A couple from Moncton who fell ill after returning from an international trip says they’re being given the run-around in their attempt to access a COVID-19 test.
Della Fleming and Mike Richard recently returned from a month-long trip to Mexico. They arrived at around 3 a.m. Friday, then immediately self-isolated.
But Della says just over 24 hours later, both woke up with a nasty cough.
“We have a headache, extreme chills, low-break fever, body aches, extreme fatigue,” Della said in a phone interview Monday.
“We just said: ‘We have it.’”
Adding to their concerns, Della says the passenger seated next to them was “extremely sick.”
“We sat directly beside her for four hours.”
READ MORE: New Brunswick sees spike of COVID-19 cases tied to cruise travel
The pair tried calling 811 but waited hours to get through to a receptionist. After about three hours, they were told to leave a message and a nurse would return their call.
- Ontario doctors offer solutions to help address shortage of family physicians
- Vaccine injury compensation fund gets additional $36M from feds
- Bird flu virus detected in U.S. grocery store milk. FDA says supply still safe
- Can U.S. states ban abortions even in medical emergencies? Supreme Court weighs in
Two days passed, and the Flemings didn’t hear a word. They were told to call 911 if their symptoms worsened.
“I have some big concerns,” Della expressed. “It’s stressful not knowing whether you’ve got it or not.
“You’re kind of wondering what’s going on with the health-care system.”
At the time of publication, there are 17 confirmed and presumptive cases of the new coronavirus in New Brunswick. As of Sunday, 865 tests conducted in New Brunswick have come back negative.
On Monday, Premier Blaine Higgs announced the testing lab at the George Dumont Hospital in Moncton is now able to confirm tests, which will be able to “speed up the testing and confirmation process.”
READ MORE: New Brunswick unveils coronavirus self-assessment tool
But the Flemings feel the number of tests should be far higher at this point.
“Are they doing this to keep their numbers artificially low? Is it a money thing? I don’t know,” said Della.
“But when you’re looking at a two- to four-day call back on a potentially fatal virus, you’re putting everybody at risk.”
Della says her husband is on the mend, but she isn’t. She says her next step will be to self-medicate and watch the phone, waiting for a nurse to call.
“What do they want us to do?” she questions. “They need to change their testing model.”
— With files from Global News’ Shelley Steeves
Comments