My time with COVID [waynejohnson.net]

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====== My time with COVID ======

I've been waiting my turn for quite some time now. And with children at school, it had to happen sooner or later. So how was my time with COVID and how did I fair?

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One member of my family contracted it, which lasted for around three days. Then another member got it, with initial mild symptoms to a strong sore throat and fatigue lasting three days.

Third member of my family started feeling unwell and a sore head. And on the same day, that evening, I lastly started to notice some mild joint sensations.

Disclosure, and the main point of doing this article: I am one of those terrible terrible people that have chosen not to be vaccinated. Why? That's a conversation for another time. But the observations after the fact are interesting.

===== Day One: March 4 =====

In the evening, as mentioned, I started feeling a little bit of a sensation in the middle spine. A little later, more in the leg joints. Not much. Slight scratch in the throat, but I actually put that more down to all the sprayed glen 20 which is nasty nasty stuff. Probably does more erode the throat than COVID. Maybe not.

===== Day Two: March 5 =====

Got a half nights sleep but I was restless towards the early hours of the morning. The joint discomfort being the cause. But I had no other effects.

In the morning, my head was slightly foggy, and still sensation in the joints. Small tasks hinted at some potential nausea, so I lay back down for a bit. Did a RAT test and it came up positive with a faint line.

I headed out a little later for a PCR test. As the day wore on, the fogginess lifted, no joint soreness, and for the middle of the day, I felt very normal, with the exception of tiredness from the night before. By this stage, I was expecting the trademark sore throat to start but nothing no far.

Had a small sleep which was good. Again, the afternoon, felt mostly normal, still slightly tired.

As the late afternoon rolled around, the slight soreness reappeared in my spine, and then a little later: legs too. Just like the day before.

I kept the drinking water up all day, and small meals. Bed early.

===== Day Three: March 6 =====

Woke with a very slight soreness in the throat, faint but on it's way. 

When up for a bit, it faded away completely. Some joint soreness was back in my mid-spine which faded soon after.

Most of the day, felt quite normal.

As evening approached, soreness in the mid-spine again, and upper back. A touch tired, not much. A very short nap during the day was just the ticket.

===== Day Four: March 7 =====

Woke up with another tiny tickle in the throat which again disappeared once I was up. Felt quite normal all morning. Only in the middle of the day, once in the late afternoon and at bedtime did I feel the tired soreness in my spine. Heat pack fixes it again, but that was it for the day.

===== Day Five: March 8 =====

Woke up with no effects.

And well, that was about it really.


===== Notes and thoughts =====

Vaccination rates in this part of the world are very high. There are places that still require double-vaccination for entry, nursing homes, etc. That leaves me with restricted choices.

I have been viewed with concern due to my choices. Usually because when I do finally contract COVID, the expectation would be that it will hit me very hard.

But that has clearly turned out not to be the case. The only other adult in my small sample size has exhibited stronger symptoms that I did, and they were double-vaccinated. 

I know only of one other person that is not vaccinated and they also experienced short and mild symptoms.

Contrasting that with the larger pool of vaccinated anecdotes, the pattern appears to be from mild to stronger symptoms, but nothing that appears to match the fear-inducing persona of Omicron.

So what do I conclude then? Is COVID and vaccination a beat up? Or have I been lucky? 

This is where I fall on it: I think Delta was a thing. Perhaps there was some merit there, but less so IF you are a healthy person with Omicron. Peddling vaccinations for yesterdays strains... doesn't sit well with me. But all people are different.

And finally, when you do get over COVID, the Health Department tells you to get vaccinated as soon as possible to ensure you don't contract COVID again...? From my experience, COVID is like rain... it falls on vaccinated and un-vaccinated alike. This kind of messaging does little to foster trust for health messages and Government guidelines.

I'll take COVID over the common cold any day of the week.

At the end of the day, I am not certain where I fall with everything. All people are different and I think it will be years down the track before anyone is really going to be sure what the best thing to have done was. Complete social vaccination, or something different?

===== The final word =====

There is one thing I can be absolutely certain of, and that is the accuracy of my own developed flavour of RAT test. In this particular example, the result was negative. I leave to you to ponder why.

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