This student has COVID-19 and the stigma that comes with it

It was last Sunday when he started sniffling.

A runny nose, a stuffy chest and some fatigue followed.

It didn't seem like anything more than the common cold, especially since he had no symptoms when he returned from school on the Friday.

But his parents exercised caution, andkept their sonhome from school on the Monday.

He couldn't go back until he had a negative test.

But a fewdays later, he found out he wouldn't be going back he hadCOVID-19 in his system.

"We were certain it was just a cold and it wasn't," the student's father said.

"You can do everything right and still end up with someone getting sick ... we were completely flabbergasted by the diagnosis," the mother added.

CBC has agreed not to name the student or his family due to their concerns about how the stigma of having the virus will affect them at work and school.

The family, who lives outside of the Hamilton area, has been isolating ever since.

All of them have symptoms, but so far, only their son has tested positive.

The student's father said as soon as the public health nurse on the phonefound out hischild attended school, the nursehad to hang up to immediately let the school boardknow.

INTERACTIVE | Use this map to findCOVID-19 cases in local schools

"We haven't heard from the school since," hesaid.

"The public health nurse has been fantastic."

The infected son's worst symptom was a cough, but all of that has since subsided.

The stigma of having COVID-19

In reaching out to relatives and close friends about the virus, the family felt a real stigma.

"People's primary reaction is how it affects them not 'I hope you're OK,' " they explained.

"I'vebeenfeeling a lot of guilt and almostembarrassment over it. It's not necessarily your fault," the student's mother said.

"You don't necessarily have to do anything wrong. People are going to get sick. It's just the times," the father said.

Both parents stress that families should not ignore symptoms they see in their kids or themselves.

"I see in Facebook groups people saying, 'My kid just has a runny nose, I'm not going to get them tested, I'll take them to school when it stops,' and that has a potential to cause a major problem."

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