Covid 19 coronavirus: Infected Wanaka couple urge Kiwis to stay home

A pint at the Wanaka A&P Show could have been behind a man contracting Covid-19.

Roy Rose went to the Wanaka A&P show on Saturday, March 14 - the day after World Hereford Conference delegates had competed at the show.

The conference was linked to a 39-strong infection cluster.

"I am certain I got it at the Wanaka bar. Someone at the show from the Hereford conference had given it to someone, and that someone was carrying it and possibly didn't know they were," he said.

Two days later he had lost his sense of taste and smell and had a sore throat, headache and aches and pains.

The 56-year-old rang a health centre in Wanaka and was advised he probably had the flu, and told to stay at home until he felt better and keep his distance from others as a precaution.

He was not tested for Covid-19 as he had not been overseas or in contact with anyone who had been.

A week later, on March 23 — Otago Anniversary Day — he began to feel better and the next day he went to work.

"As the day went on I got sicker and sicker and it [Covid-19] came back with a vengeance, it really whammied me."

Rose has obstructive sleep apnoea and has to use a machine every night to increase the air pressure in his throat so that his airway does not collapse when he inhales.

After he tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, March 25, the first day of the Level 4 lockdown, the virus moved to his chest and he became very short of breath.

"When I talked to the doctors they said the CPAP machine was as good or better than a ventilator, so I was probably lucky to have had it that Tuesday night."

Everyone Rose had been in contact with since the show had been tested; no one had returned a positive result except his wife, Leanne Taylor-Rose.

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website

"When we first heard about the Covid-19 virus we were drinking Corona beer with our friends and we joked about how we were all going to get the virus," Taylor-Rose said.

"That's why we want to share our story because Covid-19 is real and we know there are people out there who still don't consider it to be real," she said.

When Taylor-Rose was tested for the virus she was asymptomatic but when her symptoms appeared two days later they were different to her husband's.

"I had recently had a chest infection and I thought I would not survive if I got the high fever but I had severe headaches and the tiredness."

She said one of the hardest things was telling their adult children they had both contracted the virus.

"You hear all the numbers every night on the news but we didn't know anyone who had it, it has been a real emotional journey for me.''

Five weeks on both Rose and his wife continue to be quarantined to their section and house as they continue to be tired and Rose is not symptom-free.

"Because I have a mild cough they can't diagnose me as being over it and my chest is still a bit tight.

"That is why I wanted to share my story to show people that 'heh it is real' and if people don't take it seriously people are going to die from it.

"Stay at home, stay in your bubble and don't be a bloody idiot."