Would you shell out $1000 for COVID testing? My family did.
Sitting on my porch on New Year’s Eve, I see a car slowly approaching, unsuccessfully trying to find parking on my crowded street. I could hear the loud stereos playing reggaeton and corridos; like a siren, it drew people in. If an outsider saw what was going on, they would not believe a public health crisis was ravaging this community — — MY community. It was only two months ago we were the COVID epicenter of California and, at one point, the world. Welcome to the realities of Southeast Los Angeles.
My family and I were careful for the past nine months — we’ve always been careful. My mom’s cousin passed away from COVID-19 in early April. We were appalled. We saw this virus did not care about age. My family and I were most concerned about my 74-year-old grandfather. However, we understood from the start — Coronavirus can kill anyone. That is why we wore double masks, only went out for essentials, and sanitized everything we bought. Yet all six of us contracted COVID-19 in late December. Being careful is not enough. While everyone in our neighborhood was ringing in the new year having the time of their lives, my family was fighting off pneumonia, struggling for every breath from the PIH hospital in Downey, California.
Our COVID-19 story is not unique. We faced various barriers at every COVID turn. Although Los Angeles County boasts about its accessibility to COVID-19 tests, that was not our experience. When I began to experience symptoms on Christmas Eve, I tried to make an appointment through our county’s website. I figured with the holidays, I’d have to wait until the day after Christmas for the test, which was not a problem. However, I could not believe what I saw on my laptop screen. The next available testing date was 14 days away. I could not wait — nobody should have to wait — fourteen days for a COVID test. Because I live in a multigenerational household with immunocompromised family members, we needed to know right away if we had COVID and who might have possibly been spared. My situation aside, public health experts from all corners of the world agree that the cornerstone to containing the spread of COVID is predicated on quick access to free testing.
While I searched for other testing options, we began to self-isolate and hoped the food we had would last us. Day and night, I checked for appointments within a 50-mile radius, but there was nothing. We drove to pop-up locations, and that did not work out either. There was one last option: pay out of pocket for a rapid COVID test at a private lab. We made the decision no working-class family should ever have to make; we used our family savings to get every family member tested. After shelling out $1,050 for everyone’s test, our worst fears were confirmed. Everyone tested positive, and we were petrified.
A week after our positive tests, my uncle started to get worse. We could see his skin color becoming paler, and he began to have trouble breathing. Given previous experiences and stigma with doctors, my uncle did not want to go to urgent care. However, as the night got darker, so did ours. My uncle could not breathe and finally, at 1am, I called the ambulance. The paramedics were glad I did because if we had waited even a couple of hours, he would have landed in the ICU.
Instead, my uncle arrived at the hospital and was put on a stiff bed in a room with three other coronavirus patients with complications. The nurses explained that the hospital was nearly at triple its capacity. After diagnostics were completed, the doctor ruled my uncle had contracted severe pneumonia. He had to be placed on oxygen immediately.
Twenty-four hours later, my other uncle, who lives with us, began to have shortness of breath. He was alarmed at what had happened to my uncle, so he immediately headed to urgent care. From there, he also was transported to the same hospital because he had also developed pneumonia. I was scared to tell my grandfather his sons were fighting for their lives. He was scared- we were all scared — so we prayed.
Slowly we recovered, and my uncles were released from the hospital. We were their primary caretakers for several weeks since they were on oxygen and immobile. Taking care of others is exhausting, especially when you’re recovering, managing college courses, working, and extracurricular activities. Just when we thought we were getting back to our pandemic lives, the bills arrived. Another devastation. Although my uncles’ employer provided health insurance, It was not enough to cover all the hospital bills. Fighting COVID-19 cost my family thousands of dollars and depleted our savings.
No family should have to go through this. My family and I are still experiencing lingering effects from COVID — “long-haulers” as it’s known. I share my story to encourage others, especially my folks from Southeast Los Angeles, to please stay home. A hangout with your comadres and compadres is not worth risking your life.
