Tracy Schofield — of Cambridge, Ontario — first felt symptoms of COVID-19 on March 30. She suffered fever, chills, shortness of breath. On March 31, she tested positive for the virus.
It would be the first of eight times she received a diagnosis, she said.
The Canadian woman said recently that she has tested positive for the novel coronavirus on eight separate occasions, highlighting the physical toll the virus has waged on her body.
Schofield told CTV News she has taken nine different coronavirus tests within 50 days. One came back negative. She is currently preparing for a 10th test.
She remained quarantined her room after the first test. Her temperature hit 104.1 degrees Fahrenheit. She lost senses of taste and smell. All of these are reported symptoms of COVID-19.
Now, she can’t shake her shortness of breath. The virus still rages within her.
“COVID-19 has taken a lot out of me, and it continues every day,” she said.
A brief bit of hope arrived for Schofield after her eighth test, which came back negative. But, the World Health Organization’s guidelines call for two negative tests before you’re declared recovered, according to Fox News. Her ninth test found the virus.
“I just want someone to be able to tell me something,” she says. “Give me an answer. Am I going to have it forever?”
But Schofield learned she’s not alone. She told CTV News that people have contacted her.
“It’s comforting to know that they’re out there and they’ve contacted me,” she says. “I’m hoping just telling my story is helping them too, because they know they’re not alone either.”