TORONTO -- A Metis Canadian biologist stranded in Chicago under lockdown says that despite having symptoms consistent with COVID-19, she鈥檚 been unable to get tested in the U.S.
Az Klymiuk told 麻豆影视 Channel that she鈥檚 鈥渂ecome intimately acquainted with the cracks in the health-care system.鈥
Klymiuk works for the Field Museum of Natural History as a paleobotanist, studying fossilized plants, and has been on-staff for over a year. When she developed a fever, sore throat, dry cough and started experiencing difficulty breathing on March 12, she knew at once what the symptoms pointed to.
But it鈥檚 鈥渂een impossible,鈥 to get tested for COVID-19 in Chicago, she said.
She has health insurance through her work, 鈥渁bout a US$1,500 dollar co-pay.鈥 This means she has to pay up to US$1,500 for health care, but after that, any treatment would be covered by her insurance plan.
鈥淏ut still, I don鈥檛 have a primary care provider, and without a primary care provider, I鈥檝e discovered that you cannot get tested,鈥 Klymiuk said.
She explained in an email to CTVNews.ca that when she describes her situation to officials, she is directed to phone another number, and often receives automated responses telling her she needs to get a primary care provider 鈥 the very problem she was trying to find a way around.
鈥淚鈥檝e done everything from calling our city鈥檚 COVID hotline to calling individual doctors鈥 offices, trying to get a primary care provider 鈥 I鈥檝e called ERs on the advice of the city鈥檚 COVID hotline 鈥 no dice.鈥
The sea of confusing instructions means that despite her symptoms and her surety, she still technically does not know whether she has the virus.
Klymiuk has been isolating for 11 days now, and says that she believes she鈥檚 on the mend. She鈥檚 on her second day free of a fever. But it鈥檚 unlikely she鈥檒l be able to return to Canada anytime soon 鈥 no matter how badly she wants to.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to be home with my mother,鈥 Klymiuk said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 a home hemodialysis patient in northern Alberta.鈥
Klymiuk said her mother 鈥渘eeds a lot of help in order to maintain her isolated life at home,鈥 and that she wishes she could be there to be that support.
鈥淏ut I think it鈥檚 important right now to do everything we can to limit the spread of COVID-19, and Illinois is on a state-wide lockdown now.鈥
Illinois announced a 鈥榮tay-at-home鈥 order on Saturday, starting at 5 p.m. It will last until at least April 7.
One day into the order, Klymiuk said that she hasn鈥檛 seen much change in the behaviour of Chicagoans.
鈥淚 can see down into the parking lots and along the streets and traffic seems to be flowing about as normal,鈥 she said, adding that she hadn鈥檛 鈥渟een an obvious change in the amount of pedestrians or people lining up for the groceries.鈥
Although Klymiuk took precautions by self-isolating as soon as she experienced symptoms, and is beginning to recover, it paints a dire picture for how hard it is to get tested within the U.S. right now, even for those with health care coverage.
Klymiuk鈥檚 message to Canadians at home is to 鈥渂e so thankful that you鈥檙e in Canada and you have a form of socialized medicine.
鈥淒o everything you can to stay at home to limit the transmission of this disease,鈥 she said.
鈥淩ight now, I think we鈥檙e in the situation where we have to make 鈥榳e鈥 decisions and not 鈥榤e鈥 decisions.鈥
