Covid Again - can't believe this

[Jeepmonkey]

So back in June 1 tested positive pcr for covid. Had a headache and fever for three days and it got better. My wife was pregnant at the time so I wanted to confirm I was negative when I recovered. Finally after testing every week (was symptom free after day 3) received a negative pcr test 4 weeks from initial positive.
Was symptom free and no issues at all. In August for a routine check up my primary tested me for antibodies which I had (expected).

Fast forward to a week ago a co worker tested positive and exposed me to covid. Exactly 6 months later. No issues went to the primary and again tested for antibodies and again positive for them. 2 days ago experienced headache and elevated temp (99.5) got tested. Positive on the antigen rapid test BUT negative on the PCR test. Again this is 5 days after exposure. Clinic says it was a false positive on the antigen test.

Still have headache and fever similar to the original symptoms I had.

Covid again or not ? I will test again with PCR

[mkh9]

Anyone else with Covid anxiety? Mine comes and goes. I live in California, U.S.A. We are now shut down except people can go out with a make an take a walk or eat out at a restaurant. No indoor anything. Our ICU capacity today is 10%. we have about 2,000 cases a day where I live.  I am getting scared. I tried to go for a walk and I go out my front door and 10 guys are Jogging by with no mask. 5-10 tree trimmers also out front, none with a mask. One sneezed. I was luckily about 20-30 feet away. I was wearing a cloth mask. So I think I am okay. What is the deal with people? Why no mask and laughing it up. I don't think this is funny. I had a friend almost die of it in March. She still has chronic fatigue.
mkh9

[Paxiled]

I wouldn't worry about those tree tree trimmers or those joggers.  As long as you're socially distancing from them, outdoors is pretty safe.  I wouldn't get too close, of course.  I find it hard to believe anyone wouldn't have covid anxiety by now.  If you don't have it, and obviously the US is filled with people who don't have it, you're not paying attention or you're living in the conspiracy theory world.  And don't think California is any different than anywhere else.  The virus is everyone now.  No state is safe.  California always looks worse because it has 40 million people, but per capita it's not worse.  I think South Dakota right now actually has the highest per capita rate, and the governor there is a Trump devotee who doesn't believe in the gov't protecting anyone from disease.  So don't feel that this is like being afraid of driving over a bridge.  This is real, and anxiety is protection.  And most of us are in the boat with you suffering it, I think.  Again, only those who for political reasons believe we should all just get it and get immune that way are not anxious.  

[Jeepmonkey]

As an update. Two covid tests I took including a new pcr all came back negative. So reinfection is doubtful at this point. But I am not one who randomly gets a fever and headache so I will now get tested for the flu and hopefully get an answer for the symptoms. And we will go from there. Good luck everyone

[auntiejessi]

Glad it's not covid again, but the flu can make you feel just awful. Hope you feel better soon!

[Paxiled]

This reminds me, to lighten this up some, of what happened to me in the very early spring.  I got a pretty weird feeling, a sore throat and fatigue and it was mild but like nothing I ever felt before.  I went on the CDC website to see if I should get tested for covid, and the site ran me through a series of questions.  At the end, it said, sorry you don't feel well, drink plenty of fluids and rest.  Like a Mom would say, right?

[AnnieBrooke]

I would add, if the flu test gives you a positive you'll know what it is, but it could be something else for which there isn't even a test.

[auntiejessi]

There are some cases of reinfection - https://bnonews.com/index.php/2020/08/covid-19-reinfection-tracker/

Are you wearing masks at work? If not, this seems like it would be a good reason for your company to start implementing that as a requirement.

The flu is also very real right now, so get tested for that, too.

I hope you feel better soon!

[Jeepmonkey]

Thank you. Of course we are wearing masks and social distancing as much as possible. The person was in my office for a good 40 min.

I didn't think to test for the flu. Maybe I will do that. I did retest for covid today but I guess we will see the results then go from there.

[AnnieBrooke]

I agree with auntiejessi -- flu is common and re-infection with Covid so rare that it has only been noted in the medical literature in two or three people in the world since the pandemic began.

Unless the PCR test that deemed you were negative was wrong and you have been carrying a continued silent form of "long Covid" (which has suddenly given you symptoms out of the blue for some inexplicable reason), due to the rarity of people getting Covid twice it seems likelier that you have something else now. (As my sister said when our family got sick in March, "Well, it sounds like you have a virus, just not "the" virus.") A lot of viruses can give headache and fever. Don't assume it's Covid just because someone was in your office for 40 minutes who had it ... particularly, you having Covid in the spring should have made that un-dangerous for you. I'm with Jessi in recommending you get a flu test. There aren't tests for every virus that might give you headache and fever, but there is one for the flu, you can at least rule it out. With a baby in the house, it seems like a good idea.

[Jeepmonkey]

Took the repeat pcr today. We will see how it goes. Will book flu test as well.

[Paxiled]

While it's not a lot of people, it is more than two or three.  There are at least 15 cases we know about because doctors wrote about them, but how many more might there be nobody wrote about?  Most docs don't write about their patients.  None of those were confirmed by anyone else, however, as far as I know.  They say that if a few people test positive that means hundreds of cases are about at least, so it is possible a few cases of getting it twice also means a whole lot more that went undiscovered.  I don't say this out of great concern, as so far there are very few noted possibilities, but just to say, when a disease is new or a disease is difficult to diagnose even if it's been around forever, it's impossible to know how many people truly have it or how immunity operates.  As of yet there is absolutely no medical evidence on whether there is any immunity gotten by having had covid and if there is how long it might last.  There are opinions about, but no proof.  We have a similar problem with the vaccines coming online -- there is no evidence there either of how long immunity lasts or even definitive proof that there's any immunity at all.  The data is statistical, not based on long-term evidence of lots of humans.  Nor would we want to wait for that given how deadly and contagious it is.  There was some discussion on here about the vaccines not preventing infection and so people would still be contagious even if they didn't get sick but so far if there is such evidence it hasn't been released to either the public or apparently the FDA.  The Oxford vaccine has some small evidence released that it might in fact prevent infection altogether, but still too early.  So I wouldn't assume it's covid but I wouldn't assume it isn't, either, and the flu hasn't been that bad because we're all wearing masks and distancing at least some of the time.  The Latin American flu season was quite mild.  We'll see.  Peace.

[mkh9]

I have known one person who tested positive twice. Usually these are people that had non severe symptoms. From what I have read. If you get a moderate to bad case you will be immune . You may not see long term antibodies but the T cells (a  type of white cell) can give long immunity. However, the question was asked "is it better to get Covid immunity or a vaccine. The answer was a vaccine may confer longer immunity.
mkh9

[Paxiled]

There is as yet no scientific proof of immunity or that it lasts.  There is anecdotal evidence in that very small numbers of people have been reported to have gotten the disease twice.  A positive test result doesn't mean you have the virus, it means you tested positive.  It could have been a false positive one of those times.  Because of such factors we just don't know for sure about people getting it twice.  If there is immunity, we don't know for how long.  I'm not sure the T cell theory has any science behind it either, it's a bit of a conspiracy theory spread by those who believe we should just let the virus rage until we reach herd immunity.  As far as I've heard, there is no disease humans have ever developed herd immunity to, except by vaccine.  The only disease I know of we eliminated was smallpox.  And from what I've also heard, any immunity from the disease won't last forever or even very long, and neither will the immunity from any vaccine yet developed.  All of them will require yearly shots, at least.  In time, answers will be known.  In the meantime, when a vaccine is proven safe and effective -- we still really don't know that because when you're facing a pandemic as contagious and deadly as this one you just can't wait several years for a vaccine to be inside of people for a long time to see what really happens -- as two already seem to have, we just have to swallow hard and take the darned thing.  Peace, all.

[Paxiled]

Doctors have reported a few cases of people getting it twice.  Some docs don't believe the evidence, some do but there really isn't any reason to assume one can't get it more than once, as there is still no evidence on how long immunity if there is any lasts.  The rapid tests are notoriously inaccurate, so let's hope the much more accurate PCR test was the accurate one, but docs who treat covid say several tests are necessary before they're confident in the results given the time it takes for enough virus to build up to be noted in a test and the fact that even with PCR tests there are several different manufacturers and early on the FDA allowed pretty much anyone to make a test without any proof they worked.  Test again, and let's hope it's negative.  Peace.

[Jeepmonkey]

Hope you're right but I have my doubts. The headache and fever is real now so we will see.

[mkh9]

I would repeat the PCR test which is more sensitive test than the antigen test.
mkh9