The beginning 

I first saw alarming news stories about coronavirus in Europe on 6 February. It had made its way into France, and my alarm bells immediately went off. I studied global disease biology in college and knew that travel—especially as often as it occurs between countries in the European Union—was dangerous, more so because of how this virus spreads. However, this was still a new virus and people in Vienna, Austria, where I work as an English-language teaching assistant in the USTA program, did not seem to be worried at all.

One month later on 6 March, I flew to Madrid, Spain, with my friend Valentina, another American English-language teaching assistant. Due to the amount of confirmed cases in Spain, we had initially hesitated to continue our trip. We decided to fly only after the Austrian coronavirus hotline assured us that it was safe. Once there, Madrid seemed even more relaxed than Vienna. No one looked worried, and there were huge events, including political rallies and a women's march.

Coronavirus scare

The next day my cough brought pain to my throat and ears. I was afraid it might be COVID-19, so I called the hotline. It took three hours for me to finally speak to someone. I was told that I must quarantine myself and get tested due to my symptoms—and because I had been to Spain, now a hotspot for the virus. An ambulance would come within two days to perform this test, and I would get my results in 48 hours at the latest. 

Two days passed, and EMTs still had not come. By this time I had a fever, constant chest pain, shortness of breath, nose bleeds, and trouble eating or drinking anything. Thankfully, I had friends and colleagues who brought me groceries and medication. 

By 17 March, I was taking four painkillers per day and spending 80% of my time in bed. I contacted everyone I had come across over the last week to let them know that I was ill and waiting to take a coronavirus test. After telling Darrah Lustig, my program director, about my situation, she decided to contact Hermann Agis, the executive director of Fulbright Austria. He arranged to have an ambulance come to my apartment, and I was transported to the hospital. A doctor completely covered in protective equipment determined that I had a good heart and lungs so would be allowed to go back home after they administered a coronavirus test. They swabbed the inside of my nose, which was painful, but only for 20 seconds. 

Three days had passed and my health was improving, but I still had not received my results. I was getting worried, so Hermann decided to make some calls to get them. Thankfully, I tested negative! I did not have coronavirus and it was a huge relief. I contacted everyone again to update them about my test. Though I was supposed to receive the “official” results from Austrian authorities within 48 hours, I did not receive them until a week later. Still, I felt safe and grateful to have had Fulbright Austria’s support.