Been there, done that. I have a positive Covid test.

[NNadir]

I'm fully vaxxed and boosted, so I'm cheering for my T-cells to kick in and smack these dumbass viruses around.

As much as I cheer for them, they don't say very much; they're probably busy, those T-Cells. (Omicron evades antibodies, but not T-Cell epitopes.)

It feels like a very, very, very bad cold, but I've been crankily plugging along. It's been going on all weekend, stuffy nose, headaches, cough, but no fever.

[progree]

1. Don't take the "Rec" the wrong way -- stay relatively well, get better

well, "very, very, very bad cold" and headaches doesn't sound like fun. I hate the headaches - only Tylenol (acetaminophen) really works for me, and I worry about my liver taking too much of that.

In "percent talk" I hope you improve at least 20%/day

[NNadir]

2. No problem with the rec. I take it as get better soon. I'm an aspirin kind of guy because...

...I've done lots of research on eicosanoids, and aspirin is, well, how can I say this, amazing. How can such a powerful drug be so structurally simple?

In terms of recovery, I'm hoping in "percent talk" for at least 95% per day. My T-Cells are nuclear, not wind powered. I'm not feeling anywhere as nearly bad as I did yesterday, but not quite 100% better.

I have been studying the fascinating immunology of Covid to a limited degree; I knew this was possible, but I knew also that I was as prepared as I could be. The T-cell epitopes are a big deal, and I expect to be fine within the next two or three days. I'm glad the vaccine was there. I will, despite this infection, go for the Covid Omicron version of an RNA vaccine despite having had omicron.

[MLAA]

4. Did you take a home test or PCR test at Pharmacy or Testing Center?

Hope you hit 100% Better by in the morning at the latest!

[NNadir]

5. Pharmacy testing center.

They said I'd have a result within an hour or two, but it was almost 24 hours.

It's OK. I'm already beginning to feel better.

[MLAA]

6. I ask because I was exposed to someone who started feeling symptoms last week.

I isolated and waited a couple of days then took a test after having only a runny nose on and off and the slightest hint of a sore throat (almost unnoticeable). They had more significant symptoms but still mild. Both she and I are fully vaxxed and boosted. I took a home test and it was negative. Her home test was positive. I waited 3 or additional couple of days and again home tested negative. Finally, took one yesterday and also negative. I understand it’s not unusual to get a false negative with the home test that is why I repeated it twice more. I frequently suffer from allergies so I assume what I had was allergies.

It’s so unnerving to feel so uncertain since the Omicron symptoms can be so like a cold or allergies.

In any case, glad you are well on the road to recovery.

[NNadir]

7. Well, I told my wife yesterday that people did get sick before having Covid.

I really thought it was a bad cold, but I'm glad she scheduled the test for me.

As it happens, I am connected to the bioanalysis industry, and it is true that all tests have a positive or negative failure rate, but after 3 home tests, you can be sure it's something else. Some very high tech tests involve evaluating a parameter called "the false discovery rate."

I have symptoms so I got tested; frankly I didn't really expect to come back positive. Again, it feels like a very nasty cold, and I assumed that's what it was. It's better not to assume I think.

PCR is still the gold standard, but I'd rather leave those resources to people who really need it. Thus far, I don't. There's no reason to think my positive was a false positive.

[Skittles]

10. hey NNadir

a coworker of mine has had been quarantined after testing positive - she too is vaccinated and says it felt like a bad cold....but after eight days she tested positive again (not home tests)

[blm]

3. 💐 ☕️ 🫖

[Fla Dem]

8. Hope you have a speedy recovery. Friend, fully vaxed has been laid up for 3 weeks.

Like you had stuffy nose, headache, etc. Now in her 3rd week, most symptoms gone, lungs feel clear but tires easily. Still a bit lethargic and doesn't feel quite clear headed. Hoping her 4th week will continue to see improvement. She's self supporting so no income while laid up.

[NNadir]

9. Well, I'm not really expecting too much more of this.

I'm feeling well enough to read, write, take calls, etc.

It's still like a bad cold, and I'm definitely improving. Saturday sucked, but today, although I stayed home from work to protect others, I'm not too much under the weather. I'm functioning like normal; some people might think that's a bad thing; others might take it as a positive.

[Wicked Blue]

11. Hope you feel better soon!

[NNadir]

13. Thank you Wicked!

[LuckyCharms]

12. Wishing you a speedy and complete recovery!

[NNadir]

14. Thank you Lucky!

[Laffy Kat]

15. Oh, NNardir, I'm sorry. That sucks.

Hugs to you. Keep doing what you're doing and smash those Covid germies.

[NNadir]

17. Thank you Laffy

[eppur_se_muova]

16. Wishing you a complete recovery.

Glad to know you're one of the ones who will scrupulously avoid any risk of gifting it around.

Not like so many B-list Uglican semi-celebrities ...

[NNadir]

18. Thank you my good friend.

I'm reading the latest literature on viral shedding with Omicron, which is what I assume I have.

As always in science, as well you know, there isn't just one good answer, just consensus, and any real consensus is at best, given the short timelines, weak.

I do know that the RNA people at BioNT/Pfizer and Moderna are working with the published sequences to get a new version focused on Omicron.

I certainly anticipated that this could happen.

In a purely symptomatic sense, since I'm vaxxed and boosted, it does only feel like a very bad cold; today it's mostly headaches.

I do understand that that in rare cases it can get worse, even for vaccinated people. I don't anticipate this however.

I have good reason to suspect that my ACE2 protein is a mutant; I have regarded this as a possible positive, depending of course on where my mutation is and whether it is in the binding region of the S-protein of the virus.

If nothing else, the fun part of having this for me is that it's making me think more and more about immunology, which is something about which I've wanted to know more anyway, since my job is dragging me, kicking and screaming, in that direction anyway.

[Emile]

19. Get well soon!

[NNadir]

20. Thank you Emile.

[hay rick]

21. Get well soon.

And thanks for posting. You have a knack for provoking informative discussion.