MANSFIELD, Texas — It’s not the holiday season 28-year-old Katie Callaghan had in mind.
“Never did I think I’d be spending Christmas inside the hospital, and especially with COVID,” Callaghan said.
On Monday, the Mansfield woman spoke to WFAA from her hospital bed at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center in Fort Worth.
Callaghan, who is vaccinated, said she initially went to the hospital for complications from a recent surgery. She tested positive for COVID days later and developed a severe illness due to her weakened immune system.
“It feels like my lungs are on fire and absolutely no energy,” Callaghan said.
She has spent the last five days battling the virus. She was alone in her hospital room on Christmas and FaceTimed her family from her hospital bed.
“I would say the hardest part is being alone,” Callaghan said. “I really wanted to be out with friends and family, but it just wasn’t meant to be this year.”
If you came into close contact with someone who has COVID, there are a set of guidelines the CDC recommends. The CDC defines close contact as being within six feet of someone for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
If you're fully vaccinated and without symptoms, the CDC says you do not have to quarantine. However, it says you should wear masks indoors when in public and get tested five to seven days after the exposure.
If you’re not fully vaccinated and were exposed to someone with COVID, the CDC says you should stay home for 14 days.
Dr. Shane Fernando, a clinical epidemiologist with UNT Health Science Center said following the CDC’s best practices is critical.
“The world is tired of COVID. The thing is, it’ll still be with us until we can unite to defeat this infection.” Fernando said. “If you suspect that you’re infected, if you think you’ve been exposed somewhere and you don't want to infect those you love, mask up, quarantine, and if you test positive, you absolutely have to isolate.”
Callaghan is trying to stay positive.
“My Christmas wish is to be able to make it to 2022. It was scary there for a while, and I just wanna get better,” Callaghan said. “I want to make sure I’m still here for a long time.”
She said her holiday celebrations are delayed for now, but she hopes to recover in time to ring in the new year at home.