DETROIT – Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha is one of the most high-profile doctors in the country.
The pediatrician who exposed the Flint water crisis recently became a patient herself after she announced April 2 she tested positive for coronavirus.
“I lost my sense of smell and taste,” Hanna-Attisha said. “That tipped me off to the possibility of having COVID-19.”
She wonders how she could have become infected and thinks it could have been a trip to New York for a water conference before the shut down.
“I was there for the weekend and I did everything else that you do in New York,” Hanna-Attisha said. “I walked in central park, went to a Broadway show -- interacting with so many people, probably in 12 uber rides. There were so many opportunities to catch it there.”
As someone who battled coronavirus, she knows how important it is you do everything you can to stay safe right now.
“All it takes is one encounter to catch this virus,” Hanna-Attisha said. “Which you then have the potential to spread to so many other people.”
She has not yet gone back to work, but when she returns, she knows her work will be much different.
“We’re not gonna go back to how it used to be,” Hanna-Attisha said. “I will be wearing masks. I will try to distance as much as I can, except when examining patients but everyone will take precautions to do their regular work.”
Anyone who believes they might have coronavirus should follow the CDC guidelines. Michigan.gov has a list of resources available to those concerned about COVID-19.
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