Healthy 33 y.o. in Fort Worth describes corona experience

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Tucker flew to New York City to visit a friend on March 6. While there, she started hearing that positive cases of coronavirus were increasing around the city and across the country. She says she was shocked to get COVID-19, because she had taken so many steps to protect herself on her trip. “We took every precaution we could. We avoided the touristy areas. We weren’t touching a lot. I was using hand sanitizer and washing my hands constantly," she said.

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She flew home to Fort Worth on March 9 and two days later, she developed a dry cough. Then came a low fever, which quickly spiked. Then the body aches. And the shortness of breath.

Doctors there thought Tucker had COVID-19 and told her to go home and self-quarantine.

She did. But things got worse.

Tucker’s breathing became so labored, she felt like she needed to go to an emergency room. But she didn’t want to expose anyone else.

Before going to an ER, she wanted advice. She says she called Tarrant County’s coronavirus hotline, the Tarrant County Health Department, 211 and her own doctor -- but it was a Sunday.

“We just kept getting voicemails,” she said.

Her husband eventually drove her to an ER.

Wearing a mask, he went in and alerted staff to his wife’s condition. She was rushed into a room and isolated.

A chest x-ray showed she had pneumonia.

But she still couldn’t get a test, because, she says, she wasn’t in a high-risk category and because of her age.

Tucker called her insurance company. They found a doctor in Dallas who was able to test her.

She got the results Tuesday.

She was the seventh Tarrant County resident to test positive for coronavirus.

“I’m so glad I was able to get tested so that people know it is here and probably more widespread than we even think,”

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