Life in Quarantine: Former Patients Share Experiences Amid Outbreak
As Americans undergo quarantine due to a hantavirus outbreak, those who previously experienced isolation during Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks share insights into life cut off from the world.
More than 40 Americans are currently in quarantine for up to six weeks following a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship. As these individuals face isolation, former patients who have endured high-security medical containment units during past viral contagions are offering a glimpse into life cut off from the outside world.
“I want the people who are being affected by this, who are in quarantine or who have loved ones who are in quarantine, to rest assured that they are in the best of hands,” Dr. Kent Brantly, who spent weeks in isolation after contracting Ebola in 2014, told NBC News. “They are in the best place to be taken care of.” The recent outbreak has claimed three lives and sickened 10 since it was first identified aboard the expedition cruise ship MV Hondius during its voyage in early May. The 18 Americans aboard the ship arrived in the U.S. on Monday, entering quarantine facilities designed for individuals exposed to infectious diseases.
Two patients are being monitored at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta before joining 16 others at the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. While none of the Americans have tested positive for the virus, they could remain isolated for up to 42 days, according to the World Health Organization. Dr. Brantly, who contracted Ebola during a mission trip to Liberia in 2014, spent three weeks inside Emory University Hospital’s specialized biocontainment unit. The unit, opened in 2005, features HEPA-filtered, negative-pressure rooms to prevent pathogen escape and a dedicated laboratory.
As the first American Ebola patient treated there, Brantly lived in a well-equipped hospital room for intensive infection control. He was monitored constantly, with a nurse in personal protective equipment always present. His vital signs were tracked, he received IV fluids, underwent frequent blood draws, and was given an experimental treatment previously tested only on animals. “The team of doctors that attended to me were consummate professionals and experts in their field, but also just really incredible people,” Brantly recounted. “I have such confidence that the team there and at Nebraska are completely prepared to take care of a situation just like this one.”
Finding Comfort in Confinement
Brantly recalled nurses coaching him through physical therapy exercises and passing the time with games like Nerf basketball, discussing faith, family, and life beyond the hospital. “They not only treated my medical condition, but they really cared for me holistically as a person,” he stated. “My physical well-being, but also my emotional and mental well-being.”
More than a decade later, passengers from the hantavirus cruise are experiencing similar confinement. Jake Rosmarin, a social media creator who boarded the Hondius for a work trip, has been inside the Omaha facility since Monday. The National Quarantine Unit features 20 single-occupancy rooms with specialized air filtration systems. The adjacent biocontainment unit can house up to 10 patients, with one room currently serving as an in-house laboratory. Rosmarin has documented his quarantine experience on Instagram, sharing room tours and daily routines. His room is equipped with a bed, smart TV, and a spin bike. Meals are delivered, and he is permitted to order takeout. He has decorated his room with posters, a blanket, and a stuffed animal, and set up a tea station. Family care packages have provided puzzles and a charcuterie board, which he had to portion into smaller bags.
“I can sulk in my bed and just be sad and be like, ‘Wow, I’m stuck here for six and a half weeks,’ or I can be like, ‘OK, they’re letting me do all these things, we’re being well taken care of, we’re being fed,’ and just kind of start counting down,” Rosmarin said. He plans to remain in the facility for the full 42-day incubation period, testing negative and feeling well so far. Health officials encourage those in quarantine to stay until the period expires, though voluntary self-isolation at home is an option. “It’s the best decision to make for me and for my family and friends and just for the general public,” he added. Like Brantly, he praised the staff for their attentiveness.
Carl Goldman, who contracted COVID-19 aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in February 2020, shared a comparable experience. After a two-week quarantine on the ship, he and about 300 other Americans were flown back to the U.S., where he developed the virus. For 10 days, Goldman was housed in UNMC’s biocontainment unit, which he described as resembling a scene from “The Andromeda Strain.” His double-sealed room required visitors to wear hazmat suits. He passed the time blogging and pacing to achieve 10,000 steps daily. After his symptoms subsided, he was moved to a different room, cheered on by staff. He spent 20 more days there until mid-March 2020. He even celebrated his birthday with staff-provided cupcakes and balloons. While he couldn't order takeout, Omaha Steaks eventually provided steaks for everyone after the owner saw an interview. “They cooked Omaha Steaks for everybody, all the people, everything,” he recalled. “So, we got to really have a lot of steak, a feast.”
Goldman hopes those currently quarantined maintain a positive outlook. “Store your memories, because they will be very memorable, but realize that stress is probably the worst thing that you could add to your body right now,” he advised. “Think of it as a long-term vacation. That’s one way to look at it.”