Coronavirus Australia live news: - ABC News

A Melbourne nurse's experience with coronavirus

  

ABC News Breakfast: 

  

"And Emma joins us now from hotel quarantine in Melbourne. Emma, good morning. Firstly, how are you?"

Emma: 

  

"Good morning. Yeah, good morning. I am doing really well now. I'm obviously still in hotel quarantine with a cough and a stubborn sniffle."  

"But it's been a massive two weeks. I'm on Day 18 of symptoms and it's just been an incredible - a bit of a horrifying journey as well."
 

ABC News Breakfast:

  

"We can just imagine. So, how did you catch the virus? Was it at the workplace?"

Emma: 
 

"So, we're not actually sure exactly where I got the virus from. When I got the virus, it was the peak of community transmission, a couple of weeks ago, and, you know, as community transmission spread and it was on the rise, that was reflected in the number of patients coming through the emergency department with symptoms, it was reflected in the number of healthcare workers on the rise across Victoria."

"So, I really am not sure. I could have easily got it from my local supermarket, doing the weekly shopping."

ABC News Breakfast:
  

"And here's a lesson for everybody, Emma - you tested negative, didn't you, when you first took your first test?"
 

Emma: 

  

"Yeah. So, that's something that I think is really important that everybody understands. They did testing of healthcare workers without symptoms, so I had that test on the Thursday. I had had absolutely no symptoms at all. By the Friday night, I had developed that cough and a bit of fatigue, but I tested negative on the Thursday." 

"So, I thought to myself, 'Well, because I've developed symptoms, I should go and get retested, even though it's less than 24 hours since my test.' And thank God I did, because that next test came back positive." 

  

"So, you know, what I really want people to understand is it doesn't matter how recently you tested negative, I would say if your symptoms develop, you get new ones, they progress, they're worsening or persisting, I would say there's no harm, just get retested and have that peace of mind."
 

ABC News Breakfast:

  

"Here's another message young people can get this virus, as you have experienced. What message would you like to get out there, Emma, to young people? And we stress it's not just young people, but we do see young people being a bit ambivalent about social distancing and following all those hygiene rules?"
  

Emma: 

 
"Yeah, absolutely. I myself, you know, I am a healthcare worker, so I understand the virus is real and I understood the threat of the virus. But I suppose I was more concerned not about contracting it myself but the potential to give it on to other people."

"So, my following of the restrictions was more on compassionate grounds for others, but I would actually say to young people, you know, that's not the only thing."

"I had a really awful time with the virus. You know, I wasn't asymptomatic, it wasn't just a mild flu or a mild cold. It started out that way, but it very quickly progressed to, you know, I wasn't able to hold my phone up long enough to send a message to my mum to say, "I'm OK." I wasn't able to walk in a straight line because I became so dizzy, I would have to hold on to all the furniture. For a whole week I couldn't stand up in the shower because I would black out every time I stood up."

"And, you know, I couldn't speak in sentences like I'm doing now, that was impossible. So, you know, to young people, I would say firstly have compassion to others more vulnerable than you in the community, and follow the restrictions."

"They work. I haven't infected anybody, not even my own partner who I live with, due to following the restrictions. But also understand that it can affect you personally as well, and it's certainly not something to be played with or dismissed." 

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZ2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTA4LTE4L2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLWF1c3RyYWxpYS1saXZlLW5ld3Mtc3lkbmV5LWNvdmlkLTE5LWhvdHNwb3QvMTI1NjcwNjLSASdodHRwczovL2FtcC5hYmMubmV0LmF1L2FydGljbGUvMTI1NjcwNjI?oc=5

2020-08-18 00:06:00Z
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