Oklahoma Man Tests Positive For Coronavirus But Doesn’t Show Typical Symptoms

For a few weeks now, we’ve been telling you to watch for the symptoms the CDC identified with COVID-19. That is: fever, dry cough and shortness of breath. But there are other symptoms that aren’t being considered as much, and that could be dangerous. 

AJ Jones of Oklahoma City has been sick for about three weeks now.  He was diagnosed with bronchitis, but the medicines his doctors gave him didn’t seem to have any effect. He developed a rash, had trouble sleeping and had a nasty bout with diarrhea and nausea. But he didn’t have the fever, dry cough and shortness of breath listed on the CDC website as symptoms of COVID 19.

“At no time during any of this had he had a temperature. I was taking it twice a day morning and between four and six in the afternoon. And if need be again like if he had the chills or something like that I would take his temperature,” his wife, Shannon Jones said. “I have a 100-year-old grandmother that I had went to see four times through all of this and wanted to make sure that I wasn’t taking anything that could be transferred to her.”

AJ tested positive for COVID-19. Turns out fever may not be the best indicator of the virus.

“When you look at the studies they show about half of the patients that present with COVID-19 do not have a fever,” said Dr. Dale Bratzler of OU Medicine.

The State Department of Health is testing folks based on whether they have a fever or may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. A spokeswoman released a statement saying:

"There will always be outliers and exceptions to the rule with respect to a person's reaction to this virus. We have lifted testing restrictions to serve the largest group of people that are showing typical symptoms associated with COVID-19."

“I personally do not think that fever is a good vital sign to use to make a decision about whether you do testing or not,” Bratzler said. “If you have someone that’s coughing, short of breath, that has exposure I personally don’t care what their temperature is they probably should be tested.”