March 23:
Currently, there are over 100 vaccine candidates in development, of which 73 are currently at exploratory or preclinical stages, and 5 have recently started testing in humans or have received an approval to do so.[2] Mid-I found out yesterday I tested positive for COVID-19. I am 65. I have virtually no symptoms and I feel normal. I wanted to tell my story so others can learn from my experience.
My daughter and her family came to us outside Syracuse on the 6th of March from San Francisco. My 91-year-old mom lives alone in NYC and we very much wanted to get her upstate with us to safeguard her and make sure she wasn’t alone. So on the 12th of March, I drove to NYC, met her outside her apartment, threw her bag in the back seat and didn’t open the windows or get out of the car until we were 3 hours outside the city.
Once we were home, our circle consisted of the 7 of us (myself, my daughter, her kids and husband, my wife, my mom). From that point forward we vowed to keep to ourselves. Nobody else gets inside our house. No shopping at stores. No contact with other people. We did say hello to the neighbors from a distance but we didn’t get any closer than at least 30 feet.
Soon after my Mom came here, I started coughing. This is sort of normal for me since I have asthma. When I get a little cold I might get a cough that hangs around for weeks and sometimes longer. So I decided that I was going to get something prescribed to knock out the cough. I was afraid I was going to get COVID-19 and wanted to be clear of any coughing. My doctor thought that was a good idea but wanted to test me. That was a week ago on Monday (16th of March). Over the week, the medication worked. My airways were clear, my cough went away, and I felt great. I even took my horse for a ride one day and I cut and split wood on Sunday.
Yesterday (23rd of March), 7 days later, I received a call from my doctor saying I tested positive for COVID-19. I was shocked because not only didn’t I feel sick, but I actually felt great. The Health Department called me and wanted to know about who I had contact with for the last 10 days.
This is the point of the story. The only people I had contact with within that time-frame, were the people in my circle. Throughout the past week, I made sure not to come in close contact with anyone. I told my band members that because I wasn’t willing to expose myself and my family so I couldn’t attend band practice. I stayed in my car while the guy at the hardware store loaded the salt for my water softener that I had prepaid for. I started using the drive-in window to pick-up my drugs. I started getting my groceries home-delivered.
By doing so, I thought I was protecting myself and my family. Little did I know I was also protecting everyone else. Had I not been so obsessed with keeping germs away, I would have spread them to a bunch of people. There are some people who really have to stick their necks out for the rest of us. Health care workers, dairy farmers, people who transport goods, people who keep the gas stations open, pharmacists, mail carriers, UPS delivery people, etc. I would have bet the farm that I would have tested negative. I was primarily concerned about my Mom and the rest of my family, but I’m proud that I didn’t put anyone else at risk. For the population’s safety, I’m urging everyone to take the COVID-19 thread seriously and to stay at home and to practice social distancing as long as it is necessary. Like me, you could be an asymptomatic virus carrier and not know that you’re contaminating other people around you who might be more vulnerable to developing severe symptoms.
March 25:
A vaccine is essentially a “simulated” infection, meaning you need to I thought I’d give an update. First of all, I feel totally healthy and as normal. I have no symptoms and aside from my daughter who has a mild cold, the rest of us feel great. Our biggest concern remains my 91-year-old Mom. We had a visit from Molly of the Health Department. She was dressed up in protective gear and she first talked to my wife Janine and then to me. My wife and I have to live separately for some time. We have to keep apart at all times, we have to sleep in different rooms. Since we can’t have separate bathrooms, I have to disinfect the bathroom after each use. If I want to be in the same room as Janine, we must remain 6 feet away from each other and wear a protective mask. I don’t like that I have to live separated from my wife, but this is necessary to protect her and the rest of my family. Even if I don’t have any major symptoms, the Health Department told me the risk of having a false-positive test is close to 0%. The rest of my family, however, did not get tested, since the number of tests that can be done per day is limited and priority is given to people who have symptoms. If I remain lucky and don’t show any symptoms, by the 5th of April, my isolation will be lifted off.
March 27:
As you can see by this photo, I’m not feeling any effects of COVID-19. I had a nice ride on Misty today. We report our temperatures to Madison County Health Dept every day. All 7 of us have normal temperatures. We’re a little hyper about whether a random cough is a COVID-19 cough or just a cough. My biggest concern is my mom who’s 91 and my wife. We wonder if they might have had slight cold symptoms today but I don’t even think they have that. So all is well. We must stay on my property until the 5th of April. Not so bad if I can ride a horse.
I just want to say in a way I feel guilty. While I’m riding my horse, others who got the same virus are fighting for their lives. I get a lot of support, and people praying for me or telling me how good I am to endure this. I have no symptoms. No discomfort. I don’t even know I have it. So I certainly appreciate the support but at the same time, I don’t feel I deserve it. So far everyone is fine. It makes me think that my mom has already had this. She may have been the carrier. We hope that’s the case.
March 30:
We got a call from our health department this morning. They’ve changed the guidelines slightly and this affects us. Since it’s been over a week since I first had any symptoms (actually more than 2 weeks) and since it’s been more than 3 days since I’ve shown any symptoms, they are removing my isolation and quarantine. This means I don’t have to distance myself from my wife anymore. We can use the same bathroom, bedroom, and I don’t have to wear a mask when she’s in the same room. As far as my mom goes, she is still in “solitary confinement“ in her room. They want to be very cautious with her. She has to remain isolated until the 5th of April. My mom has a stuffed nose. I can hear it when I talk to her. But otherwise she is doing fine. So, we’re crossing our fingers on her.
There’s been a lot of press on an antibody test to test people like me. I really would like to confirm that I really had it. They told me false positive is virtually impossible but it seems so strange to not even be a little sick.
April 1:
My family seems to be keeping well, for the moment. My mom has the sniffles but she’s had that for a few days and she feels a little better with each passing day. My daughter still has the vestiges of a head cold. I’ve been symptom-free for a few days and have no problems. My wife is fine without any issues.
On Sunday, we hope to celebrate that we can intermingle again. All this time, my wife and I have been in our house, and my mom and daughter and her family have been in another house. So we can have dinner together again. We look forward to that!
I don’t want to claim any authority because I’ve had the virus. Unlike many others, I didn’t suffer at all. So I have no laurels to rest on. But I have thought about the transmission of this illness and how we can all contribute by keeping distance.
It’s so unnatural for us. We like to do things together. It’s what cements our communities. But my experience underscores how you may also be the one who doesn’t know that he or she is infected. Each of you who’s reading this could think that you are healthy. That may not be the case. I think about some of the older members of our community. I think about many of my neighbors. All of us are over 65. How glad am I, that I remained away from these people that I care about. I imagine how sorry I would be right now if I had caused any one of these folks to have a life-threatening illness.
That’s the point that I think we should have in mind when we go to the store or post office or gas station.
Let’s be smart.
Stay apart.