A 53-Year-Old Man Presents to the ED With Shortness of Breath, Cough, and Fever

Abstract

\n Case Presentation\n A 53-year-old man presented to the ED at a time of low severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, also known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), prevalence and reported 2\xa0weeks of progressive shortness of breath, dry cough, headache, myalgias, diarrhea, and recurrent low-grade fevers to 39°C for 1\xa0week with several days of recorded peripheral capillary oxygen saturation of 80%\xa0to 90%\xa0(room air) on home pulse oximeter. Five\xa0days earlier, he had visited an urgent care center where a routine respiratory viral panel\xa0was reportedly negative. A COVID-19 reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction test result was pending at the time of ED visit. He reported a past medical history of gastroesophageal reflux disease that was treated with famotidine. Travel history included an out-of-state trip 3\xa0weeks earlier, but no recent international travel.\n