From March 18 to 19, 2020, the confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Mexico went from 118 to 164, that is, 49 new patients. One of these cases was Rodrigo, who offered his experience. It is the first time that a Mexican patient confirmed with COVID-19 tells the entire process of the disease, from symptoms to recovery.
“To all the people who are incredulous in this situation, the only thing I can say is that we must be aware, we must protect ourselves and take care of our families, in this case because I am experiencing it first hand, that I’m living it in my own flesh, the symptoms are really very strong, it’s like the flu, but maximized. “
March 14, Appearance of symptoms
I am Rodrigo Fragoso, I am a television producer, I am the director of a public relations agency, we work with artists and I am a publicist.
On March 11, I had to travel for work reasons to the city of Miami, Florida, where I was living with several people, some of them had traveled from the City of Los Angeles, a city with a high degree of contagion.
I suppose that’s where I got the virus, it really could have been from anywhere, but it’s more likely from the contact I had with these people.
My symptoms started just two days after I returned from Miami to Mexico City, I felt a lot of cough, I felt body pains, I started to get a fever of 39 degrees, the fever did not go away so I had to go to the doctor, to the La Raza Medical Center.
The first attention
Emergency personnel asked me about all the symptoms and the first thing they asked me was if I had traveled to any of the countries at risk of COVID-19.
Immediately, doctors from the infectology hospital of the National Medical Center La Raza arrived, in fact, they came with their uniforms, face masks, special suits and from there they put the same thing on me: a mouth mask, a surgical gown, latex gloves and they transferred me to the Infectology Hospital.
The infectologist started asking me a series of questions, from medical history, if I had had influenza vaccines, pneumococcal vaccines, who I had traveled with, what was my way of life, my diet, and later they commented that the probability was very high that I tested positive for coronavirus and told me that I had to sign some documents so that they could test me to confirm or rule out that I was a COVID carrier.
COVID-19 Tests
March 16, 2020
I had several tests, they did a blood test, and later they did the specific tests for COVID-19. With two swabs, they insert it into your throat one and the other inserted into one of the nostrils, to a certain degree of depth because the test is actually very painful.
Those tests insert them into special test tubes that have to be refrigerated because the COVID-19 test has to have a cooling chain from sampling until it reaches laboratories.
Hospitalization
The doctor told me that I had to be admitted because the result of the blood test had revealed that my saturation levels were very low to those of a 30-year-old person, so she said that it could present some risk.
She emphasized that where I was going to be admitted was an area of respiratory diseases, that is, patients who had pulmonary tuberculosis, who had already tested positive for influenza to some other diseases, then she also emphasized that I was at risk of catching some other disease at that hospital. I decided not to stay in the hospital, I signed my voluntary discharge and they sent me to my house.
They asked me not to leave my room for five days, which was the period that the COVID-19 tests would take for results.
Five days after starting with symptoms, on March 19, 2020 Rodrigo was confirmed that he had COVID 19.
COVID-19 treatment
The epidemiologist told me that there was no treatment to treat COVID 19, in fact the only thing recommended is that if you had paracetamol at home, you will take one tablet every 8 hours to minimize symptoms in my case. I have been taking it, really the first four days have been very difficult for me.
In those four days I have had a fever of up to 39 degrees, a cough that makes me choke and well I have also had symptoms like body pains, excruciating headaches.
The recuperation
March 20, 2020
Today I woke up very well, I still have a cough, but the cough is really very minimal, I no longer have a fever and in fact the epidemiologist called me today on my phone and told me that probably the most difficult stage of contagion is finished, but it was important that these next five days were constantly monitored so that I did not relapse into the infection.
I follow directions and I remain in total isolation and I have tried to spend it sleeping and resting as much as I can and eating properly.
Rodrigo counted at least 20 people with whom he had direct contact between his trip to Miami. Among them Osmani García, the Cuban reggaeton singer of the song “El Taxi”.
In the case of Miami, the people I was with present all the symptoms of coronavirus, they are not diagnosed because they have not been tested, but once I notified them yesterday (March 19, 2020) they already approached with the corresponding authorities, in the case of Mexico my partner is the only person who unfortunately already has symptoms.
The authorities’ response
I think that the protocol being carried out by the Ministry of Health, health authorities, IMSS authorities in this case that have treated me has been a little deficient, I think we can understand it because Mexico is facing a case that had never happened.
But they have been very slow, for example my partner already has the symptoms, he has had a fever, a sore throat, he has lived with me the first few days after I return from my trip to Miami and despite that they have not attended to him.
The way in which our president, Mr. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has taken this contingency seems very irresponsible on his part because I feel that he has not taken any accurate measure that benefits Mexicans in the face of this disastrous eventuality such as COVID-19. .
Create awareness
You have to create awareness and not create panic among society, that is, in my case, I am a young person and fortunately, the evolution of the disease has been favorable, but then there are people who do not have good defenses or there are people who are older, then we must think of them, we must not be selfish and we must take care of ourselves, we must heed the recommendations, be constantly vigilant, wash our hands and obviously be in isolation, that is the only tool we have for this do not continue to spread.
After Rodrigo shared his story with media, neighbors began to harass him, even blocking friends who were trying to deliver food and water for his during his isolation.
