FORT MYERS, Fla. — Despite having a cough that won’t quit, Emily Alvarado is staying positive knowing she’s gotten through the worst of the coronavirus.
“Four IV bags, I had chest medication that they give to asthma patients who just had asthma attacks, because my breathing was so bad,” said Alvarado.
She’s 24 years old and doesn’t have any heart or respiratory problems, but she still wasn’t surprised when doctors told her she had COVID-19 last week.
“Anytime anyone is ever remotely sick, I’m like, whelp, hello, I’m going to get this,” she said
That’s because she has lupus, an illness that weakens her immune system.
She grew up in Fort Myers and moved to the Bronx just a few weeks ago.
New York now has more than 4,000 cases statewide. So, she said she joined New Yorkers in their outlandish attempts to avoid the virus on the train.
“You’d see people like hugging it, or trying not to touch it with their fingers. That was me. I was just doing the most to protect myself,” she said.
But she said nothing beats staying at home to protect the ones you love.
“Instead of saying only the immune-compromised are at risk here, I think if they say only my mom, “Becky” is at risk here, then maybe they would think differently about it,” she said.
Dr. Stan Headley, who’s a natural health consultant at Cypress Pharmacy said there are also things we all can do to protect ourselves.
“Get good quality of sleep, hydrate, make sure that you’re drinking plenty of good water, green tea for example is an excellent antioxidant, eat healthy and try to eliminate sugar,” he said.
Headley also said probiotics like yogurt are good for your lungs.
Alvarado said doctors told her once her fever breaks, she’s no longer contagious - just like the flu. They also said if people with the virus still have symptoms after the 14-day quarantine, they should see their doctor.
