Coronavirus New Jersey: Carneys Point Woman With COVID-19 Knows All Too Well Importance Of Social Distancing
CARNEYS POINT, N.J. (CBS) -- One South Jersey woman knows all too well about the importance of social distancing. Bryanna DeFazio, of Carneys Point, is recovering from the coronavirus.
DeFazio shared her COVID-19 experience with CBS3 on Sunday night.
"I'm doing well. I am thankful that I've had a mild case of COVID-19. I have talked to some friends who have had much more severe cases than I have gone through," DeFazio said. "So I'm very thankful that I am able to chat with you right now and breathe on my own.
"I'm dealing with a consistent cough and slight pressure on my chest. But overall, things are improving each day and I'm feeling like I'm getting my spunk back a little bit."
What led to her seeking a test?
"It started with the cough," she said. "I had a dry cough and I had a very low-grade fever. It wasn't a high fever that I had heard that could come along with it. I had a low-grade fever for about a day and a half and then it just went into a slew of other symptoms.
"I've had body aches, I've had headaches, some burning up in my nose. I completely lost the sense of smell and taste. Very fatigued and tired."
Sunday was Day 17 for DeFazio.
She says the symptoms are beginning to fade.
"Back about a week ago or so, I had some shortness of breath where I would have to pause during household activities like if I was taking a shower or getting dressed, I would get shortness of breath," DeFazio said. "That has gone away a good bit. Everything is getting better and fading a good bit, but still have the cough and fatigue."
She says she had symptoms for seven days before she qualified for a coronavirus test.
"I contacted a physician and asked them what they recommended. It was kind of as long as you weren't experiencing any emergency situations where you couldn't breathe, you were unable to respond or your lips turning a different color, unable to talk, those things would warrant immediately getting urgent attention," she said. "But I stayed home for seven days until I had the shortness of breath and that's when I had an exam and got tested.
"The scariest thing about this virus is that it can be spread without somebody having any symptoms. I share a space with my boyfriend, and he has no symptoms. They're assuming he would have tested positive if he would have been tested."
