While some content creators are bunkering down and creating “quarantine-inspired” content at home, others appear to be concerned for their health… and are taking their followers along on their coronavirus testing journey.
Arielle Charnas (@somethingnavy), fashion influencer-turned-designer who is currently living in New York City with her husband and daughter, was feeling a little under the weather recently – so she decided to bring along her audience when she went to get it checked out.
On Monday when Charnas started to feel ill, she took to Instagram to tell her 1.3 million followers about her symptoms.
According to Buzzfeed, she was experiencing flu-like symptoms, including a fever and a sore throat. She then explained to her audience on Instagram that she reached out to a doctor who told her to just “quarantine herself.”
Charnas’ fans were quick to share their advice with her and some recommended that she get herself tested for both the flu and COVID-19, just to be on the safe side. The New York state resident was able to locate a clinic administering tests – despite there being a shortage of COVID-19 tests within the state.
The content creator was taken to a clinic where a nurse came outside and administered the test while Charnas was still in her vehicle. Her husband filmed the testing process, which was later uploaded to her Instagram Stories.
While some of her followers may applaud her for sharing the testing process with her audience, Charnas is facing more backlash for broadcasting it to her audience.
Industry watchdog Instagram account, Diet Prada (@diet_prada), shared a post which included a screenshot of the Buzzfeed story featuring Charnas in a medical face mask, alongside a second screenshot of a Los Angeles Times story about a husband who had performed CPR on his dying wife (who was infected with the coronavirus) and had been denied a test.
“What privilege looks like in the age of Coronavirus,” the caption read.
Comments on the post from IG users expressed their frustrations with regards to the influencer, who apparently only had mild symptoms despite getting tested when there was a shortage of testing kits within the state.
Charnas did explain to her audience that she had tested negative for the flu and expressed concerns for her well-being, which is why she decided to visit a clinic.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.
Photo credit: Buzzfeed via Arielle Charnas’ Instagram Stories.