DONORS JOIN PUSH TO SLOW COVID-19
KRISTA Page and her partner believe they caught coronavirus at Brisbane Airport after fleeing New Zealand at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in mid-March.
Now fully recovered, Ms Page voluntarily donates convalescent plasma (CP) at the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood Southport donor centre so it can be used in approved trials of CP therapy for prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
“When we left Australia in mid-March it was all just starting to happen in Australia and there weren’t really any travel warnings as such, especially not in NZ,” said the Hope Island local.
“We were only there one week and decided to cut short our cycling trip, from Wanaka to Christchurch, because things were escalating quickly and they were shutting borders.”
Ms Page, 49, said they travelled through Brisbane Airport and that was “where we picked it up”, possibly from a high-touch point such as a ticketing screen.
“There were a lot of people moving around who had contracted the virus, and lots of Ruby Princess people from Sydney were around at the same time as we flew home,” she said.
While they did their best to keep their distance from others, airports were packed with people “shoulder to shoulder”, desperate to return to their countries of origin.
At that stage of the pandemic there were no strict social distancing measures enforced and mandatory isolation in hotels had not been introduced. Arriving in Brisbane, they were greeted by officials in hazmat suits, given information on COVID-19 and sent on their way.
Once home after a cycling trip that involved travelling 450km through mountainous terrain, the pair started to feel fatigued with a “tickly throat, a bit of a cough but no fever”.
The pair thought it prudent to be tested at the Gold Coast University Hospital fever clinic. Twenty-four hours later they were confirmed positive for coronavirus and the pair started their 14-day self-isolation.
Health authorities contact-traced their every move, discussion and activity from the airport until they were tested at the fever clinic. Located in their “virtual ward”,
Gold Coast Health staff called to check on them every day.
After being released “back into the wild”, the couple emerged to find a “very different world”.
“When we came out into the world (in April) there was no pasta, no rice, no tinned food and no toilet paper. It was just bizarre and really weird how much things had changed in just 14 days,” she said.
The pair only told immediate family they had contracted coronavirus, but when others found out Ms Page said she received some “unexpected reactions”.
“People treat you quite differently once they realise you’ve had it,” she said.
Ms Page believes being fit and healthy helped her navigate COVID-19 easily but she warned her dad – aged in his 70s – to keep away from others, saying she believed it could be serious for people with compromised health.
With no plans to stop donating plasma until not required, Ms Page urged other COVID recovered Gold Coasters to join her in the chair.
In addition to meeting current donor eligibility criteria, convalescent plasma donors must have a confirmed laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19, be fully recovered from the virus and symptom-free for at least 28 days. Call 131 495 or visit lifeblood.com.au