I have been feeling very good, after a terrible terrible year of Covid/long Covid.
But now: sudden-onset arthritis. Terrible joint pain, ugh, ugh, ugh.
D, SIL and baby was driving from LA area to San Diego to see her brother and family. En route, she got a text. S and DIL both tested positive.
S and DIL had gone on a 4th of July trip with her parents, stayed in a resort hotel setting, and her dad got sick. Never tested positive, but it sure looked like COVID. They were somehow able to get Paxlovid online and give it to her dad regardless, who smokes. (I was shocked) Next, my S and grandson got sick, very mildly. DIL is sicker, and her mom, very few symptoms. They tested because my D and family were visiting, if staying elsewhere.
So they masked, met outside, distanced and I sure hope my Ds family doesnāt get sick. They live on opposite coasts, so itās a rare opportunity. This is the first positive test for S and DIL. All fully vaxed.
Iāve had it twice. From the stories I hear, most people seem to get it from plane trips and family gatherings. Or academic gatherings and other meetings with folks in the same room for a number of hours. It would be interesting to see what contact tracing might show these days, though of course it is not being done.
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Any possibility of an undetected tick bite leading to Lyme? Unlikely in NYC but if youāve traveled out of the city?
The last hiking I did was at least a year ago. I really donāt think so.
With no mitigation (i.e. you do indoor activities and other exposures like pre-2020), you can expect to be exposed more than once per year. However, whether you actually get COVID-19 and how severe may be likely depends on the strength of your immune response (from your historical infections and vaccinations) against any new exposure. It also likely has some dependence on how close your historical infections and vaccinations are to the exposing variant. Of course, volume of virus likely matters ā hours of close contact indoors is more risky than passing contact outdoors.
Because there are individual variations in immune response, it is not assured that two people with the same historical infections and vaccinations will have an equal immune response to the same exposure.
I know a lot of people who have gotten COVID-19, but none have mentioned getting it more than once. Those who got the ancestral virus before vaccines were somewhat likely to have miserable sickness or some sort of medium or long COVID. Some who got it after initial vaccination (Delta or Omicron) had miserable sickness, but I have not heard of any obvious long COVID. I know many who got it after boosters (Omicron), but have only heard of mild sickness and no obvious long COVID.
Of course, there is a possibility of stealth long COVID effects that may not be individually provable or disprovable as effects of COVID-19 (e.g. new type 2 diabetes or increasing severity of existing type 2 diabetes).
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I know one unvaccinated person who got it three times and two double jabbed who got it twice
Well, Iāve had 6 covid shots and tested positive last night. I had been wearing high quality masks most time indoors except while eating. Iām on paxlovid because I am high risk due to health issues and age. 
Sadly 1st 2 doses wouldnāt stay down due to severe nausea so am trying to see whether my internist will prescribe me more doses. At least the 3rd dose stayed after drinking sone ginger sweetened beverage that D made before she took to her bed.
I know a lot of vaccinated people who have had Covid more than once.
We know vaccinations donāt totally prevent Covid. They keep people out of hospitals and prevent them from dying of it.
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You have been so cautious but you know, sometimes itās clear we just canāt beat it no matter all the precautions! Please let us know how you are doing when you can.
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H and I have never tested positive for COVID and have 5 vacs each (right? I think 5!)
But I have to wonder if we had a silent case at some point. In fact, H has been under the weather for 5 weeks - just finally showing some good improvement the last few days after 3 trips to see the doc. He tested negative at home 3x for COVID, but I swear itās what he had. Upper respiratory issues, lots of fatigue, no pain but ACHY all over, brain fog, taste/smell alteration. Just so classic symptoms. He had a chest x-ray, CT scan, mono test, blood workā¦all negative. Finally seeing some relieve with antibiotics, prednisone, and an inhaler. Urgent care doesnāt stock antibody tests anymore.
I hope we are seeing the end of it. Docs kept just calling it āviral infectionā. Maybe so. I never came down with anything but of note is that early on when he developed symptoms I went away for a few days so may have missed the contagious time.
Since you are so careful, do you have any ideas where you might have caught it. ?
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Oh no, so sorry to hear that.
Iāve had three shots and have had Covid twice. So has my husband and 18yr old daughter. First time was a typical case for all of us, a few days of a flu-like virus with a low grade fever, lingering tiredness and blocked ears. Second time was very mild, honestly I wouldnāt have even thought to test had my husband not known that he was exposed. It was a stuffy head and sore throat. My husband continued to work (remotely) and I just stayed home but felt pretty good. Our son (16) had a very mild case the first time and did not catch it from us all the second time, even though we did not mask or isolate in our house.
Weāre not planning on getting any more boosters at this point. Weāre in our 40s and very healthy and I think the jury is still out on more boosters=more immunity.
Iāve had all of my vaccines and boosters and I have had it twice. January 2022 both H and I came down with Omicron and were better within 36 hours. Second time for me was January 2023 and I came down with what I thought was a sudden cold, but tested positive. I was better in 24 hours although still testing positive for 10 days. I did not take Paxlovid last January and recovered fine (62 years old, no underlying conditions).
Three (or more) vaccines + infection is probably good protection for most against severe consequences. Beyond that, a booster or infection is likely protective against infection with the same variant or a very similar one*, but not so much against one that has mutated away from a close match to your antibodies.
*Remember how the original mRNA vaccine trials found a 94% or so effectiveness against the original virus? The vaccines worked very well against the original virus and closely related ones like the Alpha variant, but different enough variants like Delta and various Omicrons could evade the antibodies matched against the original virus. The Omicrons seem to be mutating quickly, with antibodies from infections and boosters causing selective pressure to mutate to evade them.
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Believe I could have gotten covid at my Board meeting on Thursday, as several attendees treat sick patients and work in clinics. Itās hard to know. Iām just glad iām just mostly tired and somewhat nauseous. The headache is finally abating.
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I have had all my boosters & had mild Covid last summer. I am convinced that I also had Covid in February/March 2000, although thereās no way to know for sure ā¦ but I was quite sick with whatever I had. Iām thinking of Covid the way I do flu. Iāll get my annual shot if thatās what is recommended. I used to skip my flu shot when I was younger, but as I age, I realize that I can use the extra protection.
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With deer having turned into a āsuburban pestā in many areas, there are definitely chances of picking up a disease-carrying tick while doing yard work, or even at a local park.
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