Marietta City Councilwoman tests positive for coronavirus
MARIETTA, Ga. - A Marietta City Councilwoman tested positive for coronavirus and has been in self-quarantine for a week. Councilwoman Cheryl Richardson said she visited the Cobb Energy Center for a play last week and felt no symptoms. The next morning, she woke up sick as a dog. Now, she hopes other people will see her struggle as a message to stay home even when you don't feel sick.
"You don't realize you're sick until you've probably infected someone else," said Richardson.
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Richardson said she's never felt so horrible as she has during this bout of sickness with COVID-19.
"My back was hurting me, my chest felt like it was on fire, my body was aching, just hurting all over," she said. "I've been taking baths in Epsom salt just so I can get to sleep."
Richardson, woke up last Wednesday with a fever, and her symptoms got so bad she ended up missing her council meeting.soon
"It got worse, my temperature was going up, I felt horrible, and so I called my doctor, and she said, "Go to the emergency room'," said Richardson.
She was tested at the ER for other viruses, but when those came back negative, her primary care doctor tested her for COVID-19. The results came back positive.
The councilwoman said she believes she was infected while traveling after her father passed away.
"I was up in the Boston area helping my stepmother plan his memorial, so I've been in the Boston area, in planes, and in airports, and so I think that's where it was," she said.
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She had no symptoms for days, even going to a play last week.
"I was in a group of people, I was in a crowd," said Richardson. "I was using the hand sanitizer trying to protect me from people getting me sick not knowing I was the sick one getting other people sick," she said.
Because of the virus, Richardson had to miss her father's memorial, but she said containing this epidemic is worth it.
"Being selfish that way would've never been something I would've done or something he would've wanted me to do, so it hurts, and I cried," she said. "I wanted to be there, but it just didn't make sense to go."
Richardson said she hopes people will see what she's been through and take it as a lesson to stay home no matter what. Her doctors said it could take her as long as a month to feel better. She is on multiple medications for her symptoms.