I got the Covid-19 virus last week, seven days ago.

I thought I might be interesting to share with you my experience and my thoughts, given what I have gone through.  So, here goes.

i was fully vaccinated and had received the booster too, and yet, I still got it.  that tells me that the Omicron variant is extremely contagious.  I believe that I got it at a family holiday function where everyone was vaccinated.  80% of the people at the gathering got the virus.

What symptoms did I have the first day that I felt bad?   A fever, aches and pains, running nose, and a shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing.  Others have had a headache.  I did not.  Others have lost their sense of smell and taste.  I did not.

How bad did I feel the first day of symptoms?  I did not feel great, but I was not violently ill by any means. I was sluggish, and tired.  But never bad enough to lay down in bed during the day. Never even considered going to the doctor’s office or the hospital.  I assume that this relatively mild impact is largely due to the beneficial power of the previous vaccinations and booster shots.

What symptoms did I have after the first day?   Not many.  No fever, an occasional sneeze, a little soreness.  Nothing that two Tylenols did not fix.  I felt at about 80-90%.  Could do office work, but laid off exercise.  Got a lot of sleep and drank a lot of liquids.  And of course, served myself tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich at least once a day.  I felt a little bit better each day after day one.

How did I track my progress?  Three ways.

• One, I got an easy to use thermometer that allowed me to check my temperature at least once each day.

• Two, I was really lucky to be able to find and purchase several at home Covid rapid test kits. This test was very important initially to determine whether I had the virus. For the first few days I would take my rapid Covid test every day, and each case, I was always positive. Based on research I did, I determined that it was not worth continuing to test myself because it is likely that I will test positive for days and weeks into the future, even though presumably I will have had the virus and will not be able to transmit it.

• Three, again based upon the research that I undertook, I sought out and purchased a Pulse Oximeter which I am now using every day to test what my oxygen level is in my blood stream. This is apparently important to track in days 5-10 and perhaps beyond.  If the reading drops during this period, that is cause for concern and reason to contact your doctor.

What pills did I take?  I did get some Tylenol and took a couple a day for a day or two.  Nothing else.

What about the antiviral treatments like Remdesivir and the new, recently approved antiviral pills that can be taken at home – Pfizer’s Paxlovid and Merck’s Molnapiravir?  I did not need them, and apparently they are not available anywhere yet anyway.

Frankly, the most difficult thing that I have experienced over the last 7 days has been the CDC recommendation/requirement to isolate.  Isolation has been difficult for me at least.  First, I had to learn how to order groceries on line and then have them delivered by Door Dash or Uber Eats.  Second, I had to be with myself for 24 hours a day – no opportunity to socialize with another human being other than on the phone or via zoom or facetime.

The length of the isolation period has been 10 days until yesterday, when the CDC announced a change to 5 days if you have been vaccinated, boostered, and have no symptoms.  It was fascinating to research the issue of how much time the isolation period should be.  Many scientists and public health officials, not to mention essential service industries and employers, have been arguing for a 5 day isolation period, and, yesterday, the CDC finally responded to that demand.

For me, today, day 7, is the first day that I am not in isolation.  What a treat.  I am still going to wear my mask whenever I am in contact with other people when I am indoors.

Another issue that has intrigued me is how Covid data is being accumulated.  For example, everyday we see the reports on the number of Covid deaths, hospitalizations and “new cases” of the virus.  But what I don’t understand is how they get the number of “new cases”.  I believe, based upon my experience, that the official number reported in the press is way, way undercounted from what is really happening.  The reason being that, if my case is any example, I never went into a hospital, never reported my Covid infection to the public health department.  How would anyone know that I have the virus?

finally, the good news.  after 2 vaccination shots, 1 booster shot, and after having contracted the virus, presumably i am impenetrable for at least a few months.  no Covid virus is going to be able to invade my body for a while.  that is the good news.

This is just one person’s experience with the virus.  I hope this is somehow helpful to others.