With only 13 active cases of Covid reported by the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) in Carroll County for the week of Thanksgiving, it seemed like a relatively safe time to be more social. I have been more careful than many in continuing to wear a mask and avoiding large indoor gatherings. I have had the first four vaccinations plus the bivalent booster. But it turns out the bivalent booster is only about 50 percent effective against a symptomatic infection.
About two months earlier I caught a virus that wasn’t even on my radar screen – Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) – that kept cycling back again and again. On day 21, I was struggling to breathe and diagnosed with pneumonia. Fortunately, I got well quickly after taking antibiotics.
On Nov. 22, I started having symptoms and tested positive for Covid. After nearly three years of dodging this virus, and being fairly isolated, I was worried about catching pneumonia again. I had watched a dear friend, who caught Covid early in the year, struggle for months without being able to shake the Covid pneumonia. She went from being an extremely active woman taking care of her house and often walking miles on our steep hills, to someone needing oxygen to breathe.
Earlier versions of the virus primarily harmed lungs. Covid today is more of a head cold and less dangerous. Still, I was mindful of my recent pneumonia and being in an age group that is considered at higher risk for complications.
The nurses at Mercy Hospital Berryville told me this current strain is fairly mild, and that most people are recovering in five to seven days. The ER doctor prescribed the antiviral Molnupiravir. The Walmart pharmacy was short-staffed and had a long line of people waiting (including a number of other patients waiting for the same type of medicine) and wasn’t able to provide curbside pickup. I was relieved to get the antiviral medicine shortly before closing time. Antivirals work best when you take them soon after getting infected.
I was sick for about two days. Days three and four I had few symptoms. The fourth day I tested negative.
Some doctors are advising that low-risk people, younger people, and those with no underlying health issues don’t need to take the antiviral. One friend younger than I was even told she might get a stronger immune response by not taking the antiviral.
For me, I see no downside to getting over this more quickly. The Covid-19 virus can linger in the body up to 90 days after you test positive, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and can cause damage to many different body organs, not just the lungs.
I wasn’t able to have Thanksgiving with my family, but I certainly had much to be grateful for. Most other colds last longer and cause more misery than I experienced with Covid. Now that I have both vaccine and natural immunity, I could be better protected for a couple of months – although both kinds of immunity wane over time.
There are concerns that China’s Zero Covid policy has led to little natural immunity from infections in China. In contrast, Harvard’s Public School of Health research estimates 94 percent of the population of the U.S. has had Covid. Professor of Medicine at UC-San Francisco Dr. Peter Chin-Hong said, “Moving forward, we are probably in the best shape that we’ve been.”
I suspect the Covid virus is prevalent in our community, but it is having to compete with colds, stomach bugs, RSV and flu. These three health threats are being referred to as a tripledemic. Healthcare facilities, including children’s hospitals, in some areas are at capacity and having difficulty finding enough workers.
This will be the most back-to-normal Christmas since Covid began. Many popular indoor gatherings are being held once again. My hope is that people will remember there are still vulnerable people around and that you can protect yourself and others by testing whenever you get symptoms, or just staying home if you are sniffling and sneezing. Local healthcare providers have tests that can detect flu, Covid, RSV and strep throat.
There are eight free Covid test kits available per month for Medicare recipients at stores like Walmart or you can have them mailed to you. One place to sign up is medicaltestingdirect.com/.