Vaccine reluctance & General COVID Discussion

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8644

Definitely like a detective game!

Because I live a simple life, it’s easy to know when and how I got infected with anything. Twice since the start of the pandemic, we got sneezed on by someone sitting behind us in church Sunday morning and on Tuesday, at least two of us showed symptoms. With repeated testing there was no positive tests between us, so no covid.

With Delta, my husband was likely exposed again on Sunday and woke up Wednesday morning with a headache. I was not with him so I was in the clear; with Omicron it seems like may have been another Sunday exposure because symptoms started Tuesday afternoon.

My daughter had an exposure over a weekend and symptoms didn’t become clear until Thursday morning, although maybe she had some symptoms earlier and didn’t realize it.

I was exposed that Thursday morning and had a headache Saturday but it was so mild compared to my usual headaches that it didn’t occur that it could be covid. Then I woke up Sunday morning with funny body aches, again so mild I didn’t connect it with covid even though I had been exposed and was isolating. Duh. Late that afternoon I had a 100 degree fever and then it hit me that I could have it. Fever went away that night and I tested positive the next day. I could easily see how people could overlook symptoms. It just wasn’t what I expected.

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8645

I do use XLear! I read that plain saline can help too. And Listerine. There was never a run on any of these in the stores, which surprised me!

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It’s a little like getting a nose full of pool water. Feels a bit like chlorine. Not irritating after that bit of unpleasant feeling.

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Outdoor race. But those folks are almost on each others saddle they ride so close. And it’s for 250+ miles.

8648

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Study-reveals-long-COVID-risks-17200501.php

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Refers to this: Anxiety and Depression Raise the Risk for Long COVID - 23andMe Blog

Things associated with increased risk of long COVID:

  • Female (more than twice as likely) (note at the bottom says that “the study was actually based on anyone with XX chromosomes”).
  • Prior depression or anxiety (more than twice as likely).
  • Prior cardiometabolic disease (90% higher risk).
  • Prior autoimmune disease.
  • Hospitalization for COVID-19 (ten times as likely).
8650

https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-can-leave-you-infectious-after-five-or-even-10-days-11653994800

8651

The CDC’s change of isolation guidance back in early January was done for an economic reason (labor shortage) rather than a medical reason. It’s another CDC failure among many during this pandemic.

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8652

This is my 7th day after my first symptom and I am still seeing a very faint second line with the antigen test. It took my mom 10 days before she stopped seeing a second line.

8653

I had no line (after 2 days of faint lines) on the 8th day. Hope you feel well!

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Hope it is okay to post this. I have two questions about my personal situation: (1) do rapid tests detect infection in vaxxed/boosted individuals, and (2) how long after COVID can one experience onset of “long COVID” symptoms?

History (as well as I can remember it)
At the end of March I traveled for work. Six or seven days after returning I got sick. The symptoms were very much like seasonal allergies - sneezing (not coughing), congestion, and copious production of mucus - but I also experienced fatigue and ran a light fever for about a day. (I suppose I should note that I do not have seasonal allergies myself but do have plenty of experience with asthma and with a pretty serious cat allergy.)

I took a rapid COVID test the day of symptom onset and got a negative result. I chalked it up to new seasonal allergies, started taking Zyrtec, which seemed to help after a couple of days, but my asthma became uncontrolled and I made an appointment with the allergist for end of April.

Seven days after my symptoms, my husband also got sick, which made us suspicious. He took two rapid COVID tests, one on the day of symptom onset and another three days later. Both produced negative results. He had the same symptoms as I did, but his fever and fatigue lasted several days. By this time I had learned there was a bad cold going around and wondered if maybe this is what we had.

My daughter got sick about three days after my husband. She took a rapid COVID test that day (the day of my husband’s second test) and the result was negative. Same symptoms, she had the fatigue and fever for about two days.

At the end of April, my allergist appointment confirmed that I am allergic to cats and nothing else. I was put back on maintenance medication for the first time in many years.

This past weekend we had company over for the entire weekend. Everyone rapid tested before arrival and got negative results. On Saturday, I cut up half a watermelon for us and it tasted fine. On Sunday, I cut up the other half of the watermelon and it smelled fine but tasted AWFUL - but only to me. Everyone else said it was fine. Also tasting awful, but only to me: cilantro, canned mandarin oranges, electrolyte drink, and raspberries.

Good luck trying to find a PCR test on the Sunday before Memorial Day. I took another rapid test (while questioning what good it would do) and of course got a negative result. One of our guests told me that his doctor said the rapid tests do not work if one is vaxxed and boosted. I have never heard this.

I have no other symptoms. I’m waiting to see if maybe I had an asymptomatic infection over the weekend, and whether I got any of my company sick, but now wondering if maybe the early April illness was COVID and this is some sort of delayed aftereffect?

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Not true. I know several people, including my 17 y/o and my brother, both of whom are vaxed and have had one booster, who just recently tested positive for Covid using a rapid test. In my D’s case, she tested positive using a Binax now kit - once on 2nd day of symptoms and again on day 7, which was four-five days days after her symptoms were completely gone. Her only symptoms were a stuffy nose and very mild scratchy throat for two days.

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8656

My vaccinated and once boosted husband has two positive rapid tests…so yes…these tests do test positive for folks who have COVID. Just to be sure, DH also had a PCR test, also positive. Very mild symptoms for only a few days. Honestly thought he had a cold.

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8657

Yes, absolutely. Have been to a health center several times in the past few months and every time they have given me a rapid PCR test after I told them I was fully vexed adn boosted.

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H, D2 and myself who are all vaxed and boosted once tested positive on home tests early this year when we had Covid.

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8659

Thanks everyone! I’ll let my friend know there’s more to the story than what his doctor told him.

I’m still a little mystified by the taste symptoms I’m experiencing, however it occurred to me that it’s no longer the Sunday before Memorial Day and I could go get tested today. I’m off to do that.

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8660

@stringbird They can work, but not always, and not very well especially with omicron. I mentioned some time ago that I knew 8 people vax’d and boosted who recently had symptoms and were negative on the rapid but positive on the PCR. And most recently my sister caught it over the weekend. It took over 48 hours of symptoms and 3 rapid covid tests (one per day) to finally show up positive.

So bottom line, if you just did one rapid test, you really don’t know if it’s positive or not. A positive rapid test pretty much means it IS covid, but a negative test, especially with symptoms still might be covid.

I hope your symptoms go away.

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Yes, this. It has nothing to do with being vaxxed or not. Omicron is not being picked up as often on the home tests. I know several people who tested negative one or more times on rapid tests before getting a positive PCR.

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Some researchers (e.g. Michael Mina) are saying that vaccinated people who get COVID-19 sometimes do show symptoms before an infection becomes detectable by rapid test: You can have COVID symptoms and get negative on a rapid test. Here's why.

Mina posted this image:

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8663

My daughter has been sick since Saturday; sore throat, earache, stuffy nose and extreme fatigue, but no fever. Did home test Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, all negative. Was going to her PCP yesterday, but didn’t have the energy to drive, so cancelled. Was able to get up and dress this morning, so going for a PCR. She said she is still weak, but more awake/alert.

While she may just have a bug brought home from her daughter’s daycare, neither her husband or toddler are sick. She goes nowhere unmasked, and the only place she has been in the past few weeks is to the grocery store and daycare for pickup and drop off. She said if this isn’t Covid, she would hate to see how she would feel if she got it! Oh, and she is vax and 1 booster.