San Mateo High School graduate spoke with ABC7 News presenter Kristen Sze on “Getting Answers” about her experience with the unexpected diagnosis.
According to the 18-year-old who was completely vaccinated, Huang began to experience a telltale symptom of COVID-19, a loss of smell, just after moving to his USC dormitory.
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“When I was preparing the cleaning products, I realized I couldn’t smell anything. I lifted the shampoo in my nose and couldn’t smell it, but my dad did. I realized something was working.”
Alarmed, Huang convinced his parents to take him out of the newly furnished bedroom for fear that he might be infectious. His family bought a quick test at a local CVS, which immediately showed that the first year of college tested positive for COVID-19.
After spending hours in line with the USC student health hotline, the university booked Huang at a neighboring hotel. There it will isolate itself for the next ten days until it ceases to be infectious to others. It is located on the COVID floor, which is strictly reserved for positive college students.
Huang received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine in March, but is now one of many vaccinated people experiencing an advanced case of COVID-19 due to the rapid expansion of the Delta variant.
Despite being infected, Huang was still able to enter his campus dormitory. He said USC recommended a test before the day of the move, but did not force students to enter the school grounds. The university required a PCR test result three days after arriving in Los Angeles on August 22, which Huang had scheduled days after his positive test result.
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“It would have been very easy for me to stay in my bedroom and stay on campus, but I think I did the right thing … I don’t regret it, but I’m baffled.”
Huang’s forty-day forty means losing all first-year orientation activities as well as the first week of classes.
As USC and U.S. colleges prepare for a week of orientation parties, concerts, and face-to-face classes, the first year of college expressed its fear of a potential increase in cases. “I suspect there are a lot of students like me who could be symptomatic on campus and they don’t know it. Don’t report it.”
Huang decided to share this story as an extension of his journey to become a journalist. Throughout the pandemic, he documented the blockage and distance learning experienced by students at San Mateo High School, appearing on ABC7 News several times to share work. Now a journalism specialist at USC, Huang offers this advice to ABC7 viewers, especially teens and college students.
“Put on masks. This isn’t over at all,” Huang says, “Even if you’re vaccinated and you think you’re okay, you’re most likely to be okay, but please put on masks. to be sure Because you could end up like me, who got infected with COVID just as I was going to college. “
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