A San Francisco Bay Area man says he feels fine, but he keeps testing positive for coronavirus after having been in isolation for over a month.
Rick Wright was on board the Diamond Princess in Japan when passengers were quarantined on Feb. 4. After 13 days on the ship and a flight to Travis Air Force Base, he tested positive for coronavirus.
After treatment at UCSF Medical Center, he is at his Redwood City home under mandatory isolation. He said he never had symptoms, but test results are keeping him inside because he needs to clear two back-to-back tests.
“One test comes in positive, another test comes in negative, sometimes one comes in inconclusive,” Wright said.
San Mateo Public Health said it is currently sending Wright’s tests to a CDC lab in Atlanta but will begin using local labs soon, a shift Wright hopes will deliver consistent results.
“I've been tested many times,” Wright said. “Need to be tested negative twice in a row in order for me to be a free man.”
Bay Area doctors say coronavirus testing is not efficient right now.
“There are not a lot of places doing the test-taking,” said Dr. Harsha Ramchandani with Tri-City Health Center. “A long time for us to get it.”
While state and federal leaders ramp up efforts, all Wright can do is wait.
“I'm just bored silly,” he said. “My buddy just dropped off food at the door and he honks when he's leaving because he knows we can't interact.”
