Wreckless Eric Tests Positive for COVID-19

BY Allie GregoryPublished Apr 19, 2020

British new wave rocker Wreckless Eric — a.k.a. Eric Goulden — has tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing "chest and rib pains, cough, low-level fever, [and] intermittent headaches" for a number of weeks, according to a new blog post titled "The Inside of a Ping Pong Ball."

In the post, the 65-year-old artist detailed his and his wife Amy Rigby's experience getting tested for the virus in Albany, explaining how they were received at the hospital and how it felt to get a swab inserted deep into their sinuses.

"Basically they shove a big Q tip rather a long way up your nose and waggle it about quite a lot," Goulden wrote in his post. "[The nurse] advised us to sit on our hands to avoid involuntarily swatting her. She was wearing a full hazmat suit complete with a perspex visor and face mask, but I could see that she had short black hair cut in a chic style and carefully applied blue eye make-up. As she probed around somewhere where my sinuses meet my brain I couldn't help thinking this lovely woman was going to see a lot of weird grimaces today."

Goulden ended up testing positive while his wife tested negative. The couple are currently quarantining in their home, where Eric said he is feeling driven to "get in the studio and get things done."

Despite worrying that he "might suddenly go downhill and die," Goulden ended his blog on a hopeful note, stating, "I think I'm going to be okay," but warning that some people "possibly still think this is a hoax," while others may not have such easy access to testing or even be able to properly quarantine. 

Read the full blog entry here.

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