MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A University of Memphis student is sharing a warning to get tested after she contracted coronavirus during a spring break trip to Florida.
Kayley Watkins, 18, is now in recovery.
The Germantown native said she, some friends, and her boyfriend went on a spring break trip to Panama City, but it was cut short because of the pandemic.
Only a few days later, Watkins said she started feeling sick, reporting a runny nose and dry cough.
She and her boyfriend decided to get tested after being in quarantine together for a week.
His results came back negative; hers were positive. She’s urging people of all ages to take the coronavirus threat seriously.
“You can be okay one second and not be okay the next second. That was the hardest part, just not knowing when it was going to be okay again,” Watkins said. “I’m thankful when the CDC called me that I wasn’t embarrassed to say where I was and who I had been with.”
Watkins’ doctor is running a trial of a drug that could be used to treat the coronavirus. There is no word yet on if the drug is working or if the virus has run its course.
Watkins said she is not leaving her house right now and she’s really glad she got tested.