Author, Samuel Shem talks about his recent battle with COVID-19 while promoting his new book, Man’s 4th Best Hospital.
Did you have all the classic symptoms?
Actually, no, I didn’t. The first week in March, I was addressing huge groups in hospitals, all over New York and Brooklyn. And when I got home, I started to have symptoms. I had a strange symptom that I just brushed off for a week or more.
I was totally shivering. I didn’t have a high temperature, I had a low temperature and I was shaking with chills and stuff. And finally, after I gave it to my wife, we both figured out that ‘Oh, that’s a symptom.’ Instead of high temperatures, sometimes you can have low temp.
Your body can’t keep warm. And luckily we never got to the coughing stage. So I’m very, very fortunate, but I tell you, it whacked me good. Five weeks later, I’m just getting my energy back.
This is not something to be taken lightly, correct?
Oh god, no. I’ve been around a long time. I’m 75 now, which was my main risk factor.
And this is the worst I’ve seen inside or outside of hospitals.
Do you think [states are opening] a little too soon?
Well, at the risk of being unpopular, yes. All the evidence and even the president’s directory, as you know, for 14 days with lowering tests, all the evidence is that we’re putting ourselves at a terrible risk.
Samuel Shem’s recent book, Man’s 4th Best Hospital is available now on Amazon.