- A New York legal recruiter tested positive for the new coronavirus and shared his experience on social media.
- David Lat said he was experiencing severe symptoms of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, despite being generally healthy.
- Lat said his husband, who also had COVID-19, had only minor flu-like symptoms for a week.
- Their experiences highlight how COVID-19 symptoms can vary from person to person.
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A New York man shared his experience with COVID-19 on social media on Tuesday and encouraged others to take the coronavirus outbreak more seriously.
David Lat, the founder of the Above the Law blog, tweeted, "Folks, this #CoronavirusOutbreak is no joke."
FYI - I have a confirmed case of #covid19 aka #coronavirus. If you interacted with me in person after 2/23, you can cite that fact and get automatically tested. Otherwise you might have to go to the ridiculous efforts I had to in order
— David Lat (@DavidLat) March 17, 2020
Lat said that he's 44 years old and generally healthy but that COVID-19 was making him feel weak.
He explained that while he has an inhaler for exercise-induced asthma, he's run the New York City Marathon twice. He said that he regularly exercises but that after getting COVID-19 he's needed to use an oxygen machine constantly.
"In my current state, #LivingWithCovid, I am constantly weak and winded," Lat tweeted. "I'm hooked up to oxygen 24/7. Even with oxygen, the simplest tasks are extremely difficult."
This morning, this ex-marathoner could barely walk the five feet from the bed to the toilet - and I had to pee as quickly as possible, chest heaving with the labor of breathing, because I was going to collapse if I stood too long. #LatsCovid19Journal#covid19
— David Lat (@DavidLat) March 17, 2020
Lat described not being able to walk to the bathroom or finish a meal without feeling winded.
He said his husband, who also tested positive for COVID-19, had milder symptoms, like "a low-level flu" that lasted about a week.
"But for those who get severe cases, like me, it's been hell," Lat said. "I've had 10 days & counting, with no real improvement, of fever, fatigue, joint aches, chills, cough, respiratory difficulty. I have never been this sick in my entire life."
Lat said that while he isolated himself when he began showing symptoms, people who interacted with him or his husband before then could have been exposed to the virus. He encouraged them to get tested and said it could be easier for them since they'd been in contact with a known coronavirus patient.
Testing in the US has been limited by shortages of test kits. Those seeking to be tested have had to meet criteria from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, such as showing symptoms, having a history of travel to an affected country, or coming in contact with a person known to have COVID-19.
As of Wednesday, the US had more than 6,500 COVID-19 cases and more than 110 deaths.
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