A coronavirus patient from Santa Clarita and owner of KHTS Radio, Carl Goldman, is continuing to share his story after contracting COVID-19 after the Diamond Princess cruise.

Back In The States With The Coronavirus – Day 20 (Monday)

No fever for five days. Whoo-hoo! My cough is better. It lingers, improving each day.

I have learned a third passenger on our ship, the Diamond Princess, has died from the coronavirus, COVID-19. So very tragic.

The ship is now empty, with close to 700 victims. Passengers and crew members came down with the virus. Old and young, it spared no ethnic group. Healthy and not so healthy, it appears to be completely random as to who picks up the virus and who doesn’t. I have the coronavirus, COVID-19.

This is my eighth day in quarantine at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha. My wife, Jeri, is quarantined three blocks away on our medical campus. She remains free of the virus.

Today my medical team delivered a “Happy Birthday” balloon and card. It’s two days past my 67th birthday. I’m touched with their thoughtfulness. Apparently, there is some weird Nebraska law not allowing balloons to be delivered over the weekends. It’s similar to the “blue law” in Colorado not allowing beer to be sold in grocery stores on Sunday. Coloradans can purchase pot seven days a week, but beer on Sunday is forbidden.

My balloon sits by my double-insulated window, above my stash of straws, looking out. I imagine it would love to escape. I can relate.

The mylar helium balloon will probably become another item in California that will disappear. I’m sure the environmentally over-conscious state will have balloons on the soon-to-be-banned list. Plastic bags, straws, paper cups and butt wipes already have become a thing of the past. Some enterprising entrepreneur will build a museum for all the things banned in California.

Our traveling friend, Jerri Jorgenson, remains in her hospital in Fukushima, Japan. She has the coronavirus. Although she has been free of any signs of the virus for well over a week, she tested positive again last night. Big bummer. She, like me, will have to receive two negative tests, 24 hours apart, to be free of the virus and no longer contagious.

Jerri’s husband, Mark, remains virus-free. He’s quarantined at Travis Air Force base outside of Sacramento, California.

My wife, Jeri, is also free of the coronavirus, COVID-19. It is totally random. There is no reason why Jerri Jorgensen and I should have it while our spouses remain negative. Fingers crossed they’ll test negative on March 2 and be allowed to leave their quarantine.

I’d like to clarify once again misinformation about us that is still circulating on social media. I did not know I had the coronavirus until I tested positive in Omaha last Monday. Let me repeat that. I did NOT know.

Immediately after we learned our friend, Jerri Jorgensen, tested positive while we were quarantined aboard the Diamond Princess in Yokohama, Japan, my wife, Jeri, and I were tested. The results of that test were unknown to us when we departed back to the States.

I didn’t show signs of the virus until two hours into our flight from Tokyo when I woke with high fever. I didn’t learn I had the virus until I tested positive my first day in Nebraska. My test in Japan had come out positive, which I didn’t learn about until many days after I arrived in Omaha.

Other readers have suggested my writing is being censored. That is not true. Jeri and I have done numerous live interviews. My laptop is hooked up to the internet. My wife is the only one censoring my writing and that’s a good thing. I’d be in even deeper do-do with her if some of my “outtakes” made it to print.

My medical staff is very protective of our privacy. We are in the epicenter of what’s now top international news. Reporters, posing on the phone as “our doctors” are calling trying to get a story.

The other day, I took a picture of my nurse in her hazmat outfit. I had asked permission. I was careful to shoot from an angle that didn’t reveal her face. That photo was published on our website. The next day, I was asked by CDC officials not to film or take photos of any of their staff. I have since lived up to their request. I understand they deserve their privacy as well.

Today I heard a report that many Christmas toys may be limited since so many are manufactured in China. Mattel should develop hazmat suits for Barbie and Ken. I know they would be the rage this coming holiday season.

I also heard talk that the Diamond Princess is scheduled to go back into service on April 29 for the start of Japan’s Golden Week celebrations. I had never heard of that holiday.

Apparently, the celebration consists of four very major Japanese holidays hitting the same week. It would be like Christmas, Easter, the Fourth of July and Ground Hogs Day colliding during the same week here in the States.

I am walking over 7,000 steps a day. It’s seven steps to the wall in my room. I am now pacing the same circle 1,000 times.

My doctor informed me a new CDC protocol will require me to test negative of the novel corona virus, COVID-19, three days in a row, up from two. Jeri, who doesn’t have the virus, will need to have two negative tests, 24 hours apart, before she will be released. I may now NOT get out of here until after the Iowa caucus is finalized.

I continue to stay optimistic. I am taking my predicament one day at a time. I’m thankful I am receiving the best care in the world. My body is providing valuable information to the medical team, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) and the NIH (National Institutes of Health) as they try to learn more about the virus. As I prepare for bed, I smile at my birthday balloon protecting my growing stash of straws. I’m hopeful my balloon and I will “escape” the first week in March.

Read All Of Carl’s Journals Here: Carl Goldman Coronavirus Journals

Part 1: Santa Clarita Residents Share First-Hand Account Of Quarantine On Diamond Princess Cruise Ship Due To Coronavirus

Part 2: Santa Clarita Residents Share First-Hand Experience Of Coronavirus Quarantine On Diamond Princess: Part Two

Part 3: Santa Clarita Residents Share First-Hand Experience Of Coronavirus Quarantine On Diamond Princess

Part 4: Trapped In The Coronavirus Quarantine Aboard The Diamond Princess: Part Four

Part 5: Santa Clarita Residents Share Emotions As They Prepare To Leave Coronavirus

Quarantine Cruise: Part Five

Part 6: Santa Clarita Residents To Return To United States After Coronavirus Quarantine On Diamond Princess: Part Six

Part 7: Santa Clarita Resident Diagnosed With Coronavirus Sets Record Straight: Part 7

Part 8: Santa Clarita Resident Battles Coronavirus After Diamond Princess Cruise: Part 8

Part 9: Santa Clarita Resident Continues To Recover From Coronavirus Diagnosis: Part 9

Part 10: Living With Coronavirus: Santa Clarita Resident Continues To Share Story — Part 10

Part 11: A Birthday In Quarantine: Santa Clarita Resident Continues Chronicling Coronavirus Recovery – Part 11

Part 12: Coronavirus Quarantine Continues As Santa Clarita Resident Recovers From COVID-19: Part 12

Part 14: Third Member Of The ‘Four Amigos’ Tests Positive For Coronavirus: Part 14

Part 15: Santa Clarita COVID-19 Patient Continues Recovery In Nebraska After Contracting Coronavirus: Part 15

Part 16: Carl Continues To Test Positive For Coronavirus, Jeri Still Negative: Part 16

Part 17: Carl Still Tests Positive For Coronavirus, Jeri Prepares To Return Home: Part 17

Part 18: Jeri Cleared From Quarantine, Carl Continues Coronavirus Recovery: Part 18

Part 19: Jeri Back Home, Carl Continues Coronavirus COVID-19 Recovery In Nebraska: Part 19

Part 20: Coronavirus COVID-19 Patient Carl Goldman Continues Path To Recovery: Part 20

Read All Of Carl’s Journals Here: Carl Goldman Coronavirus Journals

Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking KHTS Santa Clarita News Alerts delivered right to your inbox.

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.