Olympia woman who tested positive for coronavirus aboard Diamond Princess cruise is back home, still quarantined
OLYMPIA, Wash. -- An Olympia woman who tested positive for coronavirus while aboard the now-infamous Diamond Princess cruise ship is finally back home, but still under quarantine as she awaits her latest test results.
Marianne Obenchain says it's good to be home, but admits quarantine is lonely.
"I kind of miss the human interaction. I mean I love my cat and everything, but I don`t have the nurses coming in to check on me or anything, seeing how I'm doing, and I kind of miss that laughter," she said Wednesday.
She is in good spirits, but good health is what she's focused on. She was one of more than 700 people on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan who tested positive for coronavirus. The State Department evacuated more than 300 American passengers, including Marianne, to multiple quarantine sites.
She first spoke to Q13 News in February from a California hospital, saying officials swabbed her throat before she left the cruise ship and then swabbed her throat again during quarantine in the U.S.
She says that aside from a slight cough she didn't have any other symptoms, despite testing positive for the virus.
"Well it was decided I think Wednesday last week that I could do home isolation rather than take up the beds, they might need the beds for people who are actually sick," she said.
Marianne says she was flown from California to another hospital in Spokane. On Friday, she says the hospital released her and someone drove her from Spokane to her home in Olympia.
She's now waiting for results on her latest coronavirus test.
"I mean I know I'm waiting for my next test, but I'm pretty sure it's gonna be negative, but I'm not taking any chances. I've been allowed to wear my mask and my latex gloves and go out at 10-11 at night when there's no one out to go get my mail in the complex," she said.
Marianne says she's lonely, but getting by. She's using a grocery delivery service and she's taking her temperature twice a day and reporting that number to medical professionals.