Upson County health care worker recovering from COVID-19

UPSON COUNTY, Ga. - Joni Allen said she followed all of the safety guidelines in place while working on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic. She found out she had the deadly virus after waking up in the ICU.

"I used the proper PPE. I kept my hands washed, sanitized,” Allen explained to FOX 5’s Brian Hill.

At the end of April, Allen was hospitalized at Upson Regional Medical Center for 20 days as COVID-19 took its toll on her body.

“I honestly don't remember the first few days in the hospital,” Allen said.

The certified nursing assistant just returned to her Upson County home so she can finish her recovery.

"I get weak, really easy.  I've had a lot of anxiety. It's just like everything's changed,” she detailed.

It’s a drastic change.

Just weeks before, Allen, a nurse tech at Upson Regional, was helping others fighting the deadly virus.

"It was pretty scary because I mean I’ve never seen anything like it,” she mentioned.

Allen said she doesn't know exactly how she contracted COVID-19 but said she was at higher risk working with coronavirus patients.

"I didn't know what to think. I was just tested two weeks before and it was negative. So, I was just like, how did this just happen,” she detailed.

Allen told me her biggest concern right now is being able to provide for her children.

She said she’s getting partial pay from her job and has health insurance but worries about mounting medical bills.

Her mother has created a GoFundMe to help cover her expenses.