Beating Coronavirus in Tampa Bay Podcast

While most have been fortunate to not have a bout with COVID-19, one of our radio station staff members has had two run ins with the virus.  Rachel tells us her story of her 2nd time with COVID and how she got her vaccine a bit early to hopefully avoid a 3rd go around.

It's 2021 and the Super Bowl is coming to Tampa in just a few weeks.  This is the first episode of this podcast in about four months. Truth be told, we really thought the podcast didn’t have a purpose back in October when things started to quiet down. But then the dark winter happened. As we enter 2021, there is progress. Vaccines are here. Shots are going in arms. But until everyone can get the vaccine, testing is still crucial. This is my story, a very short one, of getting the coronavirus test at Tropicana Field in St. Pete. 

Face masks. Cancelled concerts. Bubble life.  For those of us who have never had a bout with coronavirus, the disruption in our lives has been a nuisance.  But for those who've gone through the ordeal, I wanted to know, is there relief once it's behind you?  Does it still affect your every day life?  Are there lingering symptoms?  Rachel and Amanda are two young fitness fanatics who we've had on the podcast before.  Amanda ended up in the ER.  Rachel went above and beyond when it came to taking all the precautions from getting COVID-19... and she still got COVID-19.  What's life like now a few weeks later in Rachel's case and a few months later in Amanda's?  And is the rumor true about Amanda licking bar room tables in Fort Lauderdale?  We learn in this episode of Beating Coronavirus in Tampa Bay.

Rachel exercises.  She's a healthy eater - it's a rare occasion when I can get her to join me for lunch and splurge and eat the junk I like. She a bought mask in January.  She bought hospital grade wipes in February.  She's hunkered down and worked from home for months, rarely leaving her condo only when it's necessary to buy groceries. She's been the poster child of how NOT to get the coronavirus.

The best example? She's one of the biggest Tampa Bay Lightning fans I know.  She has a press credential so she could have been with me for the last scrimmage the team had at Amalie Arena.  Only about 6 reporters were allowed in to watch.  They were all wearing masks.  Everyone was about 20 feet apart and we were far awway from the players on the ice. She felt it'd be best to wait for me outside.

And yes, my friend Rachel who works with us here at the radio station... she still got COVID-19.  She's hopefully near the end of her bout with the coronavirus.  It's done a number on her.  Initially she was hesitant to share her story.  I've found that with several friends... there is almost a small amount of shame they feel, which I never quite understood.

My producer Kyle is playing the waiting game and has been for well over a week.  His roommate tested positive for COVID-19 a couple weeks ago.  Doing the responsible thing, Kyle let the radio station know about the situation and now he's not allowed in the studio until not only he tests negative, but his roommate too.  They're a couple USF guys who got excited when bars opened back up last month.  Kyle had already lost his serving job during the first quarantine.  And now here he is months later, sitting at home, waiting for CVS to call with his results. It's just another part of the frustrating coronavirus life in 2020.

It's been a week since we last caught up with Amanda from the radio station's sales team.  After a 3AM emergency room visit after waking up not being able to breathe, Amanda and her new boyfriend have been quarantined together for almost two weeks.  Are they feeling better?  Are they still a couple?  What does she miss most?  What's the next step and when can she live life again?  For those of us who've been lucky enough not to have to deal with COVID-19 yet, hearing her story makes realize how lucky we are.

Can I hug my kids now? Am I good to call a staff meeting, at WiLD? What do these antibodies, that I now apparently have, actually mean? No one has been able to tell me. I have questions. Many of us have questions and then…many simply don’t care which brings about more danger!

We were put in touch with Dr. Aliyah Baluch, a member of Moffitt Cancer Center’s Infectious Disease, and she agreed to join the morning show with Yanina Pasikhova, a clinical pharmacist, from their team, to shed light on what we should know and answer our questions.

Which type of mask will reduce your chances of spreading the coronavirus? Do you use a bandana? A cone mask? One of those fabric masks?  How effective are they in slowing down the transmission of COVID-19?  Researchers at Florida Atlantic University measured how far the droplets go when you cough.  

Back when we first started recording episodes of this podcast, we wondered if anyone we know will get the coronavirus.  A couple months later, not only did several of our DJs test positive for COVID-19, one of our employees has had a nasty encounter with it.  It would make sense to me if she fit the profile - maybe someone like me who's older and not in such great shape.  Totally not the case, Amanda Johnson is a high-energy millennial who sells the advertising you hear on the station.  She's the picture of health... athletic, happy, outgoing, young, vibrant.  And not only was she hospitalized and in severe pain due to the virus... she dropped another bomb on us.

Early on in this podcast series, we wondered... will we know someone who'll get the coronavirus? No need to wonder. 3 DJ's from WiLD 94.1 have now tested positive.  In this episode, I talked with Babs from the WiLD midday show... she's the only one who hadn't tested positive yet.  She got her results today.