Pandemic Update - COVID-19 Hits Home

Last week I wrote in our blog: Shantel and I have continued to try and be diligent in practicing social distancing and wearing a mask when that is not possible. However, we have also allowed our kids to play with friends and had a few friends visit from out of town. Based on the increase in cases we were discussing this weekend that we may need pull back again to make sure we are helping slow the growth of cases here in Utah.

Jenna arrived from Iowa on Monday and then Shantel headed up to Morgan on Wednesday morning to spend 3 days up there.

Lucy woke up really early Friday morning and would not go back to sleep. Shantel ended up looking at her phone around 5:30 am and saw a message from Kayla Hall, who had visited us the Friday before (one week ago). She told Shantel that she started having COVID-19 symptoms on Sunday, and that she just received her test results and she was positive for COVID-19.

I woke up around 6:15 and saw a text from Shantel to call her and about Kayla's test. Shantel packed up before her family even woke up and left as soon as she could. She gave a brief update to her Dad and Jenna as she quickly left. She was home before 8 am.

We quickly tried to make a plan for what we needed to do, but I had meetings first thing in the morning so it was not until lunch we figured out what we wanted to do. We came in contact with Kayla on Friday. She came to to our house Friday afternoon and stayed through dinner. Shantel had more close contact with her, but I came in contact as well. First thing that we did was make a list of everyone that we came in contact with since we came in contact with Kayla.

Given the timeline, we don't think we would have been contagious 12 hours later on Saturday, so we excluded the carpet installer who came on Saturday (and people) from the Stake baptisms (Shantel was also wearing a mask there). The only time I left the house was on Wednesday to pick up groceries and I picked up Chilis. In both, I did not get out of the car or really have contact with the person, so we are in good shape. Shantel had contact with a handful of neighbors and then with her family in Morgan. The kids had contact with Lilly and Neil.

Shantel's first task was texting/contacting everyone that we had come in contact with/close neighbors to give them warning. Kayla did not let us know there was any concern until her test was positive. We wish she had just given us a heads up when she was having some symptoms, or when she got tested, just so we would have known. Then Shantel could have waited to go to Morgan until she heard back from Kayla. Based on that, we let everyone know that we had been exposed so they have information to make the best decisions for their family.

Next up was to decide what to do for testing for us. If we were both going to get tested, we would need to go two separate times. In addition, if we don't test positive, we would still need to quarantine for two weeks. Also, since I did not have any contact with anyone, if I am positive there is no one I came in contact with that we would need to let know. We decided that Shantel should get tested (she had more contact with Kayla) and she had contact with others who would need to know. While it makes sense, I felt so bad that it was her and not me going to get tested, because it is not pleasant.

Shantel called IHC and they did an assessment and determined that she should get tested and she drove to American Fork Hospital to to drive through testing. Shantel and I are both allergic to the hay from the guinea pigs that we just got, which makes it hard to know if we have a sore throat from those or COVID-19. Apparently it was a bad time to get guinea pigs. However, overall, assuming that sore throat/headache is from the guinea pigs, we have not had other symptoms. (I also have trouble breathing when I am around the hay/guinea pigs, so that makes it complicated). 

It looks like it would be painful and Shantel said that it does not hurt as much as getting an epidural, but it is closer to that than it is to getting a strep test. She also said that one of the worst parts was after, she just did not feel good. Her head was hurting and she was miserable. She had to pull off the side of the road and take a minute to recover. Then she came home and crashed on the couch. 

Now we are just waiting to get test results and see if Shantel tests positive. We are really really hoping for a negative test. We will still have to quarantine, but that will be so much harder because so many of those Shantel and the kids came in contact with will need to get testing or quarantine too.

We feel so badly if we exposed anyone to COVID-19. We have been trying to be careful, and even with Kayla visiting Shantel was very thoughtful about it. Kayla's husband returned to Span a week before she came to visit us, and so they both had to be tested for him to fly back, and they both tested negative. Kayla's parents are high risk and so she has been trying to be careful as well. Overall, it did not seem extremely risky to have her come visit.

In retrospect, we obviously wished we had done more to reduce exposure before Shantel went up to see Jenna in Morgan. We had even talked last week about reducing contact- it was just a week late. We certainly don't feel like we were reckless and in truth we have been more careful than most people that live by us, but when you may have potentially infected someone else, that does little to help you feel better.

In the midst of this, there is still much to be grateful for:
1- We are all still healthy and doing great. Caleb had a fever and runny nose on Friday. However, Camille and Jason had that and he may have got sick from them. However, so far, we don't any symptoms, we are feeling great and healthy and strong.
2- We were supposed to go visit my family on Friday night. We would have tried to distance from my parents, but not my siblings and their family. If we had found out 24 hours later about Kayla, we might have still gone. We are grateful we did not and did not expose any of my family.
3- We are very able to quarantine. We have talked about being in quarantine before, but this is obviously different even from our previous self isolation. The Utah Department of Health called Shantel to follow up after Kayla included her on the list of people that she came in contact with and the Department of Health said we are officially quarantined and not to leave our home until they call and specifically release us. We live in an amazing time, in addition to neighbors and family who have volunteered to help us if we need anything, we have access to grocery/food delivery where we don't have to leave our house or come in contact with anyone.
4-During family home evening we made a summer bucket list of things we want to do before the end of summer. While many of those are not possible while we are quarantined, we had a lot of the list of things we can do at home to enjoy our time together.

Shantel took her test on Friday afternoon and it is Sunday afternoon. Test results are supposed to come back within 2-5 days. So it could be any time now. We are really hoping for a negative test, but will deal with whatever comes.

I think Shantel is doing pretty well. I know she is worried about her family and others and wants to make sure they are okay. She asked for a blessing today and I think that helped.

I'm sure I'll post an update soon when we find out what Shantel's test results. I'll also be posting about our COVID quarantine activities.