Those who've survived the coronavirus are worried that America is reopening too fast and that it could unleash a new wave of infections.
Dashauna Ballard of Tuscaloosa, Alabama is one of those survivors. She was tested positive for COVID-19 after driving herself to the hospital when symptoms began developing. While she was released the next day, she faced what many coronavirus survivors face: lingering symptoms, job losses, insane medical bills and stigma.
She works as an educator with high school students, and her job was suspended and school officials didn't want to let her retrieve personal items off campus. However, despite the stigma and uncertain future, Ballard is glad to be feeling better but worried that states are reopening too fast. She feels that officials would slow reopening if they were directly affected - whether that be a closed loved one or themselves contracting the virus.
Dr. Rick Bright, a government immunologist, agrees that states are pushing to reopen too fast. He told a Congressional Committee that the window is closing fast to prevent the "darkest winter in modern history" if response to the coronavirus isn't improved.
Bright also filed a whistleblower complaint, stating that he was ousted from his post because of his views, as well as for questioning hydroxychloroquine. Trump, however, wants states to reopen quickly to help boost the dying economy.
Source: NBC News
The coronavirus can infect anyone at any age everywhere. As every survivor will tell you, reopening too quickly will lead to a new wave of infections.
If you were to go to YouTube and search, "coronavirus survivors," you would find a slew of videos of people recounting their tales of survival. The following is that of Chad Edmonds, a survivor in Cedar Rapids.