The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

AN Abaco woman, whose son has COVID-19, says she is concerned about the lack of communication from health officials on the island as she and her husband have yet to be tested for the virus.

Donna Bain, 62, told The Tribune yesterday she and her family have received little information from medical professionals since her son tested positive for the virus a week ago Saturday.

Her son, Desron Edwards, was tested for COVID-19 after being exposed to two workers employed at Baker’s Bay resort who contracted the virus in July. Mr Edwards is also a construction worker at the exclusive resort.

“The nurses tested him (last) Thursday and Saturday, they told him he tested positive,” Mrs Bain said. “They never told me anything; I asked him and he keep saying ‘Mummy I don’t have any symptoms’ and he keeps saying he ain’t sick.”

Asked yesterday if he thought the test might have been a false positive, Mr Edwards replied: “I can’t say, but I feel fine.”

Still, Mrs Bain says the family follows all of the health and social distancing protocols as a safety measure.

But what makes the situation particularly worrying is that her husband is a high-risk case. Neither of them, she said, have been tested for the virus despite being exposed to their son.

“Ain’t nobody reached to us. And it is concerning,” she said.

“I would be more worried about my husband more than anything because my husband is a chronic asthmatic and he’s also a cancer patient. The nurse knows his condition. They should’ve called me and let me know the dangers of what is what’s happening. To this day, my husband and I are seniors in here and they never yet called me to say ‘Mrs Bain, now this is what’s going to happen.’”

According to Mrs Bain, it’s been a week since the family was placed under quarantine.

Their daily routine includes taking temperature checks as a precautionary measure to ensure they are still in good health.

“The nurse came by and drop the thermometers on Tuesday,” she said. “I have it here, my temperature was 96.6. Then I have Wednesday’s reading, Thursday’s reading, Friday’s reading and Saturday’s reading and of course today’s reading.

“So, I’m keeping check of our readings and our readings are good. My son has his own reading. I would send it on my phone.”

She claimed there is little communication between the family and health officials concerning their COVID-19 status.

Asked yesterday how many times police or health officials contact them in a day, she replied: “No, they don’t reach out everyday.

“My friend said when she was taking her temperature, when she was quarantined, there was a nurse in Marsh Harbour, and she used to have video call with her and make sure and watch her doing her temperature and she would have to show it to her.”

Her son added: “They don’t come here. All they ask is for us to do the temperature. They don’t even know if we could be lying with the temperature.”

Mrs Bain said before Hurricane Isaias, the family was not contacted by officials about their level of preparedness for the Category One storm. She said the family was only able to receive their hurricane supplies, thanks to a close friend.

She said: “I gave my friend, my neighbour who lives another corner from me, she came and she got my card and I called the shop, because I called the police first because I didn’t want no problems after he called me and say ‘you know if you (get) catch out, that’s a $20,000 fine.’

“Ain’t nobody reached out to us. It’s a good thing I’m a prayer warrior and I have prayer partners and a praying family. Because they ain’t even call to say well ‘Mrs Bain.’ I had to call them about my pressure and medicine..”

Mrs Bain said the situation has left a stigma about the family in the community.

She said: “You gat people around here who treating us as if we all are sick and I had everything in my vehicle, everything in my home sanitised from the jump. We’ve been doing what we’re supposed to do. All of us are in quarantine.

“…People calling me who don’t even associate with me and I never associate with them saying ‘I hear somebody in Sandy Point get the virus.’ This one thing from the COVID-19, I have learned who is your friend and who is your brother.”