Chula Vista, CA (KGTV) - A Chula Vista City Council candidate running for District 4 says she is recovering after testing positive for COVID-19.
Andrea Cardenas tells 10News she first started feeling symptoms on March 9th. She had a fever of 102, headaches, nausea and stomach pains. So, she called her doctor then went to seek medical care.
"When I went to Urgent Care, they asked me a few questions," she said. "They asked me if I had been in contact with someone who had tested positive and at the time I didn't know."
She said because she is running for city council, she knew she was around many people on election night, but had no idea if anyone was carrying the coronavirus then.
"They had me do a chest x-ray where they accessed that I had pneumonia," she explained. "They said we could send you to the emergency room and have you tested but they explained the shortage of tests"
She said her doctor explained that they were trying to hold the COVID-19 tests for the more vulnerable populations.
Cardenas decided to just go home, self isolate, take the medication for pneumonia and hydrate.
"We have a social responsibility and a community responsibility to stay home," she said.
Soon after, she was made aware that she had in fact been in contact with someone who contracted the coronavirus and she was tested immediately on the 16th.
Her positive test results didn't come back until the 26th.
"When I did test positive, I got a call from the county where they wanted to know my experience, all the symptoms that I had and where I had been," she said.
Cardenas said she was fortunate to let the county officials know she had been home the entire time.
She tells 10News has not left her home in 21 days and urges other who feel symptoms to immediately self-isolate and call their doctor.
"The moment that you feel any symptoms, just act as though you have it because it’s better to be safe than sorry," she said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most people who have COVID-19 have mild symptoms and can recover at home without medical care.
The County of San Diego urges people to call their doctor or 211 if they have symptoms.
