THIS
THIS IS
THIS IS THE NEWS AT FIVE.
HERE
HERE ON
HERE ON THE 208 WE'VE SHIED AWAY FROM TALKING ABOUT OR
POINTING OUT LOCAL
BUSINESSES THAT HAVE
HAD CONFIRMED CASES
OF COVID-19.
ONE REASON, BECAUSE
WE KNEW WE EVENTUALLY
WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO
KEEP UP WITH THEM ALL.
WE ASSUMED IT WOULD
EXTEND TO NEARLY
EVERYWHERE.
WHICH LEADS INTO
REASON NUMBER
TWO...WE KNEW IT
WOULD LIKELY...ONE
DAY...SHOW UP AT KTVB.
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
AT THE 208 INCLUDES THE
INTENT TO BE SMART,
HONEST, AND SOMETIMES
FUNNY...WITH THE
ULTIMATE GOAL OF BEING
TRANSPARENT IN HOW
WE APPROACH OUR
COVERAGE.
WE COULD NOT BE
SMART, OR HONEST OR
THINK IT WAS EVEN
REMOTELY AMUSING IF WE
DID NOT TELL YOU ABOUT
THIS.
ONE OF OUR REPORTERS,
JOE PARRIS IS
RECOVERING FROM
CORONAVIRUS.
IT'S SOMETHING HE
THOUGHT WAS POSSIBLE
A WEEK AGO.
SO THAT'S WHEN WE
STARTED ASKING HIM
ABOUT IT.
INSTEAD OF BEING
PREMATURE, THOUGH,
AND TELLING YOU ABOUT
IT BEFORE NOW...WE
CHOSE TO WAIT MAKE IT
PUBLIC...UNTIL IT WAS
CONFIRMED.
YESTERDAY IT WAS.
"COVID
"COVID HOTLINE THIS IS ...HOW CAN I HELP YOU?...HI I WANTED TO
CALL AND SEE IF I
QUALIFIED FOR TESTING."
MONDAY MORNING,
MARCH 23RD...AFTER
SPENDING THE WEEKEND
WITH
WITH
SYMPTOMS...INCLUDING A FEVER... 22 J-O-S-E-P-H
...JOE PARRIS CALLED THE
COVID-19 HOTLINE
"WELL, I WOKE UP IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
TWICE BECAUSE I WAS LIKE
GASPING FOR AIR, I
COULDN'T BREATHE
FINALLY ABOUT 7:30 THIS
MORNING I STARTED
MAKING PHONE CALLS TO
MY DOCTOR AND STARTED
CALLING HOTLINES."
"45 QUESTIONS"
IT WASN'T JUST JOE'S
SINUSES THE NURSES
WANTED TO KNOW
ABOUT
"HAVE YOU HAD ANY
GASTRO...I DID LAST
WEEK."
"AND I DIDN'T THINK
TWICE OF IT BECAUSE AT
THE TIME I THOUGHT, OH
I'VE GOT STOMACH FLU
IT'S DEFINITELY NOT
CORONAVIRUS I TOOK
SOME MEDICINE FOR THE
STOMACH FLU AND I WAS
OK A FEW DAYS LATER."
THAT IS...UNTIL IT HIT HIS
LUNGS.
"SINCE YOU ARE HAVING
SHORTNESS OF
BREATH...I'M GOING TO
REFER YOU TO TRIAGE
NURSE..."
THE TRIAGE NURSE
CALLED HIM BACK HOURS
LATER...AND AFFIRMED,
JOE SHOULD GET TESTED.
"SO THAT WAS IT, I WENT
FIRST THING THIS
MORNING."
"SO YOU WENT DOWN
THERE AND WHAT
HAPPENED?"
"SO WITHIN 15-20
MINUTES OF THEM
ACTUALLY OPENING AT 10
AM WE HAD SOME
NURSES, IN FULL
GEAR...BREATHING ON
ANYONE."
"THEY COME AROUND TO
THE SIDE."
THE SIDE."
"THEY
"THEY TAKE THIS Q-TIP AND THEY HAVE YOU LEAN BACK AND THEY TELL
YOU THIS IS GOING TO BE
VERY UNFORMTABLE...IN
MY EYE, IN MY BRAIN..IT
HURT."
HURT."
"SO
"SO THAT
"SO THAT WAS IT, AND THEY SAID 4-8 DAYS HOPEFULLY, THAT'S WHAT
IT IS RIGHT NOW, IS WHAT
THEY SAID."
"THE NURSE TOLD ME
WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF
TESTS...COULD BE UP TO 8
DAYS, AND I SAID, 'OK'"
SO JOE HUNG OUT...AT
HOME...WITH HIS
DOG...FOR A
WEEK...WATCHING A LOT
OF TV.
UNTIL HE GOT A PHONE
CALL FROM ST
LUKE'S...TUESDAY EVENING.
"SHE SAYS, 'HAS ANYONE
CALLED YOU FROM ST
LUKES? NOPE. SHE SAYS,
'WELP, THEN I GUESS IT'S
MY JOB TO TELL YOU YOU
HAVE A CONFIRMED CASE
OF COVID-19,
CORONAVIRUS...AND
THEN SHE STARTED
TALKING ME THROUGH
WHAT I NEED TO DO."
"AND SO WHAT DO YOU
NEED TO DO? I NEED STAY
PUT,
PUT, STAY
PUT, STAY IN MY APARTMENT, IN QUARANTINE,
CONTINUING TO SELF
ISOLATE."
"YOU KNOW, GO OUTSIDE
IF YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE
TO, LIMIT CONTACT WITH
OTHERS, BUT FOR THE
MOST PART STAY INSIDE,
STAY IN QUARANTINE."
"WHEN DID THE SMELL
AND TASTE THING KICK
IN? THAT WAS THE MOST
NOTICEABLE MONDAY AND TUESDAY I REMEMBER I WAS SITTING ON
TUESDAY MORNING JUST
HAVING A SMALL THING
TO EAT AND I REALIZE I
CANNOT TASTE OR SMELL
ANYTHING."
"AND I KNEW AT THE TIME
THAT THAT WAS POSSIBLY
RELATED TO
CORONAVIRUS...I FEEL LIKE
I WAS IN DENIAL, IT'S LIKE,
'NO,NO.NO, I CAN'T GET
CORONAVIRUS."
"SINCE YOU GOT THAT
PHONE CALL WHAT HAVE
YOU THOUGHT ABOUT?
THE FIRST THING I
THOUGHT OF WAS WHERE
WAS I...DO THEY KNOW
THEY HAVE IT...GET
ANYBODY ELSE SICK
BUT THEN I START
THINKING WELL,
SOMEBODY GOT ME SICK
AND
AND I'M
AND I'M NOT ANGRY." "IT'S WHAT HAPPENED I GOT CORONA VIRUS, I'M
VERY LUCKY I HAD A MILD
CASE AND I'M DOING
MUCH BETTER NOW."
JOE...ON
JOE...ON HIS WAY TO FULL RECOVERY...JOINING US ONCE AGAIN FROM HIS
HOME.
WHAT WOULD YOU WNAT
PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT
THIS EXPERIENCE, YOUR
EXPERIENCE
EXPERIENCE
AND
AND THANK
AND THANK YOU, JOE, FOR BEING SO OPEN WITH US.
BUT OUR HOPE IN DOING
THIS IS TO MAKE YOU,
OUR VIEWERS, MORE
AWARE OF THE PROCESS
OF COVID-19, THE
SERIOUSNESS OF IT, AND
BE AS TRANSPARENT AS
WE CAN BE.
AFTER ALL, THE 208 IS
SUPPOSED TO BE MORE
OF A CONVERSATION.
AND IF WE CAN'T TALK
ABOUT THINGS, LIKE THIS,