A 26-year-old who tested positive for coronavirus says she felt like she could ride out the bug before having to spend two nights in hospital after symptoms left her unable to 'walk, speak and eat'.
Fiona Lowenstein was experiencing a fever on a Friday night, which persisted the next day and she also developed a cough, but says by Sunday she 'felt better' and thought she was on the mend.
She was planning to get back to her usual ways on the Monday, but her symptoms quickly worsened as she was 'vomiting and woke up in the night with shivers, and developed as what I now recognise as shortness of breath'.
Fiona, from New York, says her condition continued to deteriorate that day until she was forced to go to hospital 'because I couldn't speak, couldn't walk, couldn't eat' due to breathing difficulties.
Doctors put her on oxygen and she spent two nights in hospital, before being allowed to return home where she must remain isolated until she tests negative for coronavirus.
Fiona says the lack of news of young people having to go to hospital with coronavirus, and the idea that it wouldn't affect young people to the same extent, prevented her from going to hospital sooner.
She told CNN : "I definitely thought that if I got it I would ride it out at home and that's why I think I was so reluctant to go to the hospital for as long as I did.
"I really feel I went at the last possible moment and I'm very thankful to my partner and my parents who were texting me and keeping in contact with me for convincing me eventually to go, and talking to doctors on my behalf.
"Even I was in some denial about how serious it could get."
Fiona says she is feeling better every day but there are still some lingering symptoms and she expects it to be 'a while' before she is back to her normal self.
She posted an appeal on Instagram to say: "Stay safe, stay inside if you are able, and PLEASE rest and isolate if you have any symptoms whatsoever or feel sick in any way!
"This started for me with a headache, for others with a sore throat, nausea, or runny nose.
"It doesn’t look the same for everyone so young people especially let’s do our part to contain it."
