Family, friends, faith, and good fortune — that’s how Stephen Rosen and Celia Paul made it through Covid-19.
But for two to three weeks in late March and April, they felt like they were under siege, Mr. Rosen said, fighting an enemy that was invisible but present at all times.
“It was a war. I would not wish this experience on anyone,” he said. “There were moments when we didn’t think we were going to make it, and with good reason.”
Mr. Rosen is 85 years old, with pre-existing heart and pulmonary issues. Ms. Paul is 75 and, thanks to atrial fibrillation, required a two-day stay in the emergency room at Mt. Sinai West hospital.
Covid-19 has been disproportionately devastating for senior citizens. According to Dr. Gregson Pigott, the commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, three quarters of the 888 Covid-19 fatalities in Suffolk have been people over the age of 60. As of Monday, at least 150 of those deaths had occurred in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
But Mr. Rosen and Ms. Paul do not live in a nursing home. They split their time between their New York City apartment and their East Hampton house, and said the best decision they made was to stay in New York City because they believed they would have access to better medical care. Ms. Paul officially tested positive for Covid-19, but because he stayed home, Mr. Rosen did not have a formal test, though he had the same problems as his wife.
“The symptom that was the worst was the coughing. I was coughing so hard I was afraid I was going to break my ribs,” said Mr. Rosen, a noted physicist who has been a “Guestwords” contributor for The Star. “The other thing is the last couple of nights, each of us has been sleeping 10 and a half hours straight. We’ve never slept like that before, but there were also nights when we were sleepless. It’s an epic assault on your body.”
Rabbi Dan Geffen of Temple Adas Israel in Sag Harbor recorded a prayer that Mr. Rosen and Ms. Paul listened to over and over again. Their 29-year-old grandson delivered necessities, and a cousin who is an emergency room doctor checked daily by telephone. Their many friends and relatives provided good cheer (remotely), and they are almost fully recovered.
“It’s a very, very strong feeling of gratitude, a feeling that we were blessed,” Mr. Rosen said.
Roy Cohen, 64, and his husband, Arthur Dunnam, 61, believed they had Covid-19, though they were also not tested. Sick for two weeks, the East Hampton Village couple experienced symptoms that “were not too extreme,” Mr. Cohen said.
“Our doctor said he was absolutely certain we had the virus. It explained all of our symptoms,” he said. “It is so prevalent now in the New York metro area, so he had no doubt whatsoever that we had it, but getting a test is impossible.”
Indeed, testing is notoriously difficult to come by, as a high, sustained fever, severe cough, and breathing difficulties must already be present in order to access testing appointments Islandwide.
“We had the symptoms that most people have when they are diagnosed with Covid-19: lethargy, fever, night sweats, chest pressure, dry cough, loss of taste and sense of smell,” Mr. Cohen said. “I also had this tingling feeling that was just recently discussed.”
They recovered by sleeping a lot, taking acetaminophen, using nasal spray, and eating healthy foods. Friends and neighbors brought them necessities.
“They were so amazing and generous and available,” Mr. Cohen said. “All of our needs were met. We were very, very fortunate. It makes a big difference when you know there are people who are concerned about you.”
Mr. Cohen and Mr. Dunnam will be taking part in a blood plasma study through the Mt. Sinai hospital system. “We felt that we didn’t want being sick just to be about us being sick,” Mr. Cohen said. “We wanted to make sure there was something we could do that would help other people.”
Kurt Fuchs of Montauk and Oakdale was also certain he had the virus, but could not get tested. He is a surfer, and he is in good shape physically, and at age 39, he was not in the age group that health officials are most concerned about. But he is also asthmatic, and for about a week straight, he used his inhaler several times a day. He even lost 12 pounds (though his golden retriever, Ginger, seemed to have gained weight, he said).
“I haven’t been this sick in 25 years,” Mr. Fuchs said.
He, too, was lucky to have a choice of where to stay while recovering. He has a house in the Montauk Shores mobile home park, but preferred to stay in Oakdale because he was “literally surrounded by hospitals.”
“I didn’t go run out there because that wouldn’t be the right thing to do,” Mr. Fuchs said. “I love Montauk . . . but it wasn’t right, what had happened and is still happening” with folks from other places renting in the Hamptons en masse. “I didn’t want to be another person putting the strain on the I.G.A. and such.”
But he wishes he had been able to have a test and is now trying to find a way to get a Covid-19 antibody screening.
“If I knew I had had it, I wouldn’t be so nervous for the future of possibly getting it,” Mr. Fuchs said. “I’d still be careful, still wear a mask and everything, but at the time I didn’t think it mattered. Until now. That would have taken a weight off if I knew.”