Western Washington woman shares what it was like to catch COVID-19

With the total confirmed cases near 1,200, Washington continues to be the epicenter for COVID-19 in the United States. 

Most of those cases are still on the west side of the state. In all, 66 people have died. 

Most of the time, when we talk about these confirmed cases, they’re just a number. 

Julie Hagstrom, who lives on the west side, puts a face to one in an exclusive interview with 4 News Now’s Aaron Luna. 

AL: Take us back to the first time when you started feeling sick. 

JH: Well, the latter part of February. At first I just didn’t feel good, had kind of a low grade fever. Didn’t think nothing of it. Thought it was allergies. The next week I said to my husband, “I got to do something, I’m wondering if I’ve got the virus,” or something is wrong. 

And they tested me and I had pneumonia in my right lower lung and it took me till Friday to get my results and they came back positive.

AL: And what was your initial reaction?

JH: I was just relieved that I was sick in some way. I thought I was just getting old and I was going to feel this way the rest of my life.

AL: Ohhh, no. Did your family get tested?  

JH: That’s the thing. They’ll only test you if you have symptoms and my family doesn’t have any symptoms.

AL: And you were saying that someone you know in your choir had it and how are they doing?

JH: And we had three people that had gone to the hospital. Two of them were released and one of them I found out did not make it today.

AL: And she had tested positive for COVID-19?

JH: Mmhmm, yeah. For some people it’s very serious and for some it’s just like getting through a really rough flu. That’s the thing, you have to be more aware of who you are infecting because not everybody can fight it.

I sure get a lot of ‘wash your hands, Mom!’ 

AL: Ha ha ha, good advice.

JH: Yup.

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