(Throwaway account) So I took a home test over the weekend and I have COVID. First time getting it despite having both vaccines and the booster and I feel like shit. I’ve had it since Saturday and I can’t even stand or walk for long periods of time without feeling overheated and lightheaded. My work knows that I was exposed to COVID but they don’t know that I am infected yet. I need to take a test at a pharmacy and they will automatically send it to my work… I have to get tested before I can go to work tomorrow and if I’m positive I can’t work. The thing is, I don’t get sick pay. I don’t get PTO. I don’t get paid to be off work if I get COVID. So I’m currently living paycheck to paycheck and I can’t afford to miss a day of work much less more than a week of work. Even though I feel like DEATH I still want to go to work. Even thought I could infect others, I still want to go into work. Simply because if I don’t work I’m going to be fucked. If they didn’t automatically send the results to my work I would photoshop the results to read as negative so I could go to work. I just think it’s fucked up how I don’t get paid time off or sick pay.. I know I chose this job but it’s just crazy to me. My boyfriend also has COVID (I got it from him) but it was much worse for him because he hasn’t gotten vaccinated. He makes salary so he could be out for a few days and get paid but his boss still made him work from home. He’s still sick but his boss made him come into work today and “just make sure to wear a mask”. Idk the whole situation just makes me depressed. I can’t even recover from an illness without the stress of knowing that if I take time off work I’m not going to have enough money for bills. And it makes me sad knowing my boyfriend is at work right now feeling like shit but still having to work.