COVID-19 has local names, faces

Josh Peterson tests positive, battles virus with family

Posted

With novel coronavirus COVID-19 cases eclipsing 1,000 statewide in Iowa, the virus has names and faces in Wilton and Muscatine County. On Tuesday, March 31, Taryn Petersen and Josh Peterson made their battle with COVID-19 public. The couple, slated to be married in September, decided to make their journey public with support from family and friends.

They also hope that their story can serve as a reminder that without adhering to social distancing and other rules/regulations set forth by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, more and more will contract the virus and business closures and other measures will have to stay in place longer.

“It’s frustrating to see people not take this seriously. We weren’t going to say anything but a lot of people asked us to do so. It makes it real,” said Taryn.

Josh, 29, and Taryn, 26, live in Muscatine with a son Kannon, 5, and daughter Laila, 10 months. It started with Josh, a Wilton High School graduate who works at WTC Communications in Wilton, woke up on the morning of March 15 “feeling terrible.”

He had a fever of 103.5 degrees and couldn’t shake it, dealing with fever for 7-8 days. He also had aching in his lower back, headaches, low energy and a bad cough, which he’s still dealing with.

He went to an urgent care clinic in Muscatine March 15, where he was tested for strep throat and influenza. Both tests were negative. By March 17, he spoke with his primary care provider, Jay Thornburg, in Wilton, who had been in contact with the urgent care facility in Muscatine. Josh was advised to go to the emergency room at UnityPoint Health - Trinity in Muscatine, where he was met at the door and asked to wear a mask prior to entering the facility.

He was told he could be tested for COVID-19 if he chose too. He was given the swab test in both nostrils of the nose. His test was sent out of state in order to get results, which took 11 days to get back.

He tested positive for COVID-19 and was told by medical personnel that he was likely either the first or second case confirmed in Muscatine County.

After initially being tested, Josh was told to quarantine inside with the rest of his family. He began taking Tylenol and ibuprofen while continuing to hydrate. He was later told to stop taking ibuprofen, as it can be known to prolong the virus.

Two days after his COVID-19 test, on March 19, baby Laila woke up with a high fever. She was taken to the ER and was also tested for strep and the flu. Taryn said doctors “considered Laila a carrier” of COVID-19 due to not having Josh’s test results back yet. Laila dealt with a couple days of high fever and a cough but is back now to being a happy baby, according to her mother.

Kannon later developed a mild fever and a headache but then quickly showed no more symptoms.

At the time of Josh’s testing, Taryn said she had been dealing with issues related to her seasonal allergies, including a loss of smell and taste. She also found out that a coworker at Vision Center in Muscatine where she works had tested positive for COVID-19. She was advised to get tested but upon going back to the hospital, she was not allowed a test. Instead she was told to continue with quarantine as Josh’s test results had yet to be determined.

Taryn also has asthma. On March 31, she woke up having trouble breathing. She called the University of Iowa’s hotline and was advised to get to the nearest hospital right away. She again went to the ER in Muscatine where she was given a lot of tests — no COVID-19 test — and wound up staying in the hospital for around five hours while being given oxygen and breathing treatments. She said the doctors and healthcare professionals “were amazing” as they helped get her breathing under control while treating her as a COVID-19 patient even without the test and subsequent wait time.

“It was frustrating not being tested the first time,” said Taryn. Yet the second time she went to the hospital with breathing trouble, Josh had finally gotten his positive test results. From then on, everyone in his family has been treated as if they have the virus, although none were officially tested.

That included Josh’s parents, Mark and Julia Peterson of Wilton, who had interacted with them prior to Josh feeling ill. He also spent time with his oldest daughter Zealie the day before waking up sick. She also quarantined but never showed symptoms.

Mark and Julia Peterson also self-quarantined for 14 days as if they had the virus. According to Julia, they were never tested but had symptoms, although not as bad as Josh.

Everyone at WTC Communications was notified, according to Josh, who hasn’t returned to work since originally feeling ill March 15. “So far no one else there has it. We’ve been serious about staying home. It scared us,” Josh said.

The couple hasn’t even left the house to grocery shop. Family members have helped them with those needs, leaving groceries on the doorstep when needed. Quarantine started all over when Taryn started showing symptoms. They’ll continue through April 13, marking nearly a month of staying home. They then each need to show no symptoms for three days before being able to stop the quarantine. “For Taryn and I it’s not that hard. It’s been tough for our son mainly as he wants to be on the go all the time. But we make it work,” Josh said.

As the family recovers, Taryn said their hope is for those in Iowa to take staying at home orders seriously.

“We haven’t seen Zealie in a long time and can’t for 10 more days. Those that aren’t taking this seriously is why this will last longer. (Josh and I) were both healthy and this really seriously affected us,” said Taryn. “It’s affecting family holidays and get-togethers. Our wedding is in September. If people don’t take this seriously, maybe it affects that as well.”

Comments