As I’m writing this, I’m in my third day of quarantining at home after testing positive for covid. I’m in my early seventies, type II diabetic, and overweight. In other words, I’m high risk. I’m vaxxed and twice boosted.
I wrote about my first vaccination in January, 2021 here. Three days later I was in bed with no energy for two days. All subsequent jabs were painless and with no ill effects. Nothing I’m feeling now is comparable to the effects of my first jab.
Three days ago I got back from my second bike trip of the day (I had ridden a total of 30 miles) and had been coughing intermittently and had a runny noise. I took the home test was positive. The next morning I went to a testing place not far from where I live; it was positive.
I barely have a scratchy throat. no breathing issues, no fever (last measured 97.9) still have a sense of smell, still have an appetite, now and then I have to blow my nose and cough, no headache. I was aching two days but nothing now. I’m sleeping soundly. I’ve gotten up once in each of the last three nights to go to the bathroom and then went back to sleep.
I had a zoom meeting with my family doctor who order paxlovid. My stool is a little loose. Now and then I get a metallic taste in my mouth. Nothing terrible.
If I wasn’t positive for covid, I would being going out and enjoying the lovely weather we are having in KC and having a bike ride with friends.
My spouse (vaxxed, boosted once) was negative for two days, but yesterday was positive. Our family doctor was not available. The symptoms are even more mild than mine.
We are having a nice quiet couple of days as we recover.
Of course, I’m only one example. There is, it seems, good and bad news.
The good news is the vaccinations works. I have not had to go to the hospital and there doesn’t appear to be any need for any other medical procedures. I expect to recover so I can vote on August 2nd and get to riding my bike again. (I have done over 100 miles/week for the last three years.)
The bad news is I was out and about for ten hours, interacting with friends, being symptomatic and not being aware I was endangering others. I was positive and was still able to bicycle 30 miles at my normal pace. (I let the people I biked with that day know that I was positive.)
My experience that day scares me. I now wonder how many people like me are symptomatic and still continue with their daily routine, possibly infecting others, before discovering they are positive.
With the new variant, in the last several weeks, my spouse and I have been masking, avoiding inside spaces with a lot of people. It was clearly now enough.
I offer these two recommendations:
(1) Get vaxxed and boosted. If you get covid, I hope your symptoms are as mild as mine have been.
(2) Mask everywhere you go and avoid crowded indoor places with a lot of people and/or poor ventilation.
I just ordered more free home tests the government is offering. Get them NOW.
Be safe!
What has been your experience being vaxxed, boosted, and positive?