Anyone actually had COVID?

RE: Anyone actually had COVID?

Gillian Mostyn — Sun, 14 Jun 2020 21:47:44 GMT

https://twitter.com/BBCBreakfast/status/1267725890789638144?s=09

RE: Anyone actually had COVID?

Shazzarazza — Wed, 03 Jun 2020 13:31:35 GMT

Oh Gillian, so sorry for your friend - we have a similar situation with one of our lady friends (vet receptionist) - her husband died very quickly. He was tired during the afternoon, went to bed early. She called the ambulance in the middle of the night as his breathing was awful. He got carted off and she never saw him again. He died within 2 days. We are trying to help as much as we can, but as you say, she is still wading through it .. and it is so hard :( I wish I had something to help both ladies. ,Hugs to you and your friend.

Unfortunately, we are in the North-East (yes close to Barnard Castle, or Castle Barnard as it has been so delightfully rechristened by the press!). From watching the maps we think he was the first death in our area but there are many more now :(.

RE: Anyone actually had COVID?

Michael Woodhouse — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 15:36:51 GMT

Also bear in mind with a test as sensitive as the PCR, the presence of the infectious agent at the molecular level doesn't necessarily equal infection. If 100 of us submitted a urine culture, some of them would grow bacteria, but none of us has a UTI.

RE: Anyone actually had COVID?

Alastair Welch — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 15:31:27 GMT

Classically we understand that if you get the infection then you mount an immune response and this is measurable by circulating IG. I think the point they were making was that some people may be reservoirs of the virus, be asymptomatic and not mount a (measurable) AB response. If the disease can pass through some individuals and at the far side we cannot tell that they have had it then who knows where we are.

RE: Anyone actually had COVID?

Iain Richards — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 15:04:49 GMT

Odd if she was PCR +ve, but Ab negative. The PCR is highly specific, so no/few false +ve. Sensitivity is lower, but that's sampling errors/issues. AB is more variable - just like the Guardian!

RE: Anyone actually had COVID?

Alastair Welch — Sun, 31 May 2020 16:14:00 GMT

Iain,

I read in the paper (admittedly it was the Guardian, so who knows), about a couple: He was severely ill including in intensive care with Covid, she was repeatedly PCR +ve whilst remaining entirely asymptomatic, the kicker being that whilst he was strong positive on serology she remains negative despite. It would appear that you can not only be an asymptotic carrier (and presumably shedder) but you won't know if you had it in the first place.

RE: Anyone actually had COVID?

Iain Richards — Sun, 31 May 2020 14:54:56 GMT

My wife had it (+ve PCR). I've been symptom free. Hoping to scrounge and antibody test to see if a) I was asymptomatic b) our biosecurity worked. I'm hoping for a)

RE: Anyone actually had COVID?

Gillian Mostyn — Sat, 30 May 2020 08:38:17 GMT

My local GP, in his 60s, still working, died.

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/18424819.tributes-popular-ramsbottom-gp-suspected-coronavirus-death/

RE: Anyone actually had COVID?

Clive Ansell — Sat, 30 May 2020 08:30:23 GMT

I personally know of 4 people who have died. one was my partners sister in laws father. He was in his 90's and healthy for age leading a fulfilled life. Admitted to hospital, tested positive and palliative care only (left to die) with none of his family with him. The other 3 were outwardly healthy folk of working age. Scary

I am the first to admit that I was very blase in the beginning and even joked that I would host C19 parties to catch and get over the thing. However, when healthy folk that you know start dying it tends to make you sit up and listen pretty damned quickly. Scary, very scary.

Although I have tested positive for antibody, my partner has not. Will continue the lockdown for now.

RE: Anyone actually had COVID?

Gillian Mostyn — Sat, 30 May 2020 06:18:54 GMT

A friend (another vet, same age) and her husband both got it. She was very poorly indeed but remained at home alone with her young son. Her husband (previously healthy, slightly older than us) was hospitalised, ventilated and heart breakingly died about a month after admit. She hadn't seen him in that month but was allowed to visit at the end and held him when he died. She went through hell. She is still walking through it.

I hope she wouldn't mind me posting this. She is always in my thoughts. It certainly brought it home to me not only how awful the circumstances can be around being very poorly with this virus, but also that these deaths aren't just the previously ill and elderly.

RE: Anyone actually had COVID?

Clive Ansell — Sat, 30 May 2020 06:02:56 GMT

I think so, yes.

I tested positive for Covid 19 antibody last week, as soon as the tests became available privately.

I think I was affected back in March while doing a locum away from home. Signs were non specific and vague, mainly lethargy and tiredness, felt feverish, but temperature always tested normal, headache, gut cramps, and haemorrhagic diarrhoea on one occasion only (never had before or since). I had no cold, flu of chest infection signs. I didn't take too much notice initially; I just though I had been overdoing it, I had been cycling a lot more and work was hard for that month, and I put the GI signs down to a dodgy Indian meal - I don't know whether it was C19 or not, but seems likely.

I did a DC and drove the 180 miles to my mothers home to self isolate in a self contained flat for 2 weeks. She has never caught the illness that I had.

After isolation I returned home, where I have remained in lockdown since with my partner. She was ill through April with flu signs and a nasty chest infection, but is fine and back to normal now. She has just tested negative for C19 antibody.

All of my work for April, May and June was cancelled and I have none booked at the moment. Government has just announced they will extend the self-employed scheme another 3 months. I'm in no rush to go back at all.