ER doctor infected with novel coronavirus: 'We are at the first half-mile of a long-term marathon'

Emergency room Dr. Dara Kass has tested positive for the novel coronavirus after being exposed at work, but she says it’s not all bad.

“There’s a lot of unknowns right now but I think the most important thing is that I feel really good,” she told ABC News. “I feel really lucky… I know the results and I can manage my life accordingly. I got my kids out of the house before I was exposed, so I know they don’t have a risk to be exposed from me.”

Kass said that since she was diagnosed, she has remained quarantined among several rooms in her home. She said she wears a mask to prevent exposing her husband and that she takes care to wash her hands and not touch any surfaces that they share.

Right now, Kass says she’s experiencing relatively mild symptoms: “Mostly a cough, some muscle pains … in my legs and lower back,” she said.

“I just thought I was just out of shape, but when I put it together with the cough, I figured that’s probably what was going on,” Kass said, referring to contracting the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

Kass said she was “impressed” to receive her results within eight hours of taking a test and that the diagnosis was “a relief.”

“I know how many people think they have it and they can’t get tested, [so] I felt a little guilty using a test if it wasn’t going to be positive,” she said.

"Kass said she has "hope" that after she recovers she'll be able to return to work to care for patients. After all, she said, "We are at the first half-mile of a long-term marathon."