Covid experience...

[Velocity173]

Just in the last 3 weeks probably 30% of my coworkers have gotten it. It’s spread like wildfire. My base manager has it and is in very bad shape. I’m left filling in for the time being and working overtime because the lack of pilots. We’re also flying patients to hospitals that we hardly ever go to because all the beds are full. Gone from probably 70% capacity to 100% at most hospitals in the last month. We’re tired.


https://www.npr.org/sections/health...re-disturbingly-close-to-their-breaking-point

 

[4CornerFlyer]

I personally know two people who have died from Covid-19, one a flight paramedic, the other a nurse. I know several people including three excellent physicians who required ICU care but lived. Plus several others who have been sick ranging from mild symptoms to short hospitalizations. I expect I will know about a lot more before this is over.
Jon

 

[David Megginson]

I personally know two people who have died from Covid-19, one a flight paramedic, the other a nurse. I know several people including three excellent physicians who required ICU care but lived. Plus several others who have been sick ranging from mild symptoms to short hospitalizations. I expect I will know about a lot more before this is over.
Jon

I think you will, sadly. The worst is probably still ahead of us, especially January and February. But after that, maybe, the beginning of a glimmer of hope …

 

[kmacht]

Wife is a nurse who worked in a long term care facility where it was running rampant back at the start of covid before precautions were being put in place and things like masks and gowns were either in short supply or not available at all to her. She now works for a group of doctors and regularly tests people all day every day that are suspected of covid. With all that exposure both her and I never got it or if we had it at some point we were completely asymptomatic. It just doesn’t make sense why for some it is so contagious and deadly while others seem completely immune or get very very mild symptoms. You would think there would be more answers by now as to why there are such big differences between people.

 

[catmandu]

Not at all making light of others experiences, but let me flatten the anxiety curve. Twenty or so positive tests in my immediate family and friends circle, including both my adult children, who we proximated prior to them necessitating a test, which came back positive. Asymptomatic to "bad cold for three days" amongst those positive results, no hospitalizations.

Two negative tests for M'lady and myself, so far.

Sniffles on the ski slope today were really upsetting me. But then, perspective, so I mentally shut myself up.

 

[David Megginson]

Wife is a nurse who worked in a long term care facility where it was running rampant back at the start of covid before precautions were being put in place and things like masks and gowns were either in short supply or not available at all to her. She now works for a group of doctors and regularly tests people all day every day that are suspected of covid. With all that exposure both her and I never got it or if we had it at some point we were completely asymptomatic. It just doesn’t make sense why for some it is so contagious and deadly while others seem completely immune or get very very mild symptoms. You would think there would be more answers by now as to why there are such big differences between people.

That applies to pretty-much every epidemic or pandemic in the history of medicine. When my mom was a little girl, she was pretending to get married to the little boy next door, including kissing him -- a few days later, he was in an iron lung with polio, while she was never infected.

Think of being exposed to a disease as Russian roulette -- sometimes you just end up with the loaded chamber; and if you get an empty one, it's because you were lucky, not because you did anything better than everyone else. The only intelligent choice is to try to avoid picking up the gun in the first place (e.g. do everything you can to avoid exposure).

 

[bflynn]

Were those three tested for antigens? Maybe they had it previously but were asymptomatic.

yes, they were tested for COVID first. When they didn’t have it, the doctors said “oh, you must have already had it”. 4 COVID, 4 antigen tests, all negative.

there is evidence some significant portion of the population is immune.

 

[TommyG]

Know many people that had it, it ranged mild to severe hospitalization. Know 3 people dies of it. One friend had a brother lose part of his foot after being in a coma. Another friend’s mother was in a coma woke up as a quadruple amputee. Another person has lung damage, one lost smell and taste, slowly starting to get smell back. But she says smells she used to like smell horrible now.

 

[cowman]

I know a family of 4 who were all confirmed to have had it, only symptom was one of the kids had diarrhea one night. Another family of 4, one of the adults lost their sense of taste, the other smell and hand mild cold like symptoms and totally recovered within a week. Also know an elderly couple who both had it... flu-like symptoms and temporary lost of taste. I know a few others third-hand but the stories are pretty much the same.

My two takeaways are that if one person in a household gets it, it seems like everyone does. Also that even for higher risk people the most likely outcomes range from no symptoms to flu-like symptoms. Which is pretty much what you'd expect based on what the researchers and health officials have said from the beginning.

 

[N1120A]

My friend lost his grandfather to it, nearly lost his grandmother too but she has recovered decently - other than, of course, losing her husband.

I've had friends and acquaintances who've gotten it. One acquaintance is a CFI in San Diego who was one of the early ventilated patients and he did survive and was able to get his first class medical back too. A friend in Alabama got it in late spring. Had the run of the taste and respiratory symptoms. One daughter got symptoms, 2 others tested positive, her husband never tested positive but quarantined.

My mom thinks she had it back in November/December of last year. She and my dad are super cautious, wear masks, etc. I do wonder if some of the strange distribution of this stuff is due to a fair number of people being exposed early, when it was not really on the radar but already circulating some.

I've taken 3 tests - 2 NAAT/PCR and 1 Antigen. All negative. Haven't done an antibody. Doing another NAAT to go to Hawaii in about a week. Been wearing masks since fairly early on. Limit contacts to a fairly small group of people, though not as small as maybe some folks would like. Gym is outdoors only, which is ok in CA, and I wear a mask - wish the government would follow the science on this thing.

I think you will, sadly. The worst is probably still ahead of us, especially January and February. But after that, maybe, the beginning of a glimmer of hope …

Pfizer/BioNTech just said they and will be able to assure 100 million doses administered in the US by June, which combines with Moderna to mean all 16+ year olds will have full access to one of the mRNA vaccines by then. Might dampen the impact of January and February substantially.

I just wish the federal government and Province of Ontario would get with testing over the quarantine. It would likely help decrease cases, especially if testing was required prior to departure.

 

[David Megginson]

My friend lost his grandfather to it, nearly lost his grandmother too but she has recovered decently - other than, of course, losing her husband.

I've had friends and acquaintances who've gotten it. One acquaintance is a CFI in San Diego who was one of the early ventilated patients and he did survive and was able to get his first class medical back too. A friend in Alabama got it in late spring. Had the run of the taste and respiratory symptoms. One daughter got symptoms, 2 others tested positive, her husband never tested positive but quarantined.

My mom thinks she had it back in November/December of last year. She and my dad are super cautious, wear masks, etc. I do wonder if some of the strange distribution of this stuff is due to a fair number of people being exposed early, when it was not really on the radar but already circulating some.

I've taken 3 tests - 2 NAAT/PCR and 1 Antigen. All negative. Haven't done an antibody. Doing another NAAT to go to Hawaii in about a week. Been wearing masks since fairly early on. Limit contacts to a fairly small group of people, though not as small as maybe some folks would like. Gym is outdoors only, which is ok in CA, and I wear a mask - wish the government would follow the science on this thing.



Pfizer/BioNTech just said they and will be able to assure 100 million doses administered in the US by June, which combines with Moderna to mean all 16+ year olds will have full access to one of the mRNA vaccines by then. Might dampen the impact of January and February substantially.

I just wish the federal government and Province of Ontario would get with testing over the quarantine. It would likely help decrease cases, especially if testing was required prior to departure.

One concern I have about the vaccine is how different roll-out schedules might affect my daughter. She deferred her Ph.D. at UNC Chapel Hill for a year because of the situation down there in the U.S. She can't defer again. But if UNC requires the vaccine to attend in August, and Canada hasn't made it down the list to her yet before then, we're not sure what will happen.

 

[MacFly]

Four of the Nurse Practitioners that work in my department had COVID, the most recent was about 3 weeks ago. All were back at work after 10 days, no sequellae. I've been tested 3 times. In the hospital Med/Surg unit, we've had some staffing issues but it's much more often from quarantine due to contact rather than the actual disease, and the most common contact is a family member. Surgical staffing had one low point about two weeks ago, again due to contact quarantine but is now full speed..in fact hiring of new Surgical nurses and techs at both hospitals where I work is moving at a prodigious rate. I work in surgery...we haven't restricted any surgical procedures in the last few months except that at one point we were limiting cases to 23-hour stay or less due to staffing variability. I rarely spend any time in the "yellow" zone since it's unusual that I have any patients there, so my knowledge of overall effect on the hospital is limited to what I read on the facility intranet. It seems to vary quite a bit...right now COVID census appears to be pretty low. Surgery is extremely busy since many patients aren't able to get things done at their local hospital. Surgical volume and revenue is way ahead of the previous year, despite the fact that we were "emergency surgery only" essentially shut down for 3 months of this year due to the governor's Executive Order back when preservation of PPE was an issue. I was waffling on the vaccine, and missed the first round. I've since changed my mind and am scheduled for first vaccination on Tuesday.

 

[David Megginson]

Four of the Nurse Practitioners that work in my department had COVID, the most recent was about 3 weeks ago. All were back at work after 10 days, no sequellae. I've been tested 3 times. In the hospital Med/Surg unit, we've had some staffing issues but it's much more often from quarantine due to contact rather than the actual disease, and the most common contact is a family member. Surgical staffing had one low point about two weeks ago, again due to contact quarantine but is now full speed..in fact hiring of new Surgical nurses and techs at both hospitals where I work is moving at a prodigious rate. I work in surgery...we haven't restricted any surgical procedures in the last few months except that at one point we were limiting cases to 23-hour stay or less due to staffing variability. I rarely spend any time in the "yellow" zone since it's unusual that I have any patients there, so my knowledge of overall effect on the hospital is limited to what I read on the facility intranet. It seems to vary quite a bit...right now COVID census appears to be pretty low. Surgery is extremely busy since many patients aren't able to get things done at their local hospital. Surgical volume and revenue is way ahead of the previous year, despite the fact that we were "emergency surgery only" essentially shut down for 3 months of this year due to the governor's Executive Order back when preservation of PPE was an issue. I was waffling on the vaccine, and missed the first round. I've since changed my mind and am scheduled for first vaccination on Tuesday.

We're doing well here in Ottawa, but ICUs are getting close to capacity in the Greater Toronto Area and other parts of the province. Ontario is running just under 2,500 new cases/day, which doesn't sound bad out of a population of 14.5 million (15–17 new cases per 100,000 per day) compared to many U.S. states, but it's still bad enough that the southern part of the province—where most people live—is shutting down for 4 weeks starting on Boxing Day to give the hospitals a bit of breathing space.

 

[N1120A]

One concern I have about the vaccine is how different roll-out schedules might affect my daughter. She deferred her Ph.D. at UNC Chapel Hill for a year because of the situation down there in the U.S. She can't defer again. But if UNC requires the vaccine to attend in August, and Canada hasn't made it down the list to her yet before then, we're not sure what will happen.

My bet is UNC will make it available to students through their health system. There was an article on snowbirds in Florida looking into whether they can get it earlier due to their putting extra priority on seniors.

Also, I read an article recently that said the Canadian timeline is almost certain to go faster than the original September projection, much like the US is already projecting June instead of that original September projection.

As a bit of luck, I'm in Phase 1c as a lawyer so I'll get mine probably by February or March. We'll figure out by then if my wife will get hers in Ontario or in California, based on timelines.

 

[David Megginson]

My bet is UNC will make it available to students through their health system. There was an article on snowbirds in Florida looking into whether they can get it earlier due to their putting extra priority on seniors.

Also, I read an article recently that said the Canadian timeline is almost certain to go faster than the original September projection, much like the US is already projecting June instead of that original September projection.

As a bit of luck, I'm in Phase 1c as a lawyer so I'll get mine probably by February or March. We'll figured out by then if my wife will get hers in Ontario or in California, based on timelines.

Last year, before she knew she was going to defer, she had to rush to get her Hep-B because UNC required it before enrolling. Let's hope they're more flexible this time. My backup plan is for her to move down 5 weeks early, so that she can get both jabs before term starts in August.

 

[N1120A]

Last year, before she knew she was going to defer, she had to rush to get her Hep-B because UNC required it before enrolling. Let's hope they're more flexible this time. My backup plan is for her to move down 5 weeks early, so that she can get both jabs before term starts in August.

Was the Hep B a booster? I'm almost 40 and got that as a kid (Hep A came out in 1996, so I didn't pick that up until I did a battery of shots before doing Safari in Africa).

By August, she'll probably be able to get it at home, and I'm sure UNC, as big as they are, has a big student health center that will be happy to do it if she hasn't.

 

[David Megginson]

Was the Hep B a booster? I'm almost 40 and got that as a kid (Hep A came out in 1996, so I didn't pick that up until I did a battery of shots before doing Safari in Africa).

By August, she'll probably be able to get it at home, and I'm sure UNC, as big as they are, has a big student health center that will be happy to do it if she hasn't.

We were certain she had her Hep-B in public school like everyone else here, but neither we nor Ottawa Public Health could find any record to prove it.

 

[sourdough44]

Unless you need a test for work or travel, why get tested? Let’s say you have a cold or flu, shouldn’t be at work or visiting anyway.

I don’t see any good meds coming your way with a positive test. I’ll just stay home & rest.

 

[wsuffa]

In the last two weeks, two friends got it from family gatherings. At least half of each of the families in attendance got it. I just learned of one last night. Each family had (as of now) one or more people hospitalized. None of the hospitalized folks have been released.

This is a key reason we're staying home for the holidays rather than our usual visit to family.

 

[beretta]

Our weekend desk attendant at my flight school got it. In the morning he was helping me to fish out oil funnel from the plane cavity, we were right next to each other for about 10 min. He felt ill in the afternoon and got tested, positive for COVID. Being about 25 and very healthy he recovered in a couple of days. I did not feel a thing....




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[flyingron]

I've came back from Australia on March 9. It was just a blip on the horizon then. A couple of weeks later one of my neighbors (one of the most reclusive types, the last you expect to get it) had to travel CLT-ATL-MCO to deal with the death of his father. Somewhere in that trip he picked up COVID (and subsequently his wife got it from him). Two sets of neighbors have gotten it, both through attendance at weddings that turned into spreader events. Another friend who is a nurse picked it up from her job.

I've had one friend die from it.

I've been mostly hunkered down and have been wearing N95 masks when out since I got back from Australia (we had bought them when we went there because we were concerned about the fires that had been raging there).

 

[Dave Theisen]

Unless you need a test for work or travel, why get tested? Let’s say you have a cold or flu, shouldn’t be at work or visiting anyway.

I don’t see any good meds coming your way with a positive test. I’ll just stay home & rest.

Without a positive test, you are taking PTO or not getting paid, with a positive test, your employer can get money from the government to pay for your time off.

 

[MacFly]

Without a positive test, you are taking PTO or not getting paid, with a positive test, your employer can get money from the government to pay for your time off.

Around here, after exposure (closer than 6 feet to an infected person for 15 min), a positive test means you're out for 10 days. No test means you're out for 14. If you test negative on day 5 after exposure, you can come back to work on day 7. Test negative twice after 3 days and you can come back right away. Testing is optional, but if you don't, you're obligated to quarantine for 14 days after exposure, and any subsequent exposures means you quarantine again for 14 days each time. Test positive after exposure and after the 10 days, you won't have to quarantine after subsequent exposures.

This might vary from state to state.

 

[NoHeat]

Neighbor recently got infected in a big hospital, while an inpatient there for a psych condition. His wife was allowed to go into the hospital to say goodbye just before he died there. He was a physically active man in his 80s.

A retired colleague, also in his 80s, was among the first to die in our state, last spring.

The shop at a nearby FBO was closed recently when a couple of technicians were positive.

 

[flyingron]

I had to get a test because they wouldn't do my colonoscopy without one. I've also given blood a few time since they started including an antibody check.

 

[CharlieD3]

Okay... Now I got it... positive test today... Sigh.... this is getting old.

 

[Bob Noel]

Hopefully you'll only have, at worst, mild symptoms

 

[SoonerAviator]

Okay... Now I got it... positive test today... Sigh.... this is getting old.

Were you wearing protection?

 

[Lindberg]

Around here, after exposure (closer than 6 feet to an infected person for 15 min), a positive test means you're out for 10 days. No test means you're out for 14. If you test negative on day 5 after exposure, you can come back to work on day 7. Test negative twice after 3 days and you can come back right away. Testing is optional, but if you don't, you're obligated to quarantine for 14 days after exposure, and any subsequent exposures means you quarantine again for 14 days each time. Test positive after exposure and after the 10 days, you won't have to quarantine after subsequent exposures.

This might vary from state to state.

This may be based on CDC guidelines, not sure. But I was exposed to an infected co-worker. I got tested on day 5 as recommended. No symptoms. They said if I was still symptom free after day 7 is was good to go. My wife was exposed to get infected mom and got tested at day 5. She tested positive and was just starting to have symptoms (low fever). They told her 10 days from first symptoms she'd be clear as long as she was fever free by then.

 

[c177tx]

It flew through our family, all the grandchildren had the sniffles, the parents had flu like symptoms loss of taste and smell. The grandparents(my group) were bedridden for about 5 days. Just now getting the strength to get up and get around. We believe it started at daycare with one of the granddaughters. The closet thing I can compare to is when I had HEP-A back in my 20's. Now I am in my 60's and feel thinkful I survived it.

 

[Lance F]

I had it last month along with my son, his wife and probably the two granddaughters. For me it wasn’t too bad. Dry cough, mild fever, tired. Have had three positive PCR tests and today got results showing I have Covid antibodies. So I had it for sure. Surprisingly enough my wife did not get it. Strange disease.

 

[CharlieD3]

Hopefully you'll only have, at worst, mild symptoms

Just tired and Sneezy, now (at least I'm not Dopey (er). Had tight chest.. that's over. No temp. Good O2. Just patience. Wife is out of isolation...

 

[kayoh190]

The vaccine's side effects appear to be mild. If my wife and her doctor friends are any indication - the main side effect of the vaccine is not being able to shut up about getting the vaccine.

 

[X3 Skier]

The vaccine's side effects appear to be mild. If my wife and her doctor friends are any indication - the main side effect of the vaccine is not being able to shut up about getting the vaccine.

Agree with ALL that....but....the second one for me was not as nice

Cheers

 

[Fearless Tower]

Freaking brother in law insisted on driving his family to visit my wife’s parents for Christmas. Then tried to guilt my wife for not wanting to visit.

Now he and his whole family are back in Georgia with COVID and my mother in law has it. A bit worried about her because she already has emphysema.

 

[Palmpilot]

 

[wsuffa]

A friend lost their BIL today - complications of Covid.

 

[N1120A]

Unless you need a test for work or travel, why get tested? Let’s say you have a cold or flu, shouldn’t be at work or visiting anyway.

I don’t see any good meds coming your way with a positive test. I’ll just stay home & rest.

All 3 of my tests were travel-related. 1 for piece of mind, 1 mandated and administered for free by a government agency in a foreign country and 1 simply because it was a responsible thing. My 4th one will be mandated for some beach time in Hawaii. I don't feel bad about flying, when it is one of the safest things to do.

Okay... Now I got it... positive test today... Sigh.... this is getting old.

I wish you a speedy recovery.

I had it last month along with my son, his wife and probably the two granddaughters. For me it wasn’t too bad. Dry cough, mild fever, tired. Have had three positive PCR tests and today got results showing I have Covid antibodies. So I had it for sure. Surprisingly enough my wife did not get it. Strange disease.

Glad you did well with it. A guy I know from the gym got it, though likely not at the gym. Told me just how weird it was. He basically had the hallmark symptoms (taste/smell, upper respiratory, fever), but got over them during the course of the virus. Got sick, tested positive, did a quarantine within his house to avoid spreading to his negative tested wife, had uncomfortable symptoms, broke his fever, tested negative a day or two later. Said it was the oddest illness he'd ever contracted and didn't wish it on anyone, just for the strangeness of it all.

 

[RyanShort1]

A guy I know from the gym got it, though likely not at the gym. Told me just how weird it was. He basically had the hallmark symptoms (taste/smell, upper respiratory, fever), but got over them during the course of the virus. Got sick, tested positive, did a quarantine within his house to avoid spreading to his negative tested wife, had uncomfortable symptoms, broke his fever, tested negative a day or two later. Said it was the oddest illness he'd ever contracted and didn't wish it on anyone, just for the strangeness of it all.

That is SOOO similar to what happened to me in February, except there weren't tests...

 

[N1120A]

That is SOOO similar to what happened to me in February, except there weren't tests...

Yeah, I know several people who think they had it anywhere between November and March, for various reasons. We know it's been established in the US for over a year now.