Unfortunately my mom was recently in the hospital over Christmas. Although I definitely do not recommend being in the hospital over the holidays, neither mom nor I contracted covid. The level of care was good, albeit very short staffed and with the exception of Christmas Day, very organized and clean.
You can contract covid at the hospital. Or the grocery store. Or from your well meaning relatives. Anywhere you go.
I didn’t want mom to contract covid on top of everything else. But we had no other options and could not avoid the hospital. And 2 different ED’s. And now a rehabilitation center.
I was at a friends house Monday night for probably 1/2 hour. On Wednesday she texted me she was postive for Covid. She had been fighting a sinus infection for 2 weeks so she thought it was still that , when she started a headache Sunday night.
Its friday night and I still feel ok. Fingers crossed. Also her husband and son have still tested negative.
My 91 year old mother tested positive yesterday. While she doesn’t go to a ton of places, and when she is out, she does wear a mask, it got to her. It doesn’t matter where she got it, I think it was at a gathering for my brother’s birthday on Saturday. He was positive about 7 days prior, but was sick for a few day before that, just never got around to test! While he wore a mask for most of the party (it was a lunch at his daughter’s house,) he did take it off to eat. I actually wouldn’t let mom sit at the same table with him; a lot of good that did!
I don’t know if others have had similar symptoms, but she is complaining about feeling like a limp rag. She says she can’t walk far without her legs feeling heavy. She had a very mild cough for a couple of days, but does that with her allergies and asthma. No fever and felt better Thursday compared to Wednesday, and better today. I am going to chalk up her symptoms to age, and hope she is on the mend. Due to her kidney issues that I mention above, she can not take Paxlovid; she is just winging it.
@ucbalumnus Who knows! When I asked his daughter why they were still having the party, the answer I got was, “Oh, he is fine, and it has been long enough.” Mom though about not going, but in the end decided she wanted to be there. We were in a big area, with high ceilings, but all it takes is one person to expose you.
I hope I am not mistaken in thinking if her breathing is good, she should be ok. If she mentions at any time that her breathing is any worst that it is with her asthma, I will get a pulse ox to her.
I have to say, lately everyone I have heard that has gotten Covid all had mild cases, including my husband and I. That said, I don’t know many 90+ year olds that have had Covid.
Obviously, it would have been safer to test before the event to make sure, since the timing of the end of potential contagiousness is not predictable, and does not necessarily match when symptoms go away.
@snowball my almost 88 y/o father just had covid last week. He did take Paxlovid though. My mother is 81 and tested positive a couple days after he did. She did not take Paxlovid. She had head congestion severe enough to cause a bad headache, and was very tired for several days, sleeping quite a bit. It never went into her chest - she did not have the dry hacking cough my father did. I was upset she would not consult her doctor about Paxlovid (b/c of the holiday weekend). My brother did not help matters when he told my mother his 99 y/o friend had a mild bout with covid and did not take Paxlovid either.
I have a good friend who caught MRSA due to a hospital visit. It was just one thing after another after that. Eventually she died of one of them many issues she was dealing with.
And for what it’s worth, I do understand that hospitals are severely understaffed, especially recently. That was a major issue with a nurses’ strike here in the NYC area.
Just found out from my mother that she was not the only one at the lunch that got Covid! She said there were 4 or 5 others. Whether everyone got it from my brother, or someone else was the spreader, we will never know.
I am mad at myself for letting my mother go, but know she really wanted to be there for her son’s 70th birthday. Assuming she continues to feel better, and has no long term problems, I won’t stay mad at my niece for going ahead with the lunch! I had told her several days before, when she rescheduled from the previous week, that it was not a good idea, but she did what she wanted. All guest were aware he had Covid, which is why the party was cancelled the week before, so anyone that didn’t want to attend could decline.
I had lunch with my daughter on Tuesday, so five days ago. We were in the car together for 30 minutes. I hugged her and even took a sip of water from her glass when mine ran out. She tested positive later that day. Her symptoms haven’t been bad - she’s fully boosted.
So far, I haven’t felt a thing. I’m trying to stay home as much as possible.
Have you tested??? That’s the thing. Some people really won’t feel a thing. Yet they are carrying the virus. I would think 5 days out now would be a good time to check in with a test - and then know hopefully that you’re negative!
Looks like a flu model (get a booster in the fall, just before everyone goes indoors for the winter), although:
SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 mutates faster than flu virus, so the seasonal vaccine is more likely to be few mutations behind later in the winter.
COVID-19 vaccines theoretically do not require as much lead time as egg-grown flu vaccines, so the decision of what variants to include in the seasonal vaccine can be made later than for flu vaccines.
I just tested this morning and I am finally negative 10 days after I first tested positive (1/13). My symptoms were mild and I only felt really bad the day I tested positive. H never tested positive.
I had Covid first week of January for the first time I know of. Dark positive line appeared quickly on Day 1 (day after first symptoms) and still on Day 5, very faint line on Day 8 and no line on Day 10. Mild symptoms for about 5 days - sinus and chest congestion, low fever (didn’t break 100 but my usual temperature is about 97.5) and tired. Then I felt better.
Two days before my symptoms began I traveled 7 hours in a car with H and 2 Ss. The night between Day 0 and Day 1 (when I thought it was usual allergies) I slept in the same bed as H in a room with the door closed all night. Neither H nor either of the Ss tested positive (they tested every couple of days over the next 10 days).
If you previously checked At-Home OTC COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests | FDA to see if your rapid antigen tests expire later than the date on the box, and they are nearing the new expiration date, then you may want to check again, because some of the expiration dates may have been extended again.
I wonder how many people are concerned about being contagious. Most have abandoned masking, so I hardly think they care if they get and then spread covid-19. Some of the nonmaskers might care if they spread to (particularly vulnerable loved ones), but the general public? Nope. All the CDC’s guidelines re isolation and testing and masking for an additional 5 days, etc. are public health theatre.
I don’t think they are theater, because they actually do work. To me, theater is guidelines that make you feel like something helps, but it doesn’t really.
But they are often irrelevant because not enough people follow them. Certainly following them oneself cuts down on getting it, and cuts down on spreading it, if you do.
I had told her several days before, when she rescheduled from the previous week, that it was not a good idea, but she did what she wanted. All guest were aware he had Covid, which is why the party was cancelled the week before, so anyone that didn’t want to attend could decline.