Is Covid still a thing?

Never had it.

No, even my 92 year old mother doesn't make anymore.

erm, mask

I had it in summer 2022. I was only sick with a fever and headache for one day. I was fine the next day.

I've already said this here, but my friend and her boyfriend went to Maui last month for her grandchild's 1st birthday(!) and everyone in their part got it, the child included - altogether, 6 people.

it wasn't just a cakewalk either; she got Covid 2 years ago after going on a cruise, and this time was just as hard as the first time she got it.

I had it last year and, after sleeping non stop for two days with zero appetite, I was fine. But I'm done with boosters. The last one made me feel sicker than Covid. I still see people wearing masks but I'll take my chances.

I just had it. I still can’t smell or taste anything. The absolute lack of smell is very discombobulating.

Twice and the second round was hell on earth.

I've been diagnosed with it twice, almost a year to the day between positive test results, and both less than 72 hours after getting off an airplane.

I had covid a month ago for the second time. I've had every booster and still got it. Fortunately I didn't get that sick

Yup, the plane ride will do it every time. I even pre-warned my friend, telling her that there had been a surge in cases in California, and was she going to mask up.

They didn't mask.

It's all in how you look at things.

COVID cases are on the rise on Los Angeles County

In the last month, 4 of my co-workers have gotten COVID.

It's definitely resurging.

My partner has it as I type. I feel a tickle in my throat so expect to be dead by the morning. Next poster can have my stuff.

No thanks, r15. I don't want your Covid cootie-laden stuff.

Suit yourself ^^

It's a cold with a name.

I don't believe getting innoculated makes people ill. I just don't. The virus in vaccines is not live.

R19 The vaccine does not make you ill with COVID.

God, I'm so tired of all this MAGA-inspired bullshit.

What’s funny (well, funny ironic) is we were supposed to get on a plane Saturday but had to cancel. My partner tested poz yesterday. He’d have infected the plane.

There seems to be two different groups. Group A - barely get symptoms, maybe the sniffles and a headache. Group B - it's the worst thing that's ever happened to them. I wonder if the differences are either age, co-morbidities, some kind of genetic thing, or just people being overly dramatic.

I've had it twice now and both times it was like a mild cold. I got my last booster in Oct of last year at the same time I got my flu shot. No reaction to either except a sore arm which, if you put a lidocaine patch on it right after the shots, won't hurt nearly as much. I have a friend who never got the vaccines and got covid and it was the sickest she's ever been in her life. Idiot. I will continue to get a booster with my flu shot and not worry about it. I don't wear masks anywhere anymore. Well, sometimes I'll put one on if I go into a public restroom because that's the easiest place to pick up any virus.

R22 I've had it twice. The first time was awful; I've never been more sick in my life. Lost my sense of taste and smell for months, fever chills, throat so sore I could barely swallow. I was down for a good 10 days.

The second time was like a mild flu. I did get Plaxovid for the second bout, so that helped.

What the fuck was your neighbor doing out in public if she had COVID, OP?

it sounds like she was taking a walk r25.

I haven't had it, but then I've had all the vaccines and boosters.

I've seen several news stories in the past week that Covid is on the rise right now. Make sure you wash your hands or use hand sanitizer anytime you're out in public. If you've had a booster within the past 12 months, then you should be fine.

R28 - my partner and I both had boosters last fall. Admittedly, he’s feeling better after a couple days.

r24, were you up to date on your shots?

r28 Covid is air borne so washing of the hands won't help.

R30 Yes, I've had all my boosters.

R31 False. Although airborne, the virus lives on surfaces. That's why you wash your hands.

[Quote] I had covid a month ago for the second time. I've had every booster and still got it.

Do people still not understand that the vaccine doesn’t give you immunity from infection?

Vaccine doesn't give you immunity but it may make the infection less severe.

R30. I haven't had my distemper shot!

I had it three times. It's hell on earth. It's what I imagine having Rosie O'Donnell sitting on your chest would feel like.

My brother had it twice and was sick as a dog each time. Lost over 20 pounds and his sense of smell hasn't returned. He is vaccinated as an essential worker but refuses to mask, thinks masking is a nuisance.

A friend of mine got it three weeks ago. She was really sick for the first week -- she said every bone in her body ached and she had.a terrible sore throat. She felt much better the second week and is practically symptom-free in week three, except her taste and smell are all screwed up and she's still testing positive.

She's had all the shots except the very last booster.

My elderly aunt and uncle (vaxxed, boosted, mask wearers) got caught by this wave last week. He ended up in the hospital for three days. Now home recovering. It was their first time.

I have it right now. Second time. Not quite as bad as the first time but still bad.

I had it twice. Once in March 2020 just as the first lock-down began, and again in late 2023. Fortunately both types it was upper respiratory and did not go to my chest as it had with many other people. It does take longer to get over the symptoms than a cold.

You can't get COVID simply from passing someone on the street. It would have to be in a enclosed place, in close proximity to someone who has it, and you need to be in contact for more than just a few seconds. Today I would typically only wear a mask on the subway, but I have worn a mask twice in the last year in small very crowded venues.

I am fully vaccinated and boosted. I got it for the very first time in April/May. The doctor confirmed it was a very mild case. It took ten days after I was feeling better before I tested negative again, and I'm still dealing with the hacking cough at night. Covid is a very real thing.

I thought the loss of taste and smell was no longer a thing with the newer varieties, but several of you have reported these symptoms with recent infections. What's the deal?

COVID 19 cases rising as we move into the summer

In today’s Health Alert, summer has brought a fresh wave of Covid-19 infections. Case levels have been rising for weeks due to new variants, leading to increased Emergency Department visits and deaths.

COVID Is Surging Right Now—This Is the #1 Symptom to Look Out For, According to Infectious Disease Experts Jessica Sager Mon, July 1, 2024

I’ve had it three times. The first was in December 2019 when I was traveling in Asia and ended up hospitalised in Japan with pneumonia and a pleural effusion which required a doctor shoving a large needle in my back through my rib cage to try and remove the fluid. At the time Covid 19 didn’t have a name or a test or vaccine but subsequent tests and hospitalisations showed that in their opinion, the specialists said that it almost certainly was Covid. I felt like dying as the fluid on my lungs was drowning me. I was on oxygen for ten days then medevaced home.

Six months later I was hospitalised with bilateral pulmonary embolisms - tested positive for Covid and the PEs are a common subsequent issue with Covid. I was in hospital for a week.

Six months after that I tested positive again - by then I’d had the vaccination and two boosters and it just felt like a bad case if the flu.

I have the usual symptoms of long Covid but am dealing with those .

OP for me it’s definitely been a thing - I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.

"Unfortunately one of the most common COVID symptoms currently seems to be a sore throat with or without a mild fever," infectious disease specialist Dr. Andreas M. Kogelnik, MD, PhD., tells us. "I say unfortunately because—of course—a sore throat can be attributed to many different causes."

This is especially true for people who have seasonal allergies, making it easier to dismiss the symptom as a high pollen count versus a contagious infection like COVID.

Other COVID symptoms commonly being reported include:

Body aches

Chills

Congestion

Cough

Fatigue

Fever

I just had the last booster about a month ago. Never had covid and I hope I never get it.

I was ill for about three days after receiving the booster, fatigue and body aches

Just got my booster a week ago, after putting it off because I wanted it to be at its most effective during a surge. I assumed we'd have one this summer. Seems like I guesstimated correctly.

[quote] Is Covid still a thing?

Covid stopped being a thing on inauguration day 2021. The million or so Americans who died thereafter were pretty much ignored by the media and politicians who before had been doing a daily count.

It’s unfortunate that the boosters come out in September and not May.

There’s a whole bunch of different “flirt” variants going around. The most common is KP.2, but it’s still only one fifth of cases in the US so you can see that it’s a heterogeneous surge, driven primarily by travel and not a particular variant.

Deaths continue to decline.

Being on the Covid ECMO team since March 2020.

Busy now with Covid admits. And its still the unvaccinated that are dying. Covid has NOT taken a holiday. Millions have died by the way. Many hospitals under reported and many many if not all red states way underreported and still don't. We will never reach herd immunity because of the anti vaxxers. I've stopped trying long ago to educate the antivaxxers. Just die then.

I think I just had it. It came on quickly, had all the flu symptoms, fever for 4 days, some things tasted funky, can't smell anything.

I’m visiting some friends in upstate NY (Accord), and 2 friends of theirs just got it last week. It’s so weird that it’s making a resurgence.

R50 I usually feel like crap for a day after I get my boosters.

That's because the vaccine activates your immune response and puts it in overdrive, leaving you feeling tired and achy. That's actually a good thing, because it means you have a strong immune system.

There’s been a summer resurgence every year.

I have never had covid, but I have had all the vaccines. However, I feel like I have all the symptoms every day. I think it is because I am turning 70 this year.

I visited London last month with family, and made sure to get an updated Moderna shot. My brother refused to get one. His choice, but he wasn't feeling well when we returned from the trip. He took the test. Positive.

[quote] vaccine activates your immune response and puts it in overdrive, leaving you feeling tired and achy

A good nap gets you past all that. My experience anyway.

Never had the covid. Had the symptoms once and went to the Health Dept drive through exam station. Just a mild cold.

When the outbreak initially hit I had enough provisions to avoid supermarkets for almost two months. It's nice to have that sort of leeway, even if it gets you called a prepper by some person then on an inhalator.

I've never had it. But a month ago, I got bronchitis for the first time. I'm just now recovering from it. Coincidentally, my sister got sick, too, and had similar symptoms, though she wasn't diagnosed with bronchitis.

It's cycling back up again this summer. More like a cold but the loss of taste/smell is telltale.

It’s still swirling around NYC, not like 2021-22 but still very much a thing. I know a dozen people who have had it this year so far. None seriously though

A friend of mine got it a few months ago in nyc. She had it bad and was sick for at least 2 weeks. I didn't see her for 1 month. She's in her 50s

I think the only good shot is pfzer. there are now problems with other ones, I've read a few reports in the news about serious side effects.

A new Nature Medicine study found that health problems stemming from even mild Covid infections can emerge as many as three years afterward. The study found a greater risk three years later of problems in the gut, brain and lungs, including irritable bowel syndrome, mini-strokes and pulmonary scarring.

This is different from what most people think of as “long Covid,” the debilitating chronic condition that can include fatigue, brain fog and racing heartbeat. Instead, the latest study has found an increased risk of new health conditions—things you probably wouldn’t think of as related to a prior illness—developing years later.

Confirmed. I had Covid. First time I ever had it as far as I know. Just have a mild cough and mild, intermittent headache now; however, I have completely lost my sense of smell, like practically had my head in a bottle of Tide detergent and still couldn't smell anything. Supposedly it comes back within 90 days.

It was not like the worst flu I ever had, but pretty close.

- R55

Yes. Two times, two years apart, both after traveling by airplane. It’s bad for the first week and then took a month or so for my chest to clear up. The last time was May 2024, so it’s definitely still around.

r33 not a single case has been reported from touching a surface.

“Finally,” said Linsey Marr, an expert on airborne viruses in the article of The New York Times.1) “We’ve known this for a long time and yet people are still focusing so much on surface cleaning. There’s really no evidence that anyone has ever gotten COVID-19 by touching a contaminated surface.”

Well, we didn't know that *then*.

I’ve had two very close friends die of Covid. It really sucks. One of them texted my husband that it was awful but she was starting to feel better. A couple days later, she died. My other friend and I had been out of touch and then I texted him and he didn’t text back immediately like he usually would’ve. I googled his name and “obituary” and sure enough, he was dead. I called his sister to find out the details, I’m still shocked and don’t believe they’re gone.

I’ve tested positive twice. Wasn’t that sick either time but I got really sick all three times I got the vaccine. That’s supposed to be a good sign?

It means that your immune system got excited by and mounted a response to the vaccine in a way that you could feel. For some people it means that their immune system is strong and healthy. For other people it means that they have an autoimmune disorder that causes their system to overreact. I’m in the latter camp so I take Benadryl and advil when I get the vaccine.

My condolences on the loss of your friends.

Yes. Neighbors across the street just found out their "cold" during our 105-110°+ heat wave is Covid. They're isolating and neighbors are dropping off cold deli prepared foods and some nice local ACME sourdough.

I have never had Covid. Two friends living in a distant state are recovering from their first (and only, we hope) bout. They say it is just awful.

Try to avoid getting this infection, it has ruined people's health permanently.

My 86-yr. old mother just got it for the first time. She had extreme fatigue, vertigo-like feelings and still hasn't regained her sense of taste.

Still a thing:

Rates of COVID-19 have surged in Florida emergency rooms over recent weeks and are now near peaks not seen since the worst days of this past winter’s wave of the virus.

The weekly average of emergency room patients with COVID-19 has reached 2.64% in Florida and now rank among the highest of any state during this summer’s COVID-19 wave.

Trends from Florida have also climbed steeply in other key metrics that authorities now use to track COVID-19, including in wastewater and nursing homes.

R78 Well, finally some good news about COVID.

It's crazy how many people recover and yet some people die. Human bodies are so variable. It's like how some people get side effects from certain medications and some people don't.

One thing was clear from the statistics though. Fatties died at higher rate than normal people. Another reason to reduce overeating.

Be sure to stay current with your COVID booster and take Vitamin D3 supplement daily. If you do get infected, your symptoms should be considerably less then.

Isn't the loss of smell just because of a stuffy nose that comes with a regular cold?

[quote]Isn't the loss of smell just because of a stuffy nose that comes with a regular cold?

No.

Started feeling really crummy on Jul 3 and even worse July 4- confirmed covid. I feel awful. Just got paxlovid pills to help

I’ve been noticing more people wearing masks again over these last couple of weeks, particularly on the train and in grocery stores. I had stopped just a while ago but with cases on the rise, I think I will start back up again.

I know it sounds a little over the top, but I’m still disinfecting my groceries, my mail, basically anything coming in from the “outside world”. I’m terrified of getting long-COVID since I’ve already been dealing for decades with the one-two punch of fibromyalgia plus CFS. Maybe I’m paranoid, or maybe it’s my neurodivergence on display, but I just don’t want to risk catching a nasty virus from my rotisserie chicken or my pack of panty liners.

[quote]the one-two punch of fibromyalgia plus CFS

In old DL, that statement would be irresistible catnip.

[quote] Fatties died at higher rate than normal people. Another reason to reduce overeating.

Puts pizza back in the freezer…

Yes COVID is a thing and it is spiking right now. I'm seeing a lot of waitresses and cashiers and people who deal with the public in stores wearing masks. I think I'm gonna do likewise when I ma in close proximity to crowds.

Impossible! Trump said it was going to disappear "like a miracle"!

I had a pretty bad bout in late Feb. I neglected to get the flu/Covid shot in the fall, kept putting it off. Oops.

I had the flu and Covid shots on the same day and whew…I’ll space them out next time. My little trick after getting the Covid booster is to drink Gatorade, take a couple Tylenol and go for a walk. Halfway through the walk I started sweating like crazy. I drove home and slept the rest of the day.

It took a couple days to get back to 100%. I think it’s worth the hassle. Covid for me was a three-day cold with the shakes. When I had the flu years ago, I was a mess for about two months.

I shot bleach in my arm. No problems since.

My doctor said in the fall, they should have a combo flu shot/COVID booster.

[quote]My doctor said in the fall, they should have a combo flu shot/COVID booster.

An updated booster shot will be available to Americans this fall, the CDC confirmed. The shots are expected to become available in August and September.

The updated booster won’t be a combination COVID-influenza vaccine, said Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, chief medical officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital. That shot won’t be available until at least next year, he said.

Why is your ditzy neighbor walking around outside with COVID? Shouldn't she be isolating gor at least 5 days?

[quote] An updated booster shot will be available to Americans this fall, the CDC confirmed.

When it's available you can't do better than the quick friendly and 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 service at CVS