Well after nearly 2 years of unprecedented luck and precaution, COVID finally hit the Most house this weekend. Boring timeline & details of personal woe below: Christmas: The Most family visits Texas for the Holidays Dec 26: Most family leaves Texas. Mr. and Mrs. Most not feeling great but attributes the problem to extended family's shedding dog and the insane climate difference between TX and DC at the time (40~ degrees and 30% humidity delta) which always triggers problems. Dec 27-30: Mrs. Most rebounds immediately, Donny descends into hell. Symptoms only include stuffy nose, sinus pressure/headache, and itchy watery eyes. Donny is unable to procure COVID test (next available one is over a week later so what's the point). Dec 31: Donny finally feels better and is on the mend. Donny Jr is given a PCR test that was scheduled weeks in advance due to travel to be allowed to return to daycare (its negative). Jan 3: Mrs. Most starts feeling unwell. Scratchy throat, runny nose, fatigue. Someone who a few days later tests positive for COVID is in our home for about an hour. Jan 6: Mrs. Most is now in the throws of illness. Horrid dry cough, achy, tired, chills, sinus' going haywire. Donny attempts to schedule COVID test only to find the next available slot is January 17th. Jan 8: We get a hot tip that our local Walgreens got a shipment of OTC Covid tests. Donny treks out into the snow and buys some. Mrs. Most pops a positive result. Despair. Anyone know how to keep a toddler entertained at home by yourself for 3 weeks in a row? Pls thnx The test shortage is beyond frustrating. How are we supposed to slow the spread if we can't even know if we have the virus or not? Blargh.
lab error from the source: https://cyprus-mail.com/2022/01/09/...ntamination-imperial-college-virologist-says/ A researcher at Imperial College in London, which has driven much of the UK’s response to the Covid pandemic, says the ‘Deltacron’ variant Cyprus may have discovered “looks to be quite clearly contamination”.
Sorry to hear that Donny and hope the Most household recovers soon. The test shortage is another example of how the US is still dropping the ball on COVID and this one is on the current Administration. I just brought back 20 rapid test from Singapore and Amsterdam and my mom is mailing me 20 more. In both places I could find the tests readily at grocery stores and their equivalent of Walgreens. I've already got several friends who are asking for them.
Sorry to hear all of that. I recently spent a cumulative 5 hours or so, over the course of three days, in a small room with a coworker who tested positive. She had very few symptoms. I few days later, I had bad allergies or felt like I had a minor sinus infection. Tested negative. Still feel those same symptoms, but I often have bad allergies. Just crazy how some can be exposed so long and test negative and others test positive over a slight exposure. I've been lucky. Had a few close, lengthy exposures (2 or 3), but have always tested negative.
Luck certainly plays a large role in infection and there are too many variables in saying who does get infected or who doesn't. This is all about reducing the odds of infection as there is no 100% guarantee other than complete isolation form other humans, to keep from getting infected.
My wife is blaming me for the covid infection, but I didn't really feel like my symptoms were very covid like (seasonal climate allergy sinus crap yes, covid no). What's even stranger to me is that she and I were in 100% similar situations all during our trip to Texas. Zero time apart. Same exposures. Could it be that I got my symptoms only a few days after exposure, whereas she got hers 10+ days later?
That's very unlikely though not impossible. Typically symptoms show up within the first few days but it is possible that you guys didn't get infected at the same time despite being in similar situations. Also, at this point it's almost impossible to say what "covid-like" symptoms are anymore. Some only experience symptoms similar to the "sniffles" or a minor cold, to others it's closer to flu like symptoms, to some their whole system freaks out and they end up in the hospital. Fortunately with the most recent variants the symptoms are getting more and more mild. Preliminary estimates suggest that the Omicron variant most likely has a case fatality rate lower than you find with typical seasonal influenza outbreaks. That's pretty much a win-win situation. People catch it, easily deal with it, and end up gaining some natural immunity to COVID.
That is a bit strange. Can't completely rule out that she got covid more recently (and yall actually didn't get covid before her).
Incredibly frustrating. Current administration got so damn focus on vaccines, including boosters, they completely forgot about freaking testing. Hope you and your family start feeling better soon.
Any tips on getting your hands on those at home rapid tests? I have a buddy who works for Abbot and he shipped me several boxes, but I'd like to be able to just find some locally here in Houston if possible. I was hoping by mid January, the testing situation will be better but seems like it's still a pain in the ass....
I heard late Jan to early Feb and the priority will be for health care workers and schools. General availability (@ local stores) probably will be limited still.
I think the top correctable failure since day 1 of this pandemic is the lack of testing for public health. There are many reasons for it, but you can definitely blame leadership for not pushing.
