A Ferguson Township police officer recovered from COVID-19. Now he wants to help others
Triumphantly emerging from a COVID-19 diagnosis can seem like a daunting challenge, but one Ferguson Township police officer is determined to help others fighting the disease.
Dan Lewis, who is the first publicly known law enforcement officer in Centre County to recover from the new coronavirus, has donated plasma in hopes of helping Centre County patients.
“In my line of work, we’re going out there and dealing with the effects of people being stuck at home, not in the best mental state and having issues with family or being alone. I wanted to find some way that I could potentially help out more,” Lewis said. “If there was any chance that an experience as semi-unpleasant as donating plasma could help somebody avoid a ventilator or get out of the hospital or even save their life, that was something that felt like a positive trade-off. It wasn’t a question for me.”
Those who fully recovered from the disease develop COVID-19 antibodies that might help others fight the infection.
There is no approved treatment for COVID-19, but preliminary information suggests convalescent plasma may help some patients recover, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., announced last week that he had a positive antibody test for the coronavirus and has pledged to donate plasma to help others.
Lewis donated plasma at BioLife Plasma Services and CSL Plasma in State College after 28 days with no symptoms, and his goal is to donate to the American Red Cross because he feels those donations are “more likely to stay in (Pennsylvania).”
“I don’t want people to think I’m some sort of martyr or anything like that,” the Susquehanna County native said. “That’s how I grew up with my parents. If you can help people in some way, especially if it’s a minor inconvenience to you, then you do it.”
Contracting COVID-19 in police uniform
Lewis’ positive test was confirmed about April 9 when his test results were returned, but he was certain days before that he had COVID-19.
It started about April 2 with a headache that felt similar to those caused by spring allergies and a lack of physical energy. It morphed about three days later into chills and a fever of 99.5 degrees.
He “absolutely” believes he contracted the disease while donning a Ferguson Township Police Department uniform.
Lewis and two of his fellow officers likely contracted COVID-19 while responding to ambulance calls for people that may have had the coronavirus, he said.
“Outside of work, I was just coming straight home and my wife was doing the shopping,” Lewis said. “There really wasn’t any other exposure for me other than work.”
The positive test didn’t startle Lewis. He had few, if any, symptoms by that point and knew his profession that requires frequent exposure to diseases and close physical proximity to others wasn’t a recipe for superb health.
It did turn more of his focus to his wife, Jenna, and their 6-month-old daughter, Hadley. Lewis could do little more than wait a week or two to see if they began showing symptoms — and Hadley did.
She had a fever of about 102 degrees and tested positive too. Her fever broke about 12 hours after she was tested and her cold symptoms dissipated about three days later.
Jenna was “one of the lucky asymptomatic ones,” Lewis said.
“I can’t confirm that 100%, but given the extreme contagiousness of this and a baby coughing and sneezing on her for five days, I’d venture to say she had it and just didn’t have symptoms,” Lewis said with a laugh.
Mental, emotional challenges of quarantine
The Lewises’ split-level home in Lemont was an apt place for a family of three to fight off COVID-19, but their battle wasn’t without its hardships.
The disease presented more mental and emotional challenges than physical ones for Dan, a 34-year-old with no underlying health conditions.
He essentially lived — ate, slept and “the whole nine yards” — in their finished basement for about 10 days, while Jenna and Hadley occupied the upper portion of their house.
One of the few ways to break up the monotony was “(sneaking) out at night” for occasional walks, Lewis said.
Jenna was working full-time from home, caring for Hadley and cooking meals that she sat at the top of the basement steps for Dan to retrieve and eat in the basement alone.
Most of their interactions were facilitated through a basement window, including Hadley’s half-birthday. Not being able to fully participate in her celebration was “the toughest part” of the recovery process, Lewis said.
“At least twice a day my wife would bring her down and we would interact as best we could through the window, but that was it. There was no physical interaction whatsoever,” Lewis said. “... Being my first kid, it was tough to miss that 6-month birthday. I remember being hand-to-hand with her through the glass and that was probably the one time in quarantine where I almost lost it.”
Returning to the ‘new normal’
The only time Lewis expressed any surprise about his COVID-19 journey during an about 30-minute phone call was at the efficiency of the state Health Department.
The agency that has had to track more than 73,000 cases called Lewis less than one hour after he received his positive test, followed up to track his progress and eventually cleared him to return to work.
The testing process was “relatively smooth” — he was tested about one hour after calling to request a test — though he acknowledged “that was not the case for some other people.”
One area that rankles Lewis, doctors, scientists and essentially everyone is a lack of information about the disease.
Guidelines offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend employers screen employees, including a temperature check, before the start of their shift.
“The guidelines from the CDC was (checking for a temperature of) 100.4, and here I was coming back from having COVID-19 and I never went over 100,” Lewis said. “There’s just a lot of uncertainty out there even now and I think that’s the frustrating part.”
Lewis’ return to work was postponed by the township for an additional week to ensure he fully recovered from the disease. His first day back was about April 22.
There were no dirty looks from coworkers or awkward water cooler conversations. It was a blase experience. After all, he was the third Ferguson Township police officer who returned from COVID-19.
“All of the guys who had it chose to share that with the other officers immediately. We’re a small police department and you end up interacting with those people, so it was just to let everybody know,” Lewis said. “But by the time I was back, it was old news. ... It was neither positive nor negative when I returned to work. It was just the new normal, I guess.”
How to donate plasma for COVID-19 patients
Others who have recovered from COVID-19 and have an interest in donating plasma can do so with Geisinger, which is pursuing more reliable technology to develop its own antibody testing capabilities.
The process, which takes about 45 minutes, could benefit those with underlying medical conditions “tremendously,” the health care system said.
“While some patients can become seriously ill and require the assistance of a ventilator, a large majority of those diagnosed do not become seriously ill. These patients recover and have antibodies in their plasma,” Geisinger Transfusion Services System Director Dr. Gustaaf de Ridder said in a statement. “By collecting this plasma and giving it to ill patients, we hope we can provide a boost to the patient’s antibodies and help stimulate recovery. This is particularly important in patients who have a suppressed immune system.”
Those interested in donating plasma through Geisinger are urged to contact their physician and complete the necessary forms. Potential patients may also call 919-452-8976.
Mount Nittany Health referred potential donors to the Red Cross. Applications can be filled out online at www.redcrossblood.org.