Ryan Rivera, a freshman public health major at NSU, was diagnosed with COVID-19 at the end of January. In a Q&A with The Current, Rivera shared his story and advice regarding his experience.
How did you get diagnosed with COVID-19?
“A couple of my friends had been out together, and pretty much the next day I started feeling sick. I’m not the type of person that just gets sick out of nowhere, so immediately my first reaction was ‘I probably got [COVID-19].’ That day, the first day I got back to my dorm, I went out, got tested and I had to wait five days for my results. Eventually, I got my results and it was positive.”
Can you share what it was like to have COVID-19?
“The first day, it was kind of just a little bit of a cough and a runny nose. So, I was like ‘oh, it might be allergies’ — but better to be safe than sorry. Once I reached out to my friends, everybody was kind of feeling the same thing… The first three days after I got tested were the worst. It was like every time I went to breathe, it was like my throat was on fire. If I wanted to take a sip of water, it hurt just to swallow water.”
Rivera stated he also had a headache and a runny nose, but those symptoms subsided after a short period of time. Additionally, Rivera explained that he is considered high risk due to a previous asthma diagnosis.
“I can definitely confirm that, at least with me, as someone who’s high risk, I was 100% feeling [COVID-19] and there were some people who were feeling it even more than me,” Rivera added, speaking of a friend who ended up in the hospital due to their symptoms.
What was it like being a college student while having COVID-19?
“It was really comforting knowing that there was [a COVID-19 case manager] checking in on me, wanting to see how my symptoms were [and] just seeing how I was feeling. I’m from New York, so my family is 1,300 miles away and they were really concerned the whole time… Once I told them that I had a COVID-19 case manager here at NSU, they even felt at ease.”
Rivera also mentioned that his professors were understanding of his condition, as he had been occasionally too exhausted to get out of bed.
“There’s a really well-established support system. Everybody thinks the absolute worst with COVID-19 and having to balance different things. Genuinely, NSU made it so much easier to get through all that.”
Now that you’ve had COVID-19, do you think about the situation differently?
Speaking about restrictions that were implemented because of the pandemic (or lack thereof), Rivera said, “It made me realize that certain things I was really excited to do down here, like going to amusement parks and things like that, maybe aren’t the best idea considering I’ve already seen what can happen… Just reevaluating, let’s take a look at the bigger picture, let’s see what’s going on and reevaluate those decisions that we’re making.”
Some college students specifically might be feeling sick of the pandemic or are potentially lightening up on personal restrictions they’ve placed on themselves. What do you want other college students to know, as someone who has had COVID-19?
“I lightened up my restrictions, and I ended up catching COVID-19. You may not think it’s going to affect you, but it definitely will. I know we’re all tired of it — in the next few weeks, it’s going to be a year that we’ve really been dealing with this in the [U.S] where it’s had a nationwide impact. Just be smart and realize that, while it may suck feeling like you’re restricted and that you have to wear a mask everywhere… it works.”
Emphasizing the importance of cooperation during these times, Rivera urged students to consider the reason we have restrictions and what could happen if they’re not followed.
“If we all cooperate [and] put in our fair share of work, we can go back to normal. If we’re not doing that, there’s going to be pro-longed restrictions and limitations as to what we can do versus dealing with the restrictions now. Following different guidelines that are given, we can go back to normal sooner.”
If a student is having any symptoms, they are advised to reach out to NSU’s Telehealth line at (954) 262-4100, where they will be connected to a physician who will review their symptoms and, if needed, schedule a COVID-19 test on campus. Additionally, students can email COVIDcase@nova.edu to provide updates on their symptoms and test results, even if the results are still pending, and to get assigned a COVID-19 case manager to oversee the situation and offer assistance, if necessary. Emailing COVIDcase will also immediately provide students with the Telehealth number, as well as links to employee and graduate/professional student report forms, the undergraduate student form and the form to report exposures. Students, staff and faculty can visit NSU’s dedicated website, www.nova.edu/coronavirus, for up to date information regarding COVID-19 at the university.
