Pastor infected with coronavirus along with dozens of his church warns against taking 'medical threat' lightly
A pastor from Arkansas has issued a coronavirus warning after he, his wife, and over 30 others linked to their church contracted Covid-19, reports state. The pastor, Rev. Mark Palenske, took to Facebook to write about the cases in a long post where he told his readers that he and his wife Dena Palenske suffered from nausea, aches, and fatigue.
"When something like this [COVID]-19 virus touches the other side of the world, your first inclination is to assume that time and distance are on your side. That false assumption caught up with Dena and I this past week," the reverend wrote. He thanked his supporters and medical workers and also urged unity and compassion among the country's citizens amid the coronavirus outbreak.
"First of all, your prayers for Dena and I, our church, our community, and our country are much appreciated," Palenske wrote. "Secondly, I would love to have you take this medical threat more seriously."
Donald Shipp, of First Assemblies of God Church in Greers Ferry, said that at least 34 people contracted the deadly virus after attending an event at Palenske’s church earlier this month, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Other visitors who attended the event are reportedly awaiting their test results.
Palenske, in his social media post, said that he initially struggled to get a test for Covid-19 before over two dozen people associated with the church were found to have been infected. "We were definitely sick, but the testing was not available," he wrote. "Not for us, and not for dozens in the church."
The pastor continued his post, saying that he "pushed the envelope" and eventually found a doctor who had a few commercial tests for the virus. He also urged his followers to listen to health officials' instructions on hand washing and social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus.
"We must keep the affected population to as a low a number as possible," the pastor wrote. “Our singular act of stubborn independence can have far-reaching effects on someone else’s life.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, people should not maintain close contact with those who are sick, to remain at home if you are sick except to get medical attention, regularly washing hands with soap, cleaning frequently-used surfaces, and coughing and sneezing into your elbows or a tissue, properly disposing of the latter.
The pastor also asked his followers to pray for the medical personnel treating the coronavirus patients: "I remember the two nurses who met us out in the parking lot the day that we were tested,” he said. “Their world changed in a single moment, and they stood tall to the challenge… They are doing their best, not only to help us return to our lives and our families but to help them return to theirs, as well.”
The US, as of Thursday, March 26 morning, has witnessed over a thousand deaths and more than 63,000 cases. The latest figures showed that New York, which is considered the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak in the US, now has at least 50 percent of the total confirmed coronavirus cases in the nation - 30,800 confirmed cases and 366 deaths. Meanwhile, Washington, which was initially considered the epicenter of the outbreak, now has 2,588 confirmed cases and 132 deaths.