Checking on One of Santa Barbara’s ‘Presumptive Positive’ COVID-19 Patients
Bob McDermott Is Staying Busy with LEGO but Would Really Like Some Beer
It hit Bob McDermott late last Saturday ― body pain, chills, a nasty cough. He knew right away it was COVID-19. McDermott, 53, teaches kindergarten, and one of his students and her family were among the first to test positive in Santa Barbara County.
He left a message at his doctor’s office, but a neighbor ― a retired emergency room nurse in her seventies ― amicably insisted he get tested right away. So McDermott and his wife drove through heavy rain to Cottage Hospital, where they met staff huddled under intake tents in the parking lot.
He described his symptoms to a doctor, who gave him a quick once-over and said without hesitation, “I’m absolutely positive you have it, but we need to save the test.” McDermott remembers later remarking to his wife, “When have you ever heard a doctor say they’re absolutely positive about anything?”
