Lloydminster resident Kendall Smith wants people to be more open in admitting they’ve tested positive for COVID-19 after contracting the virus himself.
“We got it somehow, we’re not 100 per cent positive how we got it, but we did get it both my wife and I. It shouldn’t be something we’re ashamed of.”
Smith says he and his wife, Kathy, were tested at Prairie North Plaza on July 31st and received the positive results on August 2nd.
Kathy was the first to show symptoms of the virus earlier in the month. She had a cough and a sore throat at first then felt fatigued for four or five days. The semi-retired couple suspected it may have been the novel coronavirus and self-isolated in their home during this time.
They think she may have contracted it while out at a restaurant with friends on July 11 or while grocery shopping. Smith says the friends have been tested and received a negative result.
On July 28th, the 60-year-old says he started getting a sore throat and cough. The next day he had a high fever, felt fatigued and wasn’t able to stay awake for very long.
“I was surprised. I came down with it so far after my wife did.”
He says the fever has since gone away and will stay in quarantine until August 12th. Smith mentions they’ve been getting check-ups over the phone everyday, asking about their health and checking on their symptoms.
Age plays a significant factor in the seriousness of COVID-19 cases. In Alberta, the average age for cases hospitalized is 62 and the average age of death is 84. Of the 18 deaths in Saskatchewan, 16 of them were above the age of 60.
Smith says he wasn’t too worried about the age-factor, but still acted with caution.
“We have no pre-existing health conditions so we weren’t really too worried about that. Maybe if we did have pre-existing health conditions, but both of us are fairly healthy. We weren’t worried about it, but we didn’t want to get in touch with any of our friends because we were afraid they might get it.”
While still recovering from the virus, Smith says he hopes to see more people declaring they’ve had COVID-19 to normalize it. He says he often sees people on social media saying their friend has it or other second-hand tales, but doesn’t see posts from people admitting they have it.
Smith has some words for people who may contract COVID-19 in the future.
“If you do get it, stay at home and try to not spread it around. You never know what your neighbours health is like and if you do get it, be cautious with it. Don’t be ashamed of it.”