Most of us are reasonably concerned about contracting the novel coronavirus. Some of us are perhaps even a bit frightened by the thought of being infected by a disease that has shut the world down for several months at a time.
So, just imagine you do, legitimately contract COVID-19. Now imagine you contract that same disease a second time.
This was something that was all too real for Sarah Griffin, a second-year nursing student who is also minoring in psychology.
The first time she contracted the virus was late June, and learned of the positive test results just before she was about to show up for her night shift at a nursing home.
Griffin blames the nursing home for the initial spout of COVID-19 due to them being short-staffed and having to make up for it. Griffin said, “not everyone had [the correct certification] when they came in this past summer because they were so desperate.”
There are multiple levels to nursing and without the relevant experience and certification, nobody is supposed to be involved in something they are not qualified for.
Griffin believes that she contracted the virus from an infected patient in that same nursing home.
The first time Griffin contracted the virus, she was living at her home in the Fairfield area just outside Cincinnati, Ohio.
Fortunately, her parents never tested positive, something she attests to the extensive amount of hours she spent working. Griffin said that she would, “come home, eat in my room, and go to sleep every single day.”
Some of the precautions that she took after overcoming the initial sickness was to only spend time with a select few people at a time and never go near a large group of people.
Griffin described the first bout with COVID as feeling like she was “dying” and like it was overall a remarkably unpleasant experience. However, she was at home, so she did have all of the benefits of that, as well.
The cookie crumbled a little differently the next time around.
Firstly, she physically felt significantly better, which leads her to believe that she may have gotten a faulty test.
The second time she tested positive for COVID-19 was in September. Following her positive test she was put into isolation in Trinity Suites.
The largest downfall of living in isolation for her was the mental toll of not being around others.
“In that room, I felt like I was alone, I was going crazy,” Griffin said. “Barely any sunshine, barely any fresh air; you feel like you’re trapped.”
Additionally, she pointed out that Residence Life did indeed do a solid job of making the experience as good as it could have been. The only complaints were of a faulty air conditioner unit and no fitted sheet on the mattress.
As for advice for someone currently going through this unfortunate situation, Griffin says to “have grace with yourself and write down what you are feeling and talk to someone. It is going to be okay.”
Additionally, Griffin praised the worker at Health and Wellness who graciously sat at the other end during phone calls and listened to the struggle of isolation.
