For Josh and Alan Levy, it started with a conference in Washington and a trip to Boca Raton Regional Hospital.

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Officially, Alan Levy does not have the coronavirus.

But as he awaits test results, his family says his doctors have told him they are assuming he does.

His family is worried for him. And they’re angry at what they describe as an extended runaround to convince health officials to take his concerns seriously, to get a test for the virus and to learn its results.

It all started when the Levys — Alan, his wife Lynne, their son Josh and his girlfriend — went to Washington, D.C., last month for a conference held by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

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The virus had begun to make news, but in the public mind it wasn’t the nine-alarm inferno it is today.

"We had heard about it," said Josh Levy, 30, who runs a commercial real estate business started by his parents. "We knew it was a big problem in China, overseas. What we knew was that there was a foreign virus and we didn’t want it to come to the United States. I think there were a couple cases in Washington (state)."

Washington was a hot spot, but, as the Levys were about to learn, the virus had already made its march across the country.

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The family attended the AIPAC conference from Feb. 28 to March 2, returning to South Florida on March 3.

Three days later, conference organizers told them that at least two of the roughly 20,000 attendees had been in contact with someone who had tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Levys were concerned but not greatly worried.

"They described this as a low-risk situation," Josh Levy said. "We didn’t know how to react. We figured, ‘Let’s just see if we get sick.’"

Alan and Lynne Levy, who live in Boca Raton, went to a wine and food festival there. Josh Levy, who lives in Surfside, near Miami Beach, went to his local synagogue. For several days, all was well.

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"We had no idea we were sick," Josh Levy said. "We went about our lives."

On March 12, father and son woke up with headaches.

"It very quickly progressed to a cough and a fever," Josh Levy said. "We said, ‘All right, something’s happening. Let’s do the responsible thing and call the doctor.’"

Most of the worry was for Alan Levy, who is 66 and has diabetes. The family decided he would see a doctor.

The Levys thought that, given what AIPAC organizers had told them, given the symptoms of Alan and Josh, they should get tested for the coronavirus. But it wouldn’t be that easy.

Alan Levy’s doctor told him, "This could be anything," Josh said. "They did downplay it a lot."

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Eventually, the doctor gave Alan Levy a prescription for a test he was to have taken at a local lab.

That was the start of a back-and-forth journey that would see the Levys get sicker while remaining in contact with those around them.

The lab told Alan Levy it didn’t have any tests and that he should go to the health department. But when the Levys called the health department, they were told to go back to the doctor, who told them to check with the Florida Department of Health in Tallahassee.

"Tallahassee was dumbfounded," Josh Levy said. "They said check with the CDC."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is providing guidance on the virus, but it is located in Atlanta.

"CDC says call the county," Josh Levy said.

‘This is not working’

The state health department in Broward County told the Levys it couldn’t conduct tests on residents who don’t live in the county.

So, Josh Levy, who continued to feel ill, sought a test for himself through the health department in Miami-Dade while his father sought one in Palm Beach County.

"Palm Beach said, ‘I’m sorry, we don’t have any tests. We can’t help you,’" Josh Levy said.

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Both men were getting sicker and decided calling for help wasn’t enough.

"After seven hours, we said, ‘This is not working. We’ve got to get to an emergency room,’" Josh Levy said.

Josh Levy went to the ER at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach and his father went to his local hospital, Boca Raton Regional.

"Mount Sinai tested me for like 16 different viruses but did not test me for coronavirus," Josh said.

"It was, ‘Here’s your $300 co-pay,’" he said. "They blew it off. They were very lackadaisical. I knew in my gut it was coronavirus, but I couldn’t force them to test me."

The hospital, citing privacy rules, said it couldn’t discuss his allegation.

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"Mount Sinai follows all protocols, guidelines and regulations from all governing agencies and strictly adheres to patient privacy laws," the hospital said in a statement. "We cannot confirm or deny information about any patient."

Josh Levy said the hospital did offer him some advice.

"They said, ‘Pretend that you have it.’"

Swab and send home

Meanwhile, Alan Levy’s condition continued to deteriorate.

Josh Levy told his father to download the letter AIPAC had written to tell them they had been at a conference with at least two people who had been in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.

Health officials at Boca Regional took a swab from Alan Levy but sent him home.

"They told us it would take three or four days to get the results," Josh Levy said.

Not knowing the Levys were coming, health care officials at Boca Regional did not wear protective outfits to guard against getting the virus themselves, Josh said.

Alan Levy’s downward spiral continued at home.

"On Saturday morning, his condition got much worse," Josh Levy said. "He had a hard time breathing. My mom rushed him to the hospital."

Health care officials seemed a little more prepared to receive someone who might have an infectious disease by this time, Josh Levy said.

Alan Levy was admitted to Boca Regional, and doctors told the family he had pneumonia, one of the potentially deadly conditions associated with the coronavirus.

Josh said his father was given anti-viral drugs and an infectious disease specialist was consulted.

‘When do I stop quarantining?’

Even as he checked on the condition of his father, his own health waned. His fever raced past 100, past 101 and 102. He had a hard time breathing.

"I’ve had flu," Josh Levy said. "I’ve never experienced anything like this. I was taking a steam shower to clear my head. I started getting light-headed. In the worst moments, it was like someone was standing on my chest."

Wanting to be near his father, Josh Levy went to Boca Regional’s ER. He said he was swabbed for coronavirus on Sunday.

Neither man has been given their results, Josh Levy said. His father has been given ever-evolving answers about his test results, he said.

"We keep getting told it’s going to take four days, eight days, 11 days," Josh Levy said. "The doctors on his team want to know the result so they can know how to treat him."

Without a test result, Josh Levy said he does not know what he should be doing to protect people around him.

"When do I stop quarantining?" he said. "Is it 14 days from the time I got it? I don’t know."

Josh, his mother and girlfriend are continuing to quarantine themselves. The Levys’ neighbors in Boca have been concerned and attentive.

"It is heart-warming to see," Josh Levy said, adding that neighbors have checked in and left food at their doorstep. "The coming together is there. We have that. The ones we look to for guidance, for leadership, we feel like we aren’t prepared for this."

Josh Levy’s girlfriend, who did not want to be identified, said she is frustrated by the long wait for test results, which the family has been told is because of the shortage of a chemical mixture called a reagent used to test samples.

A shortage of that reagent has slowed testing across the country, preventing health officials from getting a better sense of where the virus is spreading and keeping patients, their families and communities in the dark while the numbers of confirmed cases in South Florida quickly rise.

Neither Lynne nor his son’s girlfriend have symptoms of COVID-19, the illness caused by coronavirus. Both say health care and government officials need to do more.

"Right now, their strategy is to wait until people are critical and then do something," the girlfriend said.

Boca Regional won’t talk

With neither Josh nor his father testing positive for the virus — at least not yet — they aren’t part of the official count given to the public.

"What I really want is transparency and honesty," Lynne Levy said. "I want our leaders and our government to form a better plan. I’m so frustrated, and I’m so angry. I’m in shock right now. I feel defeated at this point."

Most galling, Lynne Levy said, was how the family was treated when they explained their concerns.

"At first, we were getting ridiculed," said Lynne Levy, who is also awaiting test results. "They said you’re exposing us."

Federal privacy rules forbid hospitals from discussing an individual’s medical care but not from commenting on care as a whole. A spokeswoman for Baptist Health, which runs Boca Regional, did not return calls and emails seeking comment.

Michael Maucker, who is marketing and communications manager for Boca Regional, was quoted on the news site Boca News Now confirming that Baptist Health’s hospitals "are seeing an increase in the number of cases that meet the Florida Department of Health’s criteria for testing for COVID-19."

The Levys pleas have a sympathetic ear in U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton. He said he wants health officials to be more transparent, reflecting the frustration regarding testing that has gripped much of the country and leading to promises from President Trump that new, faster tests are coming soon.

"People are rightfully frustrated by the lack of clear information out there," Deutch said. "We certainly aren’t testing enough. We need a clear system for all Floridians to find out if they need to be tested, how to get tested, and how to get results without delay."

Staff writers Chris Persaud and John Pacenti contributed to this story.

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