ESPN reporter T.J. Quinn said he was experiencing coronavirus-like symptoms on Monday but wouldn’t be getting tested — unless his illness worsened — to allow those who may be more vulnerable to get tested instead.
“Four days after I brought someone to a hospital that is now the Covid-19 hub for North Jersey, I’ve got symptoms,” Quinn wrote in a lengthy Twitter thread. “I’ve had a fever around 99.5, a dry cough, and aches. But because my symptoms are minor, my doc said not to bother getting tested. Bergen Co. has limited tests, so younger folks like me (51) in otherwise excellent health should leave them for people who are really sick.”
“I was told if my fever jumps above 101 or I develop serious respiratory issues, then I should go get tested. But the best thing I can do right now is assume I have it, stay the hell away from people and not freak out,” he continued. “So I’m not going to the ER, where they’re overwhelmed. I’m not getting tested when I might take a test that someone sicker or more vulnerable might need.”
Quinn also said that he informed anyone he was around since last Thursday that they might’ve been exposed to the virus and should self-quarantine.
Anyway, just sharing what people are finally figuring out: STAY INSIDE. You might not know you have it. If you develop MILD symptoms, don't freak out and go to the ER. Call your doctor, follow advice. And try to ignore financial news because now I'm developing a heart condition.
— T.J. Quinn ☘️ (@TJQuinnESPN) March 16, 2020
Across the U.S., reports of delayed — or even denied — testing for the coronavirus have emerged, leading a top health official in the country to admit that the U.S. has not been “set up” to allow for widespread, efficient testing and called it a “failing.”
An ongoing investigation co-led by The Atlantic has only been able to confirm just 43,485 total tests in the U.S., as of Monday afternoon. “By this point in its own COVID-19 outbreak, South Korea had tested more than 100,000 people for the illness,” The Atlantic’s Robinson Meyer wrote in a piece last Friday.