No one is immune in a pandemic, the gushing news flow confirms. Here's a fresh jolt:
I tested positive. I'm doing fine.
— Mona Hanna-Attisha (@MonaHannaA) April 2, 2020
If you are recovering, consider donating your plasma. I just signed up. #StayTheFHome #ICantSmellAnythinghttps://t.co/vXBJAjMUOb
The 43-year-old says in a follow-up tweet that she's isolated, apparently at home, and jokes about a taste-dulling side effect of the COVID-19 lung virus: "The hardest part as an Arab American has been the loss of smell/taste. Everything tastes like paper. At least I’m not using as much garlic in quarantine."
As you surely know, she's the Flint pediatrician who was among the first alarm ringers about the city's tainted water emergency in 2015, when she released a study showing an increased number of children with high levels of lead in their blood. A year later, Time magazine put her on its 2016 list of 100 most influential people. She testified to Congress and wrote a well-reviewed 2018 book titled "What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City."
Her husband, Dr. Elliot Attisha is a pediatrician at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.
Now admirers -- and who isn't? -- respond with encouragement, optimism and devotion. A sampling:
► "Get better my friend. We need you. Prayers and love coming your way." -- U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit
► "Get well soon, Dr. M! We love you." -- State Rep. Mari Manoogian, D-Birmingham
► "Best wishes for a speedy recovery. We need you in this perilous time." -- Dr. Rob Davidson. Spectrrum Health emergency physician (Grand Rapids area)
► "Hoping for your full recovery." -- Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press reporter