How a COVID-19 cluster threw this family into turmoil, and what they learned

When Mike Meaney describes the COVID-19 ordeal he and his family are living, he is quick to point out how unreal everything now feels. 

"It was pretty surreal, once the nurse showed up in PPE gear and walked into the house. You know, something out of the movie E.T.," said Meaney, a tennis instructor in St. John's. 

The nurse was there in personal protective equipment to test his family for the disease that's caused hundreds of thousands of cases and tens of thousands of deaths globally.

Meaney's relative is one of the dozens who can trace their infection back to the Caul's Funeral Home cluster, which, to date, is considered the largest single cluster in the country. 

CBC News has agreed to withhold the relative's name due to privacy concerns. 

Meaney said when the family member first contacted 811, the decision was not to test them because they had no symptoms and had not been in direct contact with the infected person at the funeral home. 

But after a few days, his family member started showing symptoms. 

"We decided to make a call back. And that's when everything sprung into action. We got the positive test about 24 hours later," Meaney said. 

The other three tests in the Meaney home came back negative, which he attributes to following instructions to the letter. 

Follow professional advice

"I think it's really because of the rest of us listening to the advice given by the professionals. Pretty simple stuff, to wash your hands, wipe things down and keep the social distancing," he said. 

The procedures also involved keeping the infected family member away from everyone else with a separate bathroom to use. Meals were left outside the door. 

As for the test itself, Meaney said he can smile now that it is over — but it was scary at the time. 

He described an extended Q-tip that went up deep into his nose. The whole thing only lasted a few seconds. 

Meaney said it didn't hurt, though it gave him a weird feeling with some watery eyes. 

I just want some normality. That's it. That would be great.- Mike Meaney

Meanwhile, lots of COVID-19 thoughts were going through his head. 

"I'm sniffling and I got a sore throat so your mind is wandering thinking a family member has it, and I've got it too," he said. 

Meaney was also concerned about his elderly father, who lives with them, and wanted to make sure he could be protected. 

"That's why it's so important to heed the advice," he said. "It's the vulnerable people we've got to be watching out for." 

Stay safe, stay at home

The whole ordeal put a lot of mental stress on Meaney, and he said the family still isn't out of the woods yet. 

It should be another week before they get — they hope — the medical all-clear, he said.

"Thankfully, the family member is on the mend now and starting to turn the other way. We are certainly happy about that," said Meaney. 

Meaney said the Caul's cluster just shows how quickly the disease can spread and underscores the way to stay safe is to stay at home. 

Looking down the road to a day when COVID-19 is behind us, Meaney has one wish – for regular daily life to return.

"I just want some normality. That's it. That would be great." 

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