Take the virus seriously, pleads Montreal paramedic who had COVID-19

MONTREAL – A Montreal paramedic says COVID-19 is no joke after she tested positive earlier this year.

Rachelle Aubichon, 30, tested positive for the virus at the end of March. She says months later, she still doesn’t feel like she’s at 100 per cent.

Aubichon is now part of the “COVID-19 long haulers”, or people with lingering virus symptoms months after falling ill.

.@Urgences_sante paramedic Rachelle Aubichon caught #COVID19 early in the pandemic. She’s considered a ‘long-hauler’ having symptoms for more than two weeks. Now, months later, she says she’s still not 100% and urges Quebecers to take this seriously. @CityNewsMTL pic.twitter.com/3rZGzV1PaU

— Alyssia (@rubertuccinews) October 27, 2020

“After 24 days I wasn’t better and I didn’t feel better. And seven weeks after testing negative I still didn’t feel great at all. I was a little nervous to go back to work, to be honest,” she said.

She says the stress of being a paramedic during a pandemic was nothing she’d ever experienced, with more of the calls coming in being about COVID-19.

“Our calls were no longer regular calls—every call was a COVID-19 call or a suspected COVID-19 call,” she said.

“I was feeling the stress of bringing [the virus] home… [I thought,] how are we going to do every call on this? That’s the week I incubated the virus and like anybody else I got sick.”

Aubichon recalls having the typical symptoms—a fever, aches, loss of smell and taste, fatigue, and a loss of cardio endurance.

She tested positive for the virus for 47 days.

“Seven weeks later, back at work, I was still suffering, still short of breath, still having a hard time doing my calls despite having the COVID-19 gear,” she said.

“[One] day there was a heatwave and I had to go up four flights of stairs. It was exhausting and I would physically feel it at the end of the day, how much it took a toll on me.”

This came as a surprise to an otherwise healthy woman leading an active lifestyle. But experts say genetics, environment, and even luck can determine the virus’ course.

“It’s probably a combination of things that has to leave you with these problems,” said Dr. Christopher Labos, an epidemiologist and cardiologist.

“The problem is it’s going to be hard to predict who’s going to be okay and who won’t. For the people who think they’re young and they’re going to be okay no need to worry about this virus–well no. You do have to worry because young people do get sick. It’s less likely but it does happen and it doesn’t seem like a risk worth taking.”

Aubichon is now able to train again and says she’s about 95 per cent back to her normal self, but she hopes others will take the virus seriously so she doesn’t have to face it again.

“Be mindful of other humans—it’s not just about yourself. It’s about everyone else because collectively we all want to get out of this. Together and healthily.”