I wanted to take a moment to talk about the COVID-19 (coronavirus) in a personal way. I do not intend this article to be political or prejudiced toward one worldview or another, but it will be biased. Biased, because this is my story. Toward the beginning of November, I woke up one day with body aches and a headache. Since my wife and I have three children in public school, I assumed it was only a matter of time until the virus found it's way into our home. It's no one's fault really, in fact I could have picked it up anywhere. This is just what happens when groups of people get together sometimes … illnesses spread. As the days progressed, I began to get a stuffy nose and sore throat. Next came the low grade fever. By this time I had made myself an appointment at the doctor's office so I could get tested for the dreaded "C" word virus. Thirty minutes after a nasal rapid test swab, my results showed that I was positive for COVID-19. So here it was, the 'famous' illness from television and radio was now hitting close to home. 
It's important to note here that my symptoms were mild the entire time. This held true for the rest of my family as well. We had people praying for us the whole time from church; that never hurts. Even though the illness was nothing like we see in the national news headlines for us, I know that it could have been worse. Much worse. In fact, one of my friends describes it as Russian roulette - you never know if you will be one of the twenty percent that has severe symptoms until you actually get infected. Even then, you can feel fine the first few days, and then begin to succumb to breathing problems and secondary infections later. My doctor's words rang in my head as I drove home after the test that day, "you could start to feel worse as time goes on." After all, I was only on day four of the symptoms at that point. Trust me, I didn't want to start feeling worse.
By grace of God, I only got better as time went on. I found the same to be true for the rest of my family as well. Did I mention people were praying for us? For those who are interested, my daily ration of anti-viral Elderberry syrup, Zinc, and Vitamin D seemed to help also. All of these things are over-the-counter items you can get without a doctor's prescription. Early in the pandemic, data suggested that these things might work … I cannot deny that they could very well have helped me.
After testing positive, the quarantine began. It's ten days from first symptom onset, or fourteen days if you don't have symptoms. One of the things that makes this virus so effective regarding transmission is the long incubation period. Some people don't develop symptoms until the fourteenth day!
I am a survivor I guess; I am still here. Things went well, and now they tell me I have a certain level of immunity for a while. I believe that your COVID game plan should be designed to handle the following three things: infection, contact tracing, and the 'panic factor.' I will explain each of these three facets below.
After symptom onset and testing, my body had already begun fighting the microbial intruder. I knew that I needed to take time to heal, sleep, and begin my regimen of anti-viral supplements. This stage is different depending on your age and pre-existing conditions of course, but I think it also depends on the overall efficacy of your natural immune system. Are you a smoker? Do you exercise regularly? All of these things will play a role in the ability to fight off the coronavirus. I am not a doctor, this is just what I have gleaned from reading articles and asking questions from medical personnel.
The second stage I experienced was the contact tracing. This began almost immediately for me, because I am part of a church, as well as a fitness instructor. I began making phone calls and sending emails the evening after receiving my positive test results. Further emails and phone calls took place as a result of the first wave of notifications, and it wasn't all said and done for probably close to a week (follow up questions and talking to public health services). My quarantine time had to be considered in light of my three kids and my wife. This took a few calls to the school and public health to straighten out. There is still a lot of confusion and misinformation out there. Finally, some dates were set for us to return to the realm of the living. I have been "contagion free" for quite a while at this point. I was lucky because I felt well enough to begin making phone calls right away; not everyone will be in the same boat. A good many people may move from the doctor's office directly to the bed. Have a plan in place in case you need help.
Finally, I want to discuss what I have termed the 'panic factor.' This has to do with the stigma of the virus during (and immediately after) it becomes public knowledge that you are infected. This occurs as a result of the contact tracing, and after you tell friends or family. I often felt as though I had a scarlet letter sewed onto my shirt. Some people will be okay throughout the whole process, and they will respect that once quarantine is over, you are okay to go out in public again. Others will struggle being around you no matter how many weeks it has been since you contracted the "C" word. Some may be strangely angry to hear that you didn't end up in a hospital bed (because that matches with what they see and hear from different media sources or acquaintances). Still others may think the whole thing is a hoax, and wonder if you ever really had it in the first place. Be ready for any or all of this. Show grace when necessary, and remember - it isn't somehow 'your fault' if you get sick.
Fear drives some people to do the contact tracing for you as well, whether you want them to or not. They may start asking you questions about where you have been and for how long. Whether or not you attended such and such function while you had a stuffy nose, etc. Try not to take offense at this, they are simply struggling to protect themselves in light of a lack of national leadership and consistency regarding the pandemic. Some states try to control it one way, other states employ different strategies. The end result is that it feels as though we are often on our own. So, people do what they can to feel safe.
If you are lucky enough to have only mild symptoms, please remember not to assume that it will be the same for everyone else. This is something that people in general struggle with I think. We often assume that things will go well for others if it went well for us. This is not the case with COVID-19. I have also noticed that a good many people will go into a kind of denial if they begin experiencing symptoms. "I know I have a sore throat, but it's probably just a cold," you might hear them say. Maybe, but we are in this together when it comes to community spread. If you have symptoms, please stay home or get tested. There is an excellent chance that it could be COVID-19.
Finally, treat each other with kindness. Love each other. Empathize with people's fear if they are struggling. I don't believe we need to walk in fear per say, but this doesn't mean we shrug it off like some kind of invalid emotion. It is a scary time we are living through. It's okay to feel how you feel. When all the pretenses fall away, and there is literally nowhere else to turn, not everyone will find God. Many will stay in this mode of fear, and it isn't a pleasant place to be - so be gracious and don't make fun of it.
I want to leave you with a Scripture passage that I have relied on several times in my life. It is from Proverbs 3:5, and it says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." This advice has never been more true than it is right now, in the midst of a global pandemic. What we see when we look around is often scary, and can seem hopeless. Try to remember that things aren't always what they seem to be in the natural realm. God is up there, and He understands more than we do when it comes to the big picture. Most of you will recover just fine after an infection, but for some it will be worse. Trust in God, and don't be embarrassed to ask others to pray for you. I hear that there are several effective vaccines on the horizon and a few really good therapeutics to help with symptoms. All of this is good news - we are making progress quickly. Besides, someday you may even decide to sit down and write about your experience in an attempt to help other people. God is funny that way, He often taps us to give testimony about what we went through in our own life. In this way, I believe that no experience is ever truly meaningless.
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