Mar 30, 2020, 17:03 pm
Jacques Zelnik is 27 years old and he can’t get out of bed. Eight years, ago he was a college athlete and now he can barely breathe—even while bedridden.
Jacques is one of more than 20,000 New Yorkers currently infected with COVID-19: the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, currently the forefront anxiety in the world’s collective consciousness. Like many people his age, Jacques had understood the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations—but, in an all-too-common admission, says that he hadn’t truly considered himself at risk.
Jacques’ symptoms have thus far been severe and his case is worth highlighting, not only in order to understand the lived experience of the virus, but also to illustrate that no segment of the world’s population is immune to the devastating complications this coronavirus can cause.
Experiencing the Symptoms
There’s no telling when and where Jacques was exposed to the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that symptoms can set in 2-14 days after exposure, depending on the incubation period—so realistically, Jacques could have been exposed in New York City where he lives and works, while on vacation in Los Angeles the week before his illness, on the return flight, or at any other point in the first half of March.
Jacques first became ill on Sunday, March 15th. When asked to recount his early symptoms, Jacques described a terrible headache—a symptom which has endured through the time of publication. His temperature spiked shortly after and had remained above 99.5°F until Wednesday of this week.
Jacques started feeling shortness of breath the day after the headaches began, worsening as the week passed, unable to make the 10-foot journey from his bed to the bathroom unaided. It wasn’t until March 20th, after five days of headache and fever, that Jacques was able to get tested at a local hospital. It was when he struggled to breathe while lying in bed that he knew he needed to go to the emergency room.
The Situation at the Hospital
By his estimate, Jacques was in the hospital relatively early; perhaps the second day that cases spiked in New York City. He arrived with the help of his girlfriend (who, it should be noted, has also tested positive for COVID-19, but is so far asymptomatic and in self-quarantine). He could barely walk and stand on his own. When hospital staff saw Jacques on the verge of collapse, they rushed him to a bed, placed an IV to provide much-needed fluids, and ran several tests.
A chest x-ray diagnosed him with double viral pneumonia and tachycardia (elevated heart rate), with his resting heart rate racing more than 140 beats per minute.
Despite his alarming symptoms, Jacques was only in the hospital for a grand total of 12 hours.
During his brief stay in the hospital, he witnessed doctors and nurses rushing around; not an empty bed in sight and a mask on every face. Jacques notes that even at this point, relatively early in the timeline of the city’s outbreak, doctors and nurses were already needing to reuse masks from patient to patient—but they were still able to change their gloves.
Care Has Never Been More Vital
Jacques fortunately had access to some hospital care, but he couldn’t have made it through this crisis without the help of his girlfriend.
Jacques is now discharged and slowly recovering in self-quarantine at home with his girlfriend. Like too many others, Jacques says he didn’t expect to contract the virus. “Unfortunately, and much like most others my age, [I] thought nothing of COVID and did not truly take it seriously...I'm out and trying to rest and not end up back there again. This is not a normal virus and they say these next few days are critical in my recovery.”
Jacques hopes people understand the severity of this disease and make the necessary sacrifices to curb its spread.
https://www.sapien.network/t/Coronavirus...w-f6bwH0et
Jacques is one of more than 20,000 New Yorkers currently infected with COVID-19: the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, currently the forefront anxiety in the world’s collective consciousness. Like many people his age, Jacques had understood the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations—but, in an all-too-common admission, says that he hadn’t truly considered himself at risk.
Jacques’ symptoms have thus far been severe and his case is worth highlighting, not only in order to understand the lived experience of the virus, but also to illustrate that no segment of the world’s population is immune to the devastating complications this coronavirus can cause.
Experiencing the Symptoms
There’s no telling when and where Jacques was exposed to the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that symptoms can set in 2-14 days after exposure, depending on the incubation period—so realistically, Jacques could have been exposed in New York City where he lives and works, while on vacation in Los Angeles the week before his illness, on the return flight, or at any other point in the first half of March.
Jacques first became ill on Sunday, March 15th. When asked to recount his early symptoms, Jacques described a terrible headache—a symptom which has endured through the time of publication. His temperature spiked shortly after and had remained above 99.5°F until Wednesday of this week.
Jacques started feeling shortness of breath the day after the headaches began, worsening as the week passed, unable to make the 10-foot journey from his bed to the bathroom unaided. It wasn’t until March 20th, after five days of headache and fever, that Jacques was able to get tested at a local hospital. It was when he struggled to breathe while lying in bed that he knew he needed to go to the emergency room.
Quote:“I honestly did not have the capacity to process how I felt emotionally,” said Jacques. “I had never been so debilitated in my life and my only concern was how I was going to get back to bed.”
The Situation at the Hospital
By his estimate, Jacques was in the hospital relatively early; perhaps the second day that cases spiked in New York City. He arrived with the help of his girlfriend (who, it should be noted, has also tested positive for COVID-19, but is so far asymptomatic and in self-quarantine). He could barely walk and stand on his own. When hospital staff saw Jacques on the verge of collapse, they rushed him to a bed, placed an IV to provide much-needed fluids, and ran several tests.
A chest x-ray diagnosed him with double viral pneumonia and tachycardia (elevated heart rate), with his resting heart rate racing more than 140 beats per minute.
Despite his alarming symptoms, Jacques was only in the hospital for a grand total of 12 hours.
Quote:“The attending ER doctor said that, despite my severe condition, they could not keep me in the hospital due to lack of space in this crisis. She noted that under normal circumstances someone in my condition would never be sent home but there was just no capacity to help me,” said Jacques. “That was the most terrifying part.”
During his brief stay in the hospital, he witnessed doctors and nurses rushing around; not an empty bed in sight and a mask on every face. Jacques notes that even at this point, relatively early in the timeline of the city’s outbreak, doctors and nurses were already needing to reuse masks from patient to patient—but they were still able to change their gloves.
Quote:“One of my biggest concerns once they diagnosed me with viral pneumonia was that I have been hospitalized for pneumonia twice before. Being in that same situation and being sent home was extremely concerning. I was torn, I understood the situation these doctors were in but, at the same time, did not want to go home and just completely crash,” said Jacques.
Quote:“There was a woman next to me in the ER, probably around fifty or so, with a similar diagnosis as mine. Her primary care doctor was on speaker phone pleading with the ER doctor to keep her there. It was something I had never seen and hope to never again.”
Care Has Never Been More Vital
Jacques fortunately had access to some hospital care, but he couldn’t have made it through this crisis without the help of his girlfriend.
Quote:“Having someone around to help me was vital. If my girlfriend was not able or willing to take care of me I honestly do not know what would have happened to me. She forced me to eat, she forced me to drink,” said Jacques. “I lost my appetite and have lost about 10 pounds in just as many days,” said Jacques. “At twenty-seven years old, I would have never thought I would be in that position.”
Jacques is now discharged and slowly recovering in self-quarantine at home with his girlfriend. Like too many others, Jacques says he didn’t expect to contract the virus. “Unfortunately, and much like most others my age, [I] thought nothing of COVID and did not truly take it seriously...I'm out and trying to rest and not end up back there again. This is not a normal virus and they say these next few days are critical in my recovery.”
Jacques hopes people understand the severity of this disease and make the necessary sacrifices to curb its spread.
Quote:“Whatever you want to do, whomever you want to go out and see, it is NOT worth it. I underestimated the power of this virus against a 27 year old, in shape, former college football player,” said Jacques.
“COVID brought me to my knees.”
https://www.sapien.network/t/Coronavirus...w-f6bwH0et