the hospital, but she was back in her isolation unit by the next day. She was feeling much better by 5 October, but she had to stay in the other apartment until my results came back and my 14 days were up. On October 5, I received my test result: negative.

What follows are notes I took regarding my health in the event I became severely ill, or my friends developed symptoms form exposure to me during the time I wasn't aware of my own exposure.

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September 26

• Roommate went into self-quarantine at 3:08 p.m

- Developed a slight cough

- Throat is a little scratchy

- Slightly warm/red tinge to cheeks

- Low grade headache

- Low energy

* Cleaned the apartment

* Washed and folded clothes

* Cooked dinner

• Took echinacea, Vitamin C, and zinc when I got up

• Drank peppermint tea with honey ~ 4:30 p.m.

• Took one ibuprofen at 9:34 p.m.

September 27

• Feel normal

• None of the above symptoms present ---

September 28

• Took echinacea, Vitamin C, and zinc at 10:17 a.m.

-Slight congestion in left nostril

-Coughing up some phlegm (tinged light yellow)

September 30

• Took echinacea, Vitamin C, and zinc at ~ 1:57 p.m.

October 2

• Took echinacea, Vitamin C, and zinc at ~ 1:29 p.m.

October 3

• Took echinacea, Vitamin C, and zinc at ~ 11:29 a.m.

-Slight cough

-Sneezing

October 4

• Took echinacea, Vitamin C, and zinc at ~ 1:07 p.m.

October 6

• Took echinacea, Vitamin C, and zinc

October 8

• Took echinacea, Vitamin C, and zinc at ~ 12:20 p.m.

October 9

• Took echinacea, Vitamin C, and zinc at ~ 11:33 a.m.

October 11

• Took echinacea, Vitamin C, and zinc