Day 6 - COVID19: Hospital Results

Are You Sure?

DAY 6: It's Saturday, March 14th. T.J had been back from his trip for 4 full days now. We knew it'd take 24 to 48 hours to get the results from the hospital for the coronavirus, however, we got them much sooner than expected.

Throughout the morning T.J. kept checking his online medical chart from the hospital. At some point in the late afternoon I heard him speaking on the phone. He was speaking with the E.R. supervisor.

When T.J. saw his medical chart online he noticed that his results came back negative for the flu, some other listed viruses, and also the coronavirus. They had tested his cells for any respiratory pathogens possible. He called the hospital to make sure that indeed that was the case. The E.R. Supervisor pretty much told him that if that's what you see, that's what your results are. T.J. felt such a huge relief. I however was a big skeptic and didn't believe it. I kept asking T.J. repeatedly if he was sure. He insisted that yes, the E.R. supervisor said that my results were posted. Can't argue with hospital supervisors or medical charts, right?

By this time a lot more people were talking about social distancing. Whether they were taking it seriously or not is another conversation. There was also a multitude of memes about people going crazy buying toilet paper. I remember seeing a friend's post on Facebook about how this toilet paper shortage in stores was an element that post-apocalyptic works missed out on (think films like Mad Max and t.v. shows like the Walking Dead). He wasn't speaking about the actual buying of toilet paper but this insane necessity people felt to hoard toilet paper at home during a pandemic. His keen observation, a norm for Dr. Raggio, made me laugh: "pasan las horas y no me dejan de sorprender todos esos vídeos y fotos de los rollos de papel. tantos años obsesionados con el imaginario de las crisis energéticas y de los muertos vivientes y sin embargo alejados del de lo escatológico y la limpieza de las partes más íntimas del cuerpo. #RabelaisEraElVerdaderoProfeta."

In any case, T.J. decided he was going to visit friends. Before you think it or point it out, I am well aware that on this day he wasn't practicing social distancing either, just like the rest of his fellow Americans. He is very aware of it too. A comment I can guarantee you he heard from me that day and not again. But when the famous phrase is said, "it's up to you" or "tú sabrás", it really means that (sometimes). He felt free! I didn't blame him. I would have been visiting family and friends too. I did something similar. When he left to hang out with his friends I messaged my Florida cousins through our group chat and let them know that T.J. had tested negative for coronavirus. I did a virtual celebration. At the time no one in my family other than my mother really knew what was going on.

I want to say that that was the end of it, but unfortunately, it was not.