Wes Parnell, an alumnus of The King’s College and reporter for New York Daily News, contracted the novel coronavirus on March 21.

He’d been reporting on the ground since the virus moved to and began spreading in New York City, covering crime and other community news especially as it related to the coronavirus. He says NYDN was reporting on COVID-19 as early as January.

“For the Chinese New Year, part of my assignment was to ask people at the Lunar New Year parade in Chinatown if they were afraid, you know, of COVID-19,” Parnell said. “And at the time, they weren’t. People were coming out to celebrate.”

His job became more difficult as the virus spread to more individuals in the city, and as public places were shut down. He could no longer use coffee shop wifi to complete his work if he’d just conducted an interview.

“I was literally squatting at a subway stop with my laptop on my knees, filing notes,” he said. “So it’s not a super sanitary environment.”

Regardless, Parnell continued to report as normal, wearing an N-95 mask and gloves to take pictures, conduct interviews and file notes.

“The scariest part was having to sanitize everything when I got home,” he said.

Parnell rigorously sanitized his equipment after each day reporting, moving items from an “unsanitized” chair to a “sanitized” chair. || Photo credit to Wes Parnell

He was reporting on the disproportionate effects of coronavirus on people of color in Washington Heights on March 21 and treated it as normal. But three days later, on March 24, he woke up feeling tired and weak.

“I just chalked it up to waking up and not feeling full of energy because of isolation,” he said. “I actually went for a run on Tuesday morning just to get my body jump-started.”

But his condition worsened, and by the end of the day his body was aching and he showed signs of a fever. The fever remained over 100 degrees for the next four days, and he had splitting headaches for the next five days. Additionally, he lost all sense of taste and smell for over two weeks.

“I could take a drink of coffee and a drink of water and couldn’t taste the difference,” he said.

Like others in the city who believe they have coronavirus, Parnell was advised not to go to the hospital unless he experienced extreme shortness of breath. He self-medicated with Tylenol, vitamins and juices.

Parnell was not tested and confirmed for coronavirus because of the recommendation that those who are sick remain at home. This recommendation is in place for those who can take care of themselves in order to prevent the spread of illness further, especially to those in doctors’ offices and hospitals who may already be sick.

The worst symptom he experienced was a debilitating weakness that lasted for almost two weeks.

“I could barely get up,” he said. “It was a struggle to get from my bedroom to my bathroom. So that was really scary, how weak it made me.”

The sickness lasted longer than Parnell experienced a flu or common cold, and left him unable to work until April 7, when he began to file stories from home. While he normally visits homes and reports outside the office, he’s confined to making phone calls from his apartment during his two-week quarantine period.

“It’s been helping me to stay busy,” he said, “and it’s helped me to build stronger relationships with some sources I have because all I can really do is contact them.”

Despite the new skills he’s learned and the necessity to keep people safe, Parnell is ready to return to his work as soon as his quarantine has passed.

“I hate being inside,” he said. “I like being out in the streets, talking to people, and moving around.”

Journalist and King’s Alum Experiences Coronavirus