By Scott Carlson-Eagle Radio News Director
NORTH PLATTE, Neb.-Many of us have spent the last couple of months scrolling through social media and emails looking for the latest updates on the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.
The majority of us watch from afar, concerned for the welfare of our fellow Americans, but feeling pretty safe here in the middle of the country. Then the news broke that we had confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Lincoln County.
This is the point where a lot of us in Lincoln County began to view the pandemic with a little more seriousness, with a little more attentiveness.
Being in the radio and news business, we at Eagle Radio, like the rest of our colleagues in the media, immersed ourselves in the news, working sun up to sundown trying to keep the people in our area informed of what was going on. We never once stopped to think that this "unseen enemy" as it is being referred to would directly impact our Eagle family.
Then, on the morning of March 25, one of our employees contacted management and stated that they had awoken suffering from a sore throat, a fever, and a dry cough...the tell-tale symptoms of COVID-19.
The employee immediately self-quarantined and contacted their primary care physician (PCP) at the earliest convenience. The PCP recommended that the employee come to their office for further diagnosis.
Upon arrival, the employee informed their PCP that the symptoms came on fast and included dry cough, fever, and shortness of breath that would come and go.
After some preliminary testing, the employee was provided with a questionnaire which was then faxed to the West Central District Health Department.
Upon reviewing the information, officials at WCDHD and the PCP recommended the employee for testing, which was taking place behind Great Plains Health.
Upon arrival at the testing site, the employee was greeted by a nurse in full personal protective equipment and given some basic information regarding the test.
The experience was not a pleasant one.
"The nurse shoved an extra-long Q-tip down my nose, far enough that I felt it in my throat," the employee said.
After completion, the employee was provided with "isolation instructions," which included disinfecting their household with bleach, washing hands up to the elbows, sleeping in a different room from the rest of their family, avoiding social contact and disinfecting after using the restroom each time.
The employee was told the results would take at least three days.
The employee stated that their symptoms, aside from a cough, persisted until Friday afternoon and, overall, they felt fine.
Finally, on Saturday, the employee received a call and was told the test had come back negative, much to the relief of the entire Eagle Radio family.
The employee was instructed to maintain good social distancing and hygiene practices and told they could return to work on Tuesday.
While we are all ecstatic with the negative result, this was definitely an eye-opening experience for us.
We encourage everyone to practice social distancing, proper hygiene and to stay tuned to www.northplattepost.com for all of the latest news, weather, and sports.
This is also a reminder that numerous respiratory viruses are still highly active, including influenza and the common cold which is caused primarily by four different coronaviruses.
Thank you to all who voiced their concerns during this time.