A little mistake is all it takes to catch COVID
Jody Besignano isn’t your typical COVID-19 patient.
The 40-year-old mother of two describes herself as generally healthy and has been carefully following safety precautions during the pandemic.
Except once. Now the Penticton woman is warning others about the serious consequences of forgetting the rules.
Besignano believes she was infected Dec. 6, when she gave a “half-second hug” to an acquaintance.
“Honestly, I didn’t even think twice about it,” she said.
Later that week, Besignano learned that same acquaintance had tested positive for COVID-19, so she scheduled a test for herself.
Besignano’s symptoms began with a tickle in her throat on Dec. 11, the same day as her test. By the time she got her positive result back on Dec. 12, her symptoms had begun to worsen and eventually included headaches, body aches, a cough, tightness in her chest and fatigue.
She described the symptoms of COVID-19 as “way worse” than what she experienced during her two pregnancies, but also notes the symptoms could have been worse than what she actually suffered.
“I can understand why anybody who has a precondition would be worried about catching it,” said Besignano.
It’s only now, nearly three weeks later, that Besignano is beginning to feel like herself again, although she has yet to fully regain her senses of taste and smell.
In the wake of her positive test result, Besignano and her partner self-isolated at home with their two kids, one of whom is a 10-month-old who’s breastfeeding. Remarkably, no one else in her family has tested positive for the virus, which she attributes to wearing a mask at home and using a separate washroom.
Of 47,500 cases of COVID-19 that had been confirmed in the province by Wednesday morning, only about 3,500 were recorded among women 40-49 like Besignano, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control.
She considers herself lucky for having survived the virus and is urging others to keep their guards up.
“Please, please, wear your mask. Wash your hands. Social distance. Take care of yourselves,” said Besignano.
“Maybe it doesn’t hit home when (the virus) is not right at your door, but it’s out there, so be careful.”