My COVID-19 Journey
On Saturday, December 11th, my youngest sister woke up with a terrible cough and a headache. I immediately knew that she had COVID-19. At 11 years old, my sister has only been eligible for the Pfizer vaccine for about a month; at the time of her illness, she had already received the first dose of the vaccine and was waiting for the second. My parents and I had different opinions regarding the nature of her illness; under the impression that she simply had a cold, my sister did not quarantine, roaming around the house freely without a mask. However, on Monday, her school informed my parents that there was a COVID-19 outbreak in the 6th grade, forcing the school to go virtual for the last week of the semester. It was then that my parents conceded that my sister might have COVID-19 and took her to get tested. On Tuesday, her test results came back: she was positive for COVID-19.
On Wednesday, December 15th, I woke up with a terrible cough and a headache. I immediately knew that I had COVID-19. My parents believed that I was overreacting, as I, along with the other adults in my family, was fully vaccinated. With my booster shot appointment just days away and weeks of winter break plans ahead of me, I prayed that I simply had a cold and looked up remedies to my symptoms. However, by the end of the night, I felt deeply that my sickness, which was the first time I had fallen sick since February 2020, was not simply a cold, and I ordered a rapid COVID-19 test to be delivered to my house on Thursday morning. Within 10 minutes of inserting the swab into my nose, the results were clear: I was positive for COVID-19.
The revelation that I had COVID-19 led to a lot of emotions. First and foremost, I was upset with my parents. They did not listen when I originally suggested that my youngest sister had COVID-19, nor did they budge when I urged them to quarantine my sister, or at least make her wear a mask, after her test was positive. However, I soon realized that my parents, along with many other Americans, were victims of misinformation and poorly disseminated information. In the world of social media, it is easy for anyone to share information and make it seem credible despite having no qualifications or authority. Thus, it is easily understood that my parents could have seen advice shared by a random social media user and assumed it was from a credible source. Beyond the rampant misinformation which has led to damage in many communities, credible sources of information, such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), struggle with disseminating information effectively. The CDC is the ultimate authority on the treatment of COVID-19 in the United States, but as the virus evolves, so does the advice given by the CDC. The rapid transformations made by the virus make it difficult to track where the CDC stands on topics such as quarantine, medication, and contagiousness, as scientific knowledge of COVID-19 changes almost daily. A wide variety of untrustworthy sources combined with rapidly changing opinions from the most credible source make overcoming COVID-19 difficult.
Despite the difficulties of misinformation and conflict within the house, I overcame COVID-19. My symptoms remained mild, never progressing to more than those akin to a cold. I isolated in my room and used disinfecting products religiously if and when I left to prepare food or use the bathroom. While I was disheartened to lose so much of my winter break to isolation, I soon realized that continuing with my original winter break would not have been wise whether or not I became infected with COVID-19, as the Omicron variant quickly spread throughout Los Angeles County. My experience with COVID-19 taught me a lot about media, communications, and information. I hope that everyone will take the time to think about how quickly misinformation can spread as we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
