After catching the coronavirus, a local man is concerned that other people may have COVID-19 and could be spreading it unknowingly. His concern comes from his own experience. His whole family got COVID-19, but they initially tested negative for the virus. He said it took more tests from different places to confirm that they had actually contracted the virus.
The dilemma started when Harris and his wife showed symptoms. During the final week of June, Harris said they were having headaches, feeling fatigued and they also felt like they had allergies. They really knew something was up when their five-year-old son got sick. It started with a cough, and later he had a fever. The toddler was the first in the family to test positive for the virus.
After receiving their son's results, the couple decided it was their turn to take a test. They took a PCR COVID-19 test at CVS Pharmacy and received negative test results the first time. Because they were experiencing symptoms, they decided to take another test at CVS, and received the same results.
"We kept having negatives at the same location, and thought, there's something not right here. We had a gut instinct on that one," said Harris. "We were still sick. Congestion, more fatigue, loss of taste and smell."
The couple decided to get a second and third opinion. They took tests administered by two area hospitals. Those results came back positive for COVID-19. Samples for the negative and positive test results were taken a day apart according to documents.
As of July 6, the family is staying home and quarantined until they recover.
"It has to be the most terrifying experience I've ever went through." said Harris. "I recommend, if you need to get vaccinated go do it. I believed this whole pandemic for the last year and half was a bunch of BS. I never wanted to get vaccinated, I never believed in it. And now that my family has it, I wish I would've done it sooner, because we would've had less symptoms. My five-year-old son wouldn't have been exposed."
Harris also said it's important to trust your gut, referring to the family's decision of taking another test from different sources.
"I thank the lord every day that we did that because we were very vigilant to the point that we didn't expose anybody else in the community." Harris said.
He's concerned that other people could be left with a false sense of security if they receive negative test results from CVS. He believes the way the pharmacy collects test kits makes the samples vulnerable to the triple digit temperatures in the Reno-Sparks area. Most sites have a drive-thru where test kits can be dropped off in a small container. Because the container appears to be metal and exposed outside in the heat, Harris said his sample may have been corrupted.
He acknowledged that several other factors could've have contributed to false negative results. Harris said his theory is highly possible.
According to the Reno resident, when he initially got a test at CVS, he had to wait in the drive-thru for about 40 minutes before he could drop the sample off in the container. He claims that the container was filled with several other tests when it was his turn to leave his sample.
"It's scientifically proven that if those samples are sitting in the heat and they go above a certain degree for a certain amount of time. Those tests aren't going to come out accurate at all." said Harris.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed heat could potentially damage samples. It recommends keeping samples cold or frozen for storage or shipping.
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2 News reached out to CVS Health for a comment on its procedures and has not received a response.
To avoid the possibility of spreading the virus, Harris is urging people to stay home when they're feeling unwell and get a test from different companies if needed.
