My husband and I have not had any covid symptoms, and I feel pretty confident that we have not had asymptomatic cases as I was a covid tester during the first year, so tested myself twice a week when I was there, and then once OTC tests became readily available in September of 2021, I tested at least once a week before going to visit my mom. My husband also frequently tested, I think he has hypochondriac tendencies, so tests if he feels a breeze across his cheek and certainly every time he hears anyone he knows and may have passed by came down with covid or whatever, LOL. We have been exposed more seriously several times (co-workers who were in close proximity, dinner mates, etc), and took several daysâ worth of tests afterwards to ensure. Anyway, between our frequent testing and utter lack of symptoms, it seems to me that we have not had the virus.
We both have had all our eligible shots, including our 5th ones in December that were the bivalent ones.
The first year we were reasonably cautious, but I have not worn a mask anywhere it is not required or requested in about 2 years (since our first vaccine). We are very social and are constantly among people, and pretty much no one we know wears masks in the past 2 years (except medical settings, etc).
I donât know why we havenât gotten it. Iâm sure the vaccines helped, although I know thatâs not foolproof. And we were pretty cautious prior to vaccines being available. Very glad that we havenât gotten it, and Iâm also glad that weâve enjoyed the past few years without limiting ourselves socially, travel-wise, or by wearing masks (which I donât enjoy), as it turns out we didnât need to. I know we still could get it, but as the years have passed and everyone I know who is of similar age/health-status as me who has gotten covid has fully recovered without complaints of lingering issues, I am definitely far less fearful of it than I used to be. Still donât want it, though!!
Thanks, I have been diligently trying to find and follow any research on the topic, also. There are several reports that discuss the effects of long covid, but the context doesnât indicate that those with any continuing symptoms are still testing positive after all that time.
I have been fully vaccinated and double boosted, but have not been able to take the newest booster because of the continuing positive tests. My symptoms have always been mildârunny nose and congestion, with occasional periods of loss of smell and taste. I had avoided covid until that one event during the summer, and have been very careful especially since I have family members who are immune compromised.
There should be different guidance for those who are contagious and not contagious, even with a positive home test. The CDC guidelines, my state guidelines, and my doctor say I shouldnât be too worried after the 5/5 isolation and masking/distancing guidelines.
I suspect there is not, at this time, a way to determine if a person is contagious, so I still am concerned.
(I did have a negative PCR test shortly after a positive antigen test during one of my bouts.)
My family of 5 had escaped unscathed until recently. Youngest daughter still Covid-free. Oldest went to France & got it. Son started college & got it. Husband took the DC Metro & got it. I take RA meds that suppress my immune system and finally got it in December. It wiped me out. 10 days out of work and I still feel off. I still have a cough too. Weâre all vaccinated but not every booster after.
Statistically speaking yes, but itâs pretty sad when an unlucky kid gets severe or long covid. My daughterâs friend got it as a 7th grader, missed almost all of 8th grade and now in 9th grade is still not 100% better.
My 85-year-old mother refused the vaccines and masking from the get-go and didnât alter her active life one iota. For her, the pandemic didnât happen. Iâm unaware that she got any type of illness from then until now, and she lives near us and we talk regularly. However she dodged symptomatic illness just proves to her how overblown the whole thing was. Very frustrating.
Almost everything Iâve seen is that PCR accuracy enhances identifying covid positivity after a negative antigen test, rather than the other way around. I was happy with the result, though, at the time.
Iâve have heard of two cases like mine, but they were âanecdata,â not scientific reports.
Had it moderately bad in November 2020 before vaccines were out. Did not need to be hospitalized but did need work ups for blood clots (I have had one before).
Vaxxed. Then got Covid again January of 2022.
I still have issues breathing. I have activity intolerance. I have put on weight. My brain is a mess. Im now on multiple meds. No fun.
A test is a test. There is no magic order. PCR is more sensitive than antigen; it has fewer false positives and false negatives. But, PCR is so sensitive, it can detect covid in someone who had it many days ago. That is why health care providers ask about symptoms. If you have a bunch of symptoms, and the PCR is negative, the odds are no covid. If you want to really confirm, get another PCR a few days later.
(Thatâs what I did when I had a really bad viral infection â was ill for 2+ weeks with severe symptoms and got three rapid PCR tests during that time â all negative. The odds of that happening and having been sick with covid are less than winning the lottery.)
My darling teacher H brought it home from his elementary school middle/end of January '23. He didnât even sniffle. Just cleared his throat more often. Me? Not so lucky. I was lucky it didnât affect my lungs or my energy level. My heart was the most freaky to me. My resting HR is usually in the 50s. When I get sick like the flu/strep, it goes to ~80. With covid, it was racing 100-120 for about 3 days. My oxygen was always 98-100 though.
I didnât have much congestion in my sinuses. No, with me it went to my voice box. I lost my voice for 10 days. I coughed a lot trying to clear it, and then Iâd go into a coughing fit and I seemed to have strained something in my rib cage, which is still aggravating me.
I didnât completely lose my sense of smell, but it was not very good. And even now, I just donât smell things I should. Just this weekend, H was remarking how good a place smelled like potpourri. I smelled nothing. But other smells seem fine. Older Sâ GF had covid before she could get the vaccine in Jan '21 and has noticed the same thing.
I also had a terrible time with my face/body swelling. That took weeks to go away, but it might be getting better. Iâve also been on my monthly cycle for 6 weeks now. I donât know if it will ever go away. But, Iâm pretty sure the covid vaxâs also did a number on me as well. My issues drove me to the doctor a year ago and once cancer was ruled out, the doctor thought the vaxâs could have very well been the cause. But, things had been getting better until I went through another series of vaxâs last fall (covid,shingles, Tdap, flu), but still werenât that weird until covid hit. And now Iâm all whacked again⊠But I know life could be worse, since my lungs/energy level seem great.
Wife and daughter both had it once (different times), in both cases after letting oneâs guard down for a moment in a social/workplace setting. Fortunately, both were mild.
Coincidentally, my daughter was hands-on with CoVid patients extensively, especially during the initial stages of the pandemic, even before there were vaccines, and all that time had escaped infection. It wasnât until long after in-person classes returned, that almost two years later it finally caught up with her.
For myself, before each one had become symptomatic, I had spent time directly next to each, indoors, the day prior, for half a day - yet did not catch it.
We all are fully vaccinated/boosted. We do eat in restaurants on a regular basis, but for other public indoor settings and public transportation, I do wear an N95. (Yes, not getting colds/flu was an added benefit.)
My son and DiL have not had COVID â he is on immune suppressing meds and they have been quite careful, and their friends have been diligent in testing before they do anything together, which is always in a small restricted group. DH and I only caught covid two months ago, when he brought it home from work after someone was "sure " their cold was just a cold, and it wasnât. Our oldest and his SO have never had COVID. Our household practiced prevention long before covid came along so I think those habits have helped. and just dumb luck. We still donât do restaurants, indoor gatherings, and I wear a mask inside stores like a grocery store.
Both our kids have been to small weddings in 2022 where test kits were sent with the invites.
Dear friend of ours over 60 had covid and now has been diagnosed with myasthemia gravis, which his doctors believe was triggered by the covid.
My 90yr old mom has stayed covid free. My dad, we are pretty sure, had covid at some point in 2019 but testing was not very available where/when he was sick.
I am continuously baffled by the sweeping ignoring of the inconvenient truth that covid can be life-altering.
I know two handfuls of people in their 40s to 60s who within the last year, and within 6 months of having had covid, had strokes and heart attacks with no known previous history. One person I know recently died suddenly of an enlarged heart that she had never before been known to have. Given that cardiologists have been bracing for an onslaught of cardiovascular fallout from covid, I am very suspicious of all these events.
DH and I (both fully vaxxed and boosted) had it in Jan â21 and Jan â22. He travels quite frequently for business so it has been hard for him to avoid. Both times I was in a car with him for an extended time a day before he experienced symptoms. He had mild cold symptoms both times, however I was very ill. The second time my Dr. prescribed Paxlovid, which definitely shortened the length of illness. I have have had, what I would describe as, 2 smaller flare ups since being sick. I get Covid symptoms that last for 2 or 3 days. Has anyone experienced this? I am wondering if itâs just bad luck that I keep getting sick or if it is actually related to the Covid I had in Jan. I do not work and am not around a lot of people, so itâs hard to believe I keep randomly catching things.
Very frustrating.