Carl Goldman who was one of the Americans that contracted the coronavirus on the cruise ship Diamond Princess is speaking out and has popped the media’s bubbe.
Despite the stock market plummeting last week over fears the virus could take down the international economy, Goldman said at least for him the disease hasn’t really been that bad.
“I am in my late 60s, and the sickest I’ve ever been was when I had bronchitis several years ago. That laid me out on my back for a few days. This has been much easier: no chills, no body aches. I breathe easily, and I don’t have a stuffy nose. My chest feels tight, and I have coughing spells. If I were at home with similar symptoms, I probably would have gone to work as usual,” Goldman explained in an essay for the Washington Post.
Once home from Japan after spending 14 days in quarantine on the Diamond Princess, Center for Disease Control and Prevention officials brought Goldman and his wife – who has not contracted the disease – to a biocontainment center at the University of Nebraska hospital. Goldman wrote:
During the first few days, the hospital staff hooked me up to an IV, mostly as a precaution, and used it to administer magnesium and potassium, just to make sure I had plenty of vitamins. Other than that, my treatment has consisted of what felt like gallons and gallons of Gatorade — and, when my fever rose just above 100 degrees, some ibuprofen. The nurses came to the room every four hours or so, to check my vitals, ask if I needed anything and to draw my blood.
I got very good at unhooking all the monitors checking my oxygen level, blood pressure and heart rate so I could go to the bathroom or just pace around the room a little, to get my blood flowing. I never quite got the hang of hooking them back up without making a tangled mess. After 10 days, I moved out of biocontainment and into the same facility as Jeri. Now we can videochat from our separate quarantines, in neighboring rooms.
Goldman added that it is “surreal” to watch everyone panic, see “school closures” and the “markets falling” because of the virus.
“Based on my experience, I’d recommend that everyone get a good digital thermometer, just as a comfort tool, so they can reassure themselves if their noses start running,” he said. “Coronavirus doesn’t have to be a horrible calamity.”
As of March 1st, 60 countries have contracted the disease and there are 66 confirmed cases inside the US – that includes those shipped here from the Diamond Princess. South Korea, Italy, and Iran have been hit the hardest outside of China.
We are glad that Mr. Goldman is doing well and we pray for a quick recovery.
Mr. Goldman did mention that this is his experience and that others older than him or that have health risks could have a different experience.
