Hey everyone! I was hoping I wouldn't have to post here, but here we are. I just got back from urgent care and I tested positive for COVID-19. Below are the facts:

• I live in the Metro Atlanta area in Georgia, USA.
• Had one confirmed exposure to it since Sunday, 1/17. First was with a co-worker of mine when we went out for some coffee after work. I wore my mask in all cases except when we sat down to drink our beverages. She tested positive on Friday evening, 1/22 after falling ill on Monday, 1/18.
• Possible second exposure was through my boyfriend on Tuesday, 1/19. He's asymptomatic and only got tested after my co-worker tested positive and I asked him to get tested. He got his results back yesterday afternoon, 1/23.
• Developed a light cough on Thursday, 1/21. Thought it was allergies, so went into work on Friday, 1/22. Felt fine when I went in, but had to leave early as I became extremely fatigued and sore. I also had a hard time catching my breath. So I scheduled a rapid test for Saturday, 1/23.
• The rest of Friday, I was very tired. I had joint pain, muscle pain, a headache, stuffy nose and some brain fog. No fever, nausea or loss of taste/smell. Same kind of symptoms on Saturday and today, though the muscle and joint pain have diminished. I do get a headache during the night, but Aleve has helped a lot.
• Later that evening, my coworker tested positive and let me know her diagnosis. I then told my boyfriend about it and he got a rapid test Saturday afternoon and it came back positive.
• I go get tested on Saturday morning and my results came back negative. I was floored! I also wanted to get tested for the flu, so I called my Primary Care doctor to schedule a flu test and she told me to schedule another round of testing for today, Sunday 1/24, as she said the rapid test has a high rate of false negatives. She told me to get the PCR test to be 100% sure. She also said that since I did get my flu shot, it's highly unlikely it's the flu, but to also get tested for that for peace of mind.
• I go to my next round of testing, this time in an urgent care center. Less than 5 minutes after getting the tests done, the physician came in and told me that I tested positive for COVID-19 through the rapid test. It confirmed my suspicions. He also checked my vitals and my lungs, which he said were completely clear. He prescribed me some medicine for my cough and some prednisone to help my immune system along.

So yeah, that's where I am now. I now have COVID, but I will say, that so far, this isn't anything horrible. It feels more like a bad cold. My bout with Mononucleosis was way worse than this. I'm still able to sleep, eat, do things around the house and function pretty well. Hopefully it stays that way. But it's not as bad as I feared. But there's still so much that can happen, so I'm taking it one day at a time.

TL;DR - If you test negative during the rapid test and you have symptoms AND confirmed exposure, assume you have it and get further testing to confirm it.