its january now but the problems of 2020 have followed melanie adams into the new year last march adams was working in the only grocery store in missouri valley iowa a town with fewer than 3000 people adams 28 said it was a place where you know everybody and everybody knows you but she said as news of the novel coronavirus swept across the nation her fellow townspeople did not take the virus seriously you wouldnt even be able to tell that that there was a coronavirus going around because nobody seemed to care adams told abc news people would get up in your face people would not wash their hands more coronavirus live updates covid19 deaths top 2 million worldwide adams soon quit her job because she was scared of contracting the virus and began to fall behind on her bills by december more than 101 million households in the united states were behind on rent including more than 61000 in iowa according to a survey by the us census bureau last summer the aspen institute estimated that 3040 million were at risk of eviction adams was one of them and experts say her case highlights the housing struggle that many americans have faced under the pandemic they also fear that the expiration of protection may force many tenants facing eviction to leave their apartments to avoid negative consequences of being removed everything changed after a few months of searching adams found a telecommunications job where she could work from home she said she loved it but in october everything changed at first i thought it was like the flu adams said i thought ok im a little under the weather ill be fine in a few days missouri valley iowa city hall stands on east erie st in a 2016 image melanie adams 28 contracted the coronavirus in october she became so sick she had to take show more google maps a few days turned into weeks after initially testing negative for covid she said her doctors prescribed her antibiotics but they didnt work then they thought it was a nasal infection it wasnt that either and she said she was never retested for covid she said there were days when she couldnt drag herself out of bed she had aches and pains vomiting a fever and chills i ended up going into the er because one night one day i just could not breathe adams said my chest hurt so bad finally she requested that she be tested for covid19 antibodies the test came back positive to this day adams said she still cant taste or smell anything more photos document us eviction crisis as families struggle during the pandemic while she was sick she had to take voluntary time off from her telecommunications job which was unpaid she fell behind on her 500 monthly rent by 2000 facing eviction the eviction moratorium included in last springs cares act expired in july and a new moratorium issued