DU Poll: Have you ever had Covid (that you know of)

[Pachamama]

55. Managed to avoid it for 3 1/2 Years- until this last week

I was vigilant and careful - masked and vaxxed and boosted - took all precautions and managed to be Covid-free for the entire time. Even tested weekly without symptoms and a few times when I thought I might have been exposed would test daily - just to be sure. (Had access to tests from Germany that cost only €1 each).

But this last week I let my guard down - for the first time while traveling on airplane from California to the East Coast, I didn’t mask up. No idea where it happened - in airports? On plane? In the Uber rides? At The Whole Foods in Boston as I went to buy some groceries for myself and my kid I was visiting?

No idea where - but it finally got me. It started with a scratchy throat and dry cough. Then sore and aching muscles and joints - tested each day for 3 days - always negative. Then on Day 4 after feeling like I was hit by a truck and a night of chills and sweats alternating - I tested positive.

And I suddenly went from tasting and smelling to complete loss of both senses.

There it was - it took since it first was announced in January 2020 - finally got me.

I got Paxlovid ASAP - I have now been on it for 48 hours and I kid you not - it works fast. I went from feeling like I could barely move and the worst flu I have ever had to having energy and not coughing and also no muscle or joint pain. It does give a weird metal bitter taste in back of my mouth and throat. Just tested negative for first time in 3 days.

Don’t know how it continues from here but I feel certain that I got it because I stopped masking. And I feel grateful I didn’t get it early on and there is an antiviral like Paxlovid which didn’t exist till later on.

No idea what this current variant is - but I was vaxxed/boosted with Moderna in August - but it wasn’t the most current booster because it wasn’t available. I figured it would be better to get than not because I was headed to Europe. Now I wonder if I had gotten the new one if I would have gotten sick.

I know I’m masking up again at stores and traveling from here forward once I’m done isolating and am well.

Covid is still with us.