A nurse, who goes by @EliiCoco on TikTok, recently took to social media to shame one of her patients for going shopping just a few hours after they tested positive for COVID-19. The nurse didn’t identify the patient, but the encounter created quite a stir online.
Discount Shopping at Ross
The nurse was working at a COVID-19 testing and treatment center before heading into a nearby Ross department store. She records herself waiting in line to checkout wearing scrubs and a facemask. The text on the screen reads, “When you see the patient that you swabbed earlier who tested positive for Covid in the line at Ross.”
@eliicoco #covidiots #fyp #fypシ #gohome #rossdressforless #lol HAHAHA DEAD. Well we’ll all be if y’all don’t go home ?? #YerAWizard
She then points her camera phone down to show the woman’s shoes so as not to reveal her identity.
“I told you to stay home and recover sis,” she added in text along with the hashtag #covididiots.
The nurse didn’t say whether the patient recognized her while standing in line.
The caption on the video reads, “We’ll all be dead if y’all don’t go home.”
The video quickly racked up more than 1.7 million views with lots of commenters sharing their opinions online. Many were outraged to see someone blatantly disregard their doctor’s advice.
“I’ve given up on people having common sense, morals, and a conscience,” one user commented.
“And this is why the pandemic will never be over,” another person wrote.
Others wished the nurse would’ve publicly called out the patient for her disregard for public health and safety, but that would’ve been a violation of their privacy.
Others wondered if the patient was confused by the CDC’s latest isolation guidelines, which state that individuals who test positive for COVID-19 must self-isolate for five days instead of ten.
“People with Covid-19 should isolate for 5 days and if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours), follow that by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others to minimize the risk of infecting people they encounter,” the agency said. “The change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after.”
Clearly, this patient didn’t get the message.
Others took to social media to share their frustration with the latest guidance.
“She should definitely be at home, but don’t healthcare workers have to go to work even if they test positive for COVID? How does that make sense?” another user questioned while referencing a recent news report.
“Why should we stay home if you don’t have to?” another viewer snapped.
“It doesn’t even matter anymore,” another disillusioned commenter remarked.
What would you do if you saw a patient shopping out in public after they just tested positive for COVID-19? They might just end up on TikTok.