Hempfield couple, among the 1st to get covid-19, glad they shared their recovery story – TribLIVE

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Michael Duffy had some reservations when his wife Lisa decided to go public a year ago after they became the second and third Westmoreland County residents to test positive for covid-19.

The Duffys, of Hempfield, contracted the virus during a Caribbean cruise in March 2020, when the world was just awakening to the highly contagious coronavirus.

A year later, they are glad they shared their story.

Michael was worried, but I said to him, we just had to talk about it. There were so many people in utter panic. I just thought, if I can calm down a couple of people, its worth it, Lisa Duffy said.

Her instincts proved sound.

So few people knew anything about the virus that was sweeping the world that hearing from a survivor was reassuring. Lisa Duffy said people reached out to thank her for sharing her story.

The Duffys shes 52, hes 54 are among the nearly 1 million Pennsylvanians who have tested positive for the virus over the past year. And while Pennsylvania is approaching 25,000 covid-related deaths, not all news related to the pandemic is bad. Most people who contracted the virus recovered, state figures show.

Of the nearly 80,000 people in Allegheny who tested positive for covid-19 over the past year, 1,755 of them died. Westmoreland has seen more than 27,000 cases, with 683 deaths, data shows.

Statewide, the recovery rate stands at 91% this week.

And new cases and deaths being reported now are at levels not seen since early November, when the state and region were in the midst of a dramatic spike.

A year ago, however, doctors knew very little about the virus.

Why some of the infected exhibit no symptoms while others are left to fight for their lives and still others succumb to covid-19 still leaves many questions.

The early days of the pandemic saw health professionals urge people to wear masks, wash hands and stay away from others. People frantically searched for personal protective equipment, like face masks and gloves both of which were in short supply. Store shelves were largely barren of hand sanitizer and antibacterial soap.

Then testing proved problematic at first, with far more demand than supply. A similar situation presented itself with the arrival of the first vaccine in December.

Even as Pennsylvania struggles to get through its first wave of people deemed eligible to be vaccinated, the news is improving. Nearly 3 million vaccine doses have been administered statewide, including nearly 1 million of Pennsylvanias 12.8 million residents being fully vaccinated. That includes 91,000 people in Allegheny County being fully vaccinated and another 25,000 in Westmoreland where state officials have admitted fewer doses have been allotted and have promised to rectify that in coming weeks.

Road to recovery

The Duffys were scheduled to fly home to Hempfield when their cruise ship docked in Port Canaveral, Fla., on March 14. Suddenly, Lisa developed a fever and body aches that she suspected signaled the onset of covid-19.

We just couldnt take this on an airplane, she said. If someone got sick, I wouldnt be able to live with myself.

They rented a car and began the long drive home as Lisa began what would be a draining three-week battle with the virus. Michael, who also tested positive for the virus, had only a mild fever that subsided overnight.

Back home, the uncertainty grew when Lisa consulted her family doctor about the virus that, by then, had left her bedridden.

Not even our doctor could tell me what to do, she said.

Her physicians only advice: head to the emergency room should your blood oxygen rate fall below 92%.

She was very sick, but she always had her wits about her, Michael Duffy said.

A friend who is a nurse suggested Lisa take guaifenesin an over-the-counter drug designed to thin mucus and try inhaling steam several times a day to clear her lungs.

She heeded the advice.

I coughed until it felt like my lungs were coming out, but I recovered, she said.

Today, shes back at work with Cross Your Paws, the animal rescue organization. Michael Duffy is busy with his company, Advance Gas Engine Solutions.

Early scare

As they were recovering, the virus was cutting a broad swath across the nation and the region.

Concerns peaked early in the Alle-Kiski Valley when dozens of high school students from the New Kensington-Arnold School District were unknowingly exposed to a viral hotspot during a band trip to New York City.

On March 7, 2020, a day before the group returned home, New York declared a state of emergency and began to shut down.

New Ken-Arnold acting Superintendent Jon Banko said school officials werent sure what to do when the group returned.

What were we going to do, tell the kids to stay home for two weeks? We didnt have any information. So, we let everyone come back to school, Bank recalled. We didnt have any guidance on it at that point.

The students remained in class for one week until March 13, when Gov. Tom Wolf closed all Pennsylvania public schools. By that time, two adults who had accompanied the band tested positive for the virus. Like the Duffys, they recovered.

Seeing a light

The slow rollout of vaccines, with the promise of one for all Americans who want one by the end of May, has provided a glimmer of hope for many that covid-19, and the illnesses and deaths it has brought, will be a thing of the past.

Lisa Duffy would like to think thats the case. Although she, her husband and, more recently, his 80 year-old mother survived covid-19, Lisa would like to think others wont have to battle the virus.

She tested positive for antibodies after her bout with the virus, so she said she is content to wait in line for the vaccine.

I think I must still must have the antibodies. But I believe wholeheartedly in vaccines, she said. They are like the light at the end of this tunnel.

Deb Erdley is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Deb at 724-850-1209, derdley@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Categories:Coronavirus | Local | Regional | Top Stories

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Hempfield couple, among the 1st to get covid-19, glad they shared their recovery story - TribLIVE