It has been an anxious few weeks of waiting for Kulsum Nyatoro and her family.
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A nurse at Wagga Base Hospital, Mrs Nyatoro works with some of the city's most vulnerable people amid the ongoing spread of COVID-19.
But the threat of the virus came very close to home, after her 25-year-old son returned from America weeks ago.
"We were watching what was happening while he was over there, and we said to him, 'you need to come home'," Mrs Nyatoro said.
"He changed his ticket and was probably one of the last that weren't put into government isolation."
While the family observed the mandatory isolation period, Mrs Nyatoro grew ill.
"I did get a sore throat last weekend and even though I knew it wasn't the virus, I still had to be tested," Mrs Nyatoro said.
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While it has become widely known that the test for COVID-19 involves a nasal swab, Mrs Nyatoro explained it is not a simple test at all.
"It's quite invasive, it's uncomfortable," she said.
"It's tolerable, but about the same as a blood test. The swab has to go right up the nostrils."
Following the test, Mrs Nyatoro and her family faced an anxious few days in wait for the result. She had been told it would take up to five days to confirm whether she had the virus.
Thankfully, within three days she was informed of her negative result. She did not have COVID-19.
"I knew at the back of my mind that I didn't have it, but you still start to wonder," Mrs Nyatoro said.
"It was a relief to hear I did not have it."
Having now returned to work, Mrs Nyatoro and her colleagues in the health system are preparing for what may prove to be their busiest year.
"It does feel like we're entering a war, but we are praying we don't get to the stage we're seeing overseas," she said.
"We're just praying we get through this."