Alva Review-Courier -

A call Tuesday to the Barber County (Kansas) Health Department to get the latest number of Covid-19 cases found that three of four employees there have been sick with the virus.

Tuesday, Marilyn Vierthaler at the health department said that since March when they started counting Covid-19 cases they've had about 158 cases and nearly 20 of them are active in Barber County.

The Newsgram contacted some area folks who survived the virus and were willing to share their story. Those follow.

Schrocks

At age 73, Mark and Judy Schrock are longtime residents of Kiowa. This summer their son Nathan, 41 of Manhattan, Kansas, came home to help with wheat harvest. “I sat on a combine for 10 days,” Nathan said. He was just around his parents.

Before Nathan came to Kiowa for harvest, in mid-June he said that he went out for dinner in an outdoor setting and wore a mask. “That's the first thing I had done since the lockdown started,” he said, emphasizing that he was careful.

Nathan drove back to Manhattan from Kiowa, was tired and decided to stop and get a pizza to take home.

“My son said how good the pizza smelled and I realized I couldn't smell it.” He couldn't taste it either and he tried to explain it by all the wheat dust he was around that could cause the problem. “I never had a fever or cough. There were a couple days I felt like I hit a wall and needed a nap.” He got tested on a Tuesday and didn't get the positive results until the following Tuesday.

Although his case was mild, Nathan said, “I think Covid is for real and people need to be careful. I had not been around a soul.” He thinks he may have got the virus from his kids or the waitress at that outdoor restaurant.

Mark and Judy were tested at the Kiowa District Hospital. He was negative; however, Judy tested positive. “I was the No. 2 case in Barber County,” she said. Fortunately for Judy, she never experienced any Covid symptoms.

An interesting twist to Judy's story is that she's donated blood twice since July. Both times she tested positive for the antibodies. “But, nobody knows how long the antibodies last,” she said.

MacKinney

Kiowa woman Teresa MacKinney, who is a wife and mother, said she has allergies so she didn't think anything was unusual when she had a runny nose and cough the first day. “Then I had a really bad headache that medicine didn't really touch,” she said. MacKinney, age 31, said that headache lasted four to five days.

“The worst part was I had zero energy and slept a bunch,” MacKinney said. “I had a fever of 102.4 and was sick six days.” She felt sick before she got a Rapid Test at Share Medical Center in Alva. Of course, her husband and children had to quarantine.

“I just texted, rested and drank water,” MacKinney said. “I had a mild case. We had awesome support from our church family and the community. We're lucky to live in this community – we are blessed.”

MacKinney concluded, “Overall, for the most part, it's not something to be afraid of. Just rest when you don't feel good.”

Croft

Burlington School Superintendent Dr. Stacey Croft said her first symptom of Covid-19 was shortness of breath as she did her daily walk from the school to the post office. She lost her sense of taste and smell.

Then she got really sick. Croft, age 53, has asthma and a compromised immune system. She's had previous lung issues. “The shortness of breath was something we were concerned about – and a heavy feeling in my chest.” Other symptoms she listed were congestion, indigestion and heartburn.

“I went to the emergency room three times,” she said. “I hurt from head to toe.” She was down for three weeks. Through it all she never had a fever.

Summers

Tom Summers, 58 of Kiowa, said, “One afternoon I painted a fence in our yard with a roller and I felt so tired, which is not normal.” His first symptoms were like allergies. “I would have never got tested, but the guy I work for had it. I really never felt terrible and never had a fever. One evening I felt cold.”

Summers continued, “The worst thing was being tired and 14 days of quarantining.” He experienced lots of congestion. He got a Rapid Test at the Kiowa District Hospital. “I took a steroid shot when I was there. I don't know if it helped or not. I have high blood pressure so it was a concern.”

Summers said his wife Heather never tested positive, “but she got a little sicker than I did. Hers was more of a stomach issue. She lay in bed four days.

“We both recovered. I've had the flu way worse. On a scale of 1-10, having Covid was about a two for me,” Summers said. “A golf buddy of mine who has other health conditions won't go out in fear of getting Covid.” Despite his and Heather's good recovery, Summers said he's heard stories of an otherwise healthy 31-year-old and 18-year-old who died from the virus.

McNett

Gayle McNett of Kiowa is a wife, mother and teacher at Burlington. Age 33, she described her experience with Covid. “My first symptoms were feeling more tired than usual and a headache,” she said.

“I developed a low-grade fever for a couple of days and had lower energy than normal for about a week. I coughed a few times a day for several days and noticed I felt somewhat winded when I exerted too much energy at that time. I was fortunate to not develop major respiratory symptoms.” The only time she saw a doctor was when she first tested. She lost her sense of taste and smell.

Her family quarantined together and she said each child experienced one or more mild symptoms but she did not have them tested. Her husband, Tyler, and the kids had to quarantine for 14 days after Gayle tested positive.

Gayle said, “I feel fortunate to have had a mild case, as I know it affects each person differently. Our family was shown much kindness and support during our illness and quarantine. I hope I'll be able to do the same for others as we continue to deal with this virus in our community.”