Bend woman who tested positive for COVID-19 issues plea: ‘Just stay home’

'Don't take your kid to the playground, don't go to friend's houses...'

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ)-- St. Charles Bend confirmed a Bend woman tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday evening, and she had a simple message Friday for fellow Central Oregonians: "Stay home."

The woman, who did not want to disclose her identity, told NewsChannel 21 Friday more people need to take this virus more seriously and follow the preventative measures implemented to keep it from spreading.

"Stay home," she said. "Just stay home -- just stay home. Don't take your kid to the playground, don't go to friend's houses -- just stay home."

The woman said she thought she had a common cold triggered by her allergies. But after experiencing symptoms of body aches, headaches, shortness of breathe and tiredness, she knew this was much more than just a cold.

"Then it feels like someone took a bat and beat the stuffing out of you," she said."

The woman said she did travel to Washington state, but medical professionals believe she caught the virus locally, here in Central Oregon. She said she currently is being quarantined at home, and has not been prescribed any medication.

"You may not have any real symptoms," she said. "You may think it's allergies, but you can be a carrier."

She also said there is still relatively little information about the virus, but a representative at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told her there are likely to be hundreds more cases in Deschutes County.