Wilson's symptoms started with a cough, followed by difficulty breathing, hot flashes, and total exhaustion. Pixabay
As hopes faded, Wilson was transferred to a hospital in the nation's capital. There, he eventually began to recover. Nurses told him he was "one of the worst [COVID-19 cases] who pulled through [lived]."
"Just make sure to take this very, very seriously. I've apparently been one of the worst that's pulled through here. So just let me tell you just be safe. Stay inside and stay safe," he said.
Indoor games to pass the time
Meanwhile, at the quarantined apartment, Armstrong, his other roommate and their girlfriends struggle to overcome illness – and boredom. They miss simple things like taking a walk. For now, improvised indoor games have to suffice. Friends leave food outside their apartment door. Some make a game of throwing rolls of toilet paper from the parking lot up to the apartment's balcony.
The four of them take pains to clean the apartment daily with bleach. Armstrong believes they have forged "a unique bond" during their ordeal, noting that COVID-19 quarantine is far more rigorous than the voluntary decision many Americans have made to stay at home.
"As a group, you know, the four of us, I think it's definitely given us like a unique story, a unique bond that we can share with each other that no one else really understands. I mean, I see a lot of people posting you know, on Instagram and Facebook, hashtag 'quarantined,'" he said. "But you're still able to take your trash out, you're still able to, you know, take a walk down the street and come back. In my mind, that's not a real quarantine. Like I had the hazmat guys coming in this morning to take our trash [and I] can't even step into the hallway. That's like a real, real quarantine."
In our next installment, we check back with Zack. Francis learns what transpired during his coma and what he faces now.
'Do miracles come … and should one be used on me?'
Connie Lambert
Age: 76
Occupation: Restaurateur, retired
City: Suburb of Chicago, Illinois
Prior Health Issues: Lung cancer, stroke
Connie Lambert is not getting better. The 76-year-old spends her days trying to watch television to "take my mind off me."
Lambert's symptoms started several weeks ago. Trouble breathing. Chest pain. Exhaustion. Day by day, they've gotten worse and she's losing hope. "My chest is a lot tighter than it's been in the last couple of days. I feel very depressed, I can't help it… I don't know what to do. I don't know whether to keep trying," she said.
Missing test results
Nearly two weeks after she took a coronavirus test, the Chicago-area resident is still waiting for the result. She wants to know whether she was contagious when she babysat her great-granddaughters. She says to call her doctor. She called the Indiana hospital where she took the test. She called the Indiana Board of Health. No one has her results.