The man, Frank Wucinski, according to Fox News, lived for a decade in Guangzhou with his wife before moving to Wuhan – the epicenter of the currently raging COVID-19 outbreak – three months ago to help take care of her ailing father, following her mother’s death.
Wucinski’s wife is a Chinese citizen.
Wucinski, in his appearance on “America’s Newsroom” on Friday, said that when he and his daughter Annabel arrived at the Miramar U.S. Marine base in Southern California, authorities immediately separated them, adding that they were placed in isolation for a few days.
“A few days later, Annabel just coughed in front of some staff. They suggested we go to the medical tent. The medical tent contacted the CDC and they said that we should go back to isolation at the children’s hospital,” Wucinski said.
According to Wucinski, his daughter’s coughing led to an extension of their quarantine period at the children’s hospital. (Related: MULTIPLE community outbreaks tracking in California as coronavirus set to explode across USA beginning next week.)
“We stayed there for about three days,” Wuckinski said, adding that both his and his daughter’s tests came back negative.
While explaining their situation on-air however, Wucinski began coughing. He has since brushed it off as being due to “nervousness.”
“They said I’m fine. I got tested twice. Negative both times. The cough was probably just nerves,” Wucinski said.
Wucinski added that from what he understood, the infection stemming from COVID-19 is contagious, but that its death rate is “pretty low.”
The official count is far from low: the new coronavirus has already infected 85,206 and killed 2,924 as of press time.
During his interview, Wucinski mentioned that he and Anabel were supposed to undergo follow-up checkups in order to make sure that they remain healthy. There is just one problem: his insurance plan, which came with his employment in China, does not work in America.
“Although I assumed all medical bills from our time in quarantine would be paid by the government, it turns out that I am financially responsible for the six days Annabel and I spent in isolation at the hospital,” Wucinski explained, adding that this is compounded by the fact that he does not know just how long they will be staying in the United States.
Wucinski said during the interview that this has put a strain on him financially, adding that aside from applying for different insurance policies to help cover the unexpected medical bills he has begun receiving during their stay in quarantine, he has also started a GoFundMe page.
“We’re looking into trying to get some insurance because my insurance for work — for my job — doesn’t work in America. So, we’re applying,” Wucinski said.
As of press time, Wucinski's GoFundMe has raised 17,930 USD.
“We hope that with this money, we can help pay our bills in America for Annabel and I. The quarantine is free, but flights out of California to family in the East coast is very expensive, as was the 2,200 dollar trip from China,” Wucinski said.
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