A Santa Clarita resident diagnosed with coronavirus — Carl Goldman, owner of KHTS Radio — is setting the record straight after misinformation has been reported.

Back In The States With The Coronavirus – Day 13 (Monday)

I believe we are the most exciting thing to hit Omaha in many, many years. I am quarantined in the biocontainment unit at the University of Nebraska hospital. Jeri and I are separated. She’s quarantined, along with four other passengers, in a separate wing of the hospital. Additional passengers from the plane that flew from Tokyo to Texas will be flying in later today.

News reports are claiming I am in critical condition. That is NOT the case.

See Related: 67 New Cases Of Coronavirus Confirmed On Diamond Princess Cruise Ship, Santa Clarita Residents Prepare To Leave

The hospital is one of three CDC (Centers for Disease Control) hospitals in the country. The other two are in New York and Atlanta.

It’s been a long 24-plus hours. On Monday night (Yokohama time) we left the Diamond Princess. Approximately 320 Americans were finally coming home. We were all wearing masks.

We were loaded in many buses outside the ship. We were supposed to leave around 9 p.m. That didn’t happen. We spent five and a half hours mostly sitting in our seats. The Tokyo airport was only 40 minutes away. Our U.S. military was living up to its motto, “Hurry up and wait.” For a nation who put the first man on the moon, I was confused. But at least we were off the ship and heading home. There were no bathrooms on the bus, which made for more than a few unhappy passengers.

Finally, our buses pulled up to two 747 cargo planes. We climbed in. It was the first time I had been inside one. No frills. About 160 seats had been set up for us, along with two restrooms for 160 passengers about to take a 10-hour flight. But who’s complaining after our five-and-a-half hour ordeal on a bus with no bathrooms?

The two 747s were heading to different destinations. One plane was flying to Lackland Air Force base outside of San Antonio, Texas. Our plane would be landing at Travis Air Force base outside of Sacramento, California.

Medical personnel wearing hazmat gear were on-board. They were checking our temperatures throughout our flight. A section of seats was quarantined from the rest of us. Large sheets of plastic hung from the ceiling. The seats were deserted at first. That would not be the case during our 10-hour flight.

Mark Jorgensen, my wife and I were on the same flight. Jerri Jorgensen was healing at a Fukushima, Japan hospital. She had come down with the coronavirus, COVID-19, a few days ago. She is fine now. She will stay quarantined in Fukushima for 14 days.

A few hours into our flight, I came down with a high fever. Jeri and I already had a dry cough. We thought that was from the dry air in our cruise cabin. I walked up to the hazmat folks. They confirmed I had a high temperature. I was placed in the quarantined area of our already quarantined cargo plane. Eight other passengers were in my predicament. Most were asleep. I slipped into my seat, buckled my seatbelt and nodded off.

Eight hours later, I awoke to our plane touching ground at Travis Air Force base. CDC doctors and officials climbed on board. They were all wearing Hazmat gear. All the passengers on board were staying at Travis for a 14-day quarantine, except for three of us and our very lucky spouses. We were flying to Omaha, Nebraska.

Our friend and traveling companion, Mark Jorgensen, had to stay 14 days at Travis. His wife, Jerri, was at a hospital in Fukushima, Japan. My wife, Jeri, and I would be in separate hospital wings in Omaha. The four amigos were separated.

It took a few hours to process all the passengers. Six of the nine patients in our quarantined area on-board the plane also disembarked at Travis. I am not clear why they could leave, and I couldn’t. Perhaps it was because I had once asked for asylum when trying to enter the states from Canada with an out-of-date passport. But that’s a story for another time.

A few hours after landing at Travis, our 747 took off with the six of us on-board. Three of us remained in the quarantined area. Our spouses were separated from us.

When we landed in Omaha, we were met with a squadron of emergency vehicles. CDC representatives came aboard our aircraft. Jeri and the other two couples would be quarantined due to corona virus in separate rooms at the University of Nebraska hospital. I was being sent to the biocontainment unit, in a different wing of the hospital.

The national news showed me wheeled onto an ambulance. It was dramatic footage and caused many friends to contact me with their concerns. The media also claimed I was in critical condition. The truth was, every paramedic vehicle requires a stretcher. That’s how victims are transported. I asked to ride shotgun, but my request was denied.

I was traveling to the critical wing of the hospital, but I was not in critical condition. I was still strong enough to even make it through a 10-fork charity dinner at the Valencia Hyatt (see earlier report).

My ambulance was in the middle of a motorcade much longer than most presidential escorts. I believe every first-responder agency in Nebraska yearned to be part of the action. Federal marshals also joined in on the excitement.

My motorcade took twice as long as it should to get to the hospital. First, because there were so many vehicles with sirens and lights wailing. And second, because the lead vehicle took the slower route, much to the chagrin of my paramedics, who knew their way around Omaha, apparently much better than the drivers of the lead vehicle.

When we finally arrived at the hospital, I was placed in a wheelchair. A team in hazmat outfits pushed me through numerous underground passages in the bowels of the hospital. I was reliving the opening to the classic television show, “Get Smart.”

I settled into my room. It’s about the same square footage as our Diamond Princess cabin. I believe that was done on purpose to eliminate the possibility of me going through any withdrawals.

Two nurses in hazmat gear greeted me. They would remain in my room for most of the day. My doctor was also dressed in Hazmat gear. He spent a good chunk of time reviewing my case. Everyone in contact with me was dressed in full Hazmat gear. I will not need to struggle with what costume to wear for Halloween 2020.

I was in good hands in this Nebraska hospital. As a CDC quarantine location, they knew their stuff. The last time my hospital room was used was during the outbreak of the Ebola virus. That was over five years ago.

The hospital has held many drills since then, one most recently as a few weeks ago. Now they have the real thing.

A few hours later, my barrage of lab tests came back. All my vitals were excellent. However, I did test positive for the coronavirus.

See Related: Santa Clarita Resident Tests Positive For Coronavirus After Returning To United States

The news didn’t hit me very hard. I suspected I had the virus when my fever took off on the plane. That was over 24 hours ago. I was glad I was in a hospital in Omaha and not still stuck in Japan. Aside from the great care, I wouldn’t be needing a Google translator. I quickly learned how to translate “Nebraskan.”

I have been feeling fine since my fever broke this afternoon. I just feel a little lethargic, a feeling I suspect I might have anyway after a very high fever for many hours, crossing the international dateline in a cargo 747 and sitting for five and a half hours in the back of a bus with no toilets.

Luckily, my wife, Jeri, has tested negative for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. Now we get to navigate through our journey for the next 14 days of separate isolation. Perhaps that is a good thing, having just spent 12 days quarantined together in our Diamond Princess cabin.

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 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 13: Coronavirus Patient From Santa Clarita Continues To Clear Misconceptions About COVID-19: Part 13

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

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