# Comments on having Covid **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [June 17, 2022, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383 "2022-06-17T17:11:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383/62 "2022-08-01T17:31:31Z")
Huh, I’d never heard of that before. I knew people lost their sense of smell due to congestion but thought it cleared up once they could breathe through their noses again. COVID was the first I ever heard otherwise. I first tested positive a week ago today, which was also the first day I had symptoms. On Friday I was feeling 80% recovered, but then my cough and fatigue worsened. I’d say it still only ever matched my worst day of the initial period of symptoms, but it was curious, coming after I was feeling so much better. It also made me think about the reports of people taking Paxlovid and relapsing after the 5-day supply ran out. I didn’t take it, but I experienced a similar “relapse” on days 6-7 anyway. Maybe that’s a feature of the virus rather than an effect of the drug? Anyway, I’m reporting all of this to the folks at UCLA conducting the Moderna study (as well as giving them vials of spit to analyze), so hopefully the smart people will crunch the data and continue to improve recommendations for preventive care and treatment. ---
**Author:** ![Tfletch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tfletch1/32/5340_2.png) [@Tfletch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tfletch1)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383/63 "2022-08-01T19:18:48Z")
> [@Esprise\_Me](#): > > On Friday I was feeling 80% recovered, but then my cough and fatigue worsened. I’d say it still only ever matched my worst day of the initial period of symptoms, but it was curious, coming after I was feeling so much better. It also made me think about the reports of people taking Paxlovid and relapsing after the 5-day supply ran out. I didn’t take it, but I experienced a similar “relapse” on days 6-7 anyway. Maybe that’s a feature of the virus rather than an effect of the drug? Yep, maybe it’s a bit of both. Pfizer said during their study that about 2% of placebos had mild rebound cases. They claimed that rebound with Paxlovid was about the same, but now that there’s more data out there, the number with Paxlovid is more like 5-10% from what I’m reading. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > I’ve had anosmia twice, both pre-covid, but after a cold. It was similar to covid in that my nose was clear, but I couldn’t smell or taste anything. It drove me nuts, but only lasted about a week each time. Interesting. Never happened to me before. I’m noticing my taste is a bit muffled too. Good. Maybe I can use this opportunity to lose some weight. LOL. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383/64 "2022-08-01T19:47:44Z")
Oh, my taste wasn’t a little muddled, it was dead. All i could taste was sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umani. It drove me nuts. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2022, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383/65 "2022-08-02T12:38:09Z")
> [@Tfletch1](#): > > Yep, maybe it’s a bit of both. Pfizer said during their study that about 2% of placebos had mild rebound cases. They claimed that rebound with Paxlovid was about the same, but now that there’s more data out there, the number with Paxlovid is more like 5-10% from what I’m reading. Yesterday on our local news a doctor was explaining this in light of President Biden’s recent bout. She said Paxlovid was working as expected, but once the course of treatment was completed, any remaining covid in the system was able to rebound. Symptoms are expected to remain mild, but any rebound should be handled the same as the initial infection WRT isolation. ---
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383/66 "2022-08-03T19:12:17Z")
Day 10. I still have a bit of gunk in my throat, but I tested negative. The control line wasn’t as dark this time, so I tested again to make sure I got enough stuff on the swab, with the same result: slightly dimmer control line, no positive test line. I guess I can go to my folks’ house this weekend! ---
**Author:** ![Tfletch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tfletch1/32/5340_2.png) [@Tfletch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tfletch1)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383/67 "2022-08-04T00:27:18Z")
Again, one day behind you at day 9. Haven’t had symptoms for several days and my sense of smell is back. But my antigen test is still positive. 😒 ---
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383/68 "2022-08-04T00:29:30Z")
I’m glad your sense of smell is back at least! ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383/69 "2022-08-04T00:57:41Z")
I don’t think the control line tells you whether you collected an adequate sample. I think it’s only purpose is to tell you whether the test kit is okay. That is, if it’s expired, or perhaps it expired early because it was left out in the sun, you won’t get a control line. Also, I suppose if you use much too little buffer you may not get any line, but you’d see that the buffer didn’t diffuse over the test area, probably. ---
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383/70 "2022-08-04T01:26:20Z")
Huh. So, if I were to not stick the swab up my nose at all, but just put it into the liquid and then drop the liquid onto the test as directed, I’d still get a control line? I guess I could try this. I thought it was testing for the presence of some bodily something or other to prevent that kind of cheating/insufficient swabbing. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383/71 "2022-08-04T02:06:34Z")
That was my impression as well. But a search shows that the control line reacts to the liquid in the test. It has nothing to do with anything on the swab. > After passing the test line, the sample continues to be wicked up the strip, where a similar reaction happens at the control line. The only difference is that the antibodies fixed at the control line are to the test antibody itself, and no bridging occurs. > **[How Do Rapid Antigen Tests Work?](https://www.clinicallab.com/trends/covid-19-testing/how-do-rapid-antigen-tests-work-26279)** > > Learn how rapid antigen tests, or lateral flow immunoassays, identify COVID-19 ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383/72 "2022-08-04T02:13:18Z")
yes, i’m pretty certain it doesn’t tell you anything about the quality of the sample, just that the test isn’t expired and has been performed appropriately (the right liquids in the right places, that sort of thing.) I haven’t actually tested that, but these tests were never designed with “cheating” in mind, rather they were designed with “tests sometimes fail” in mind. ---
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383/73 "2022-08-04T02:56:46Z")
Thanks! Ignorance fought! ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383/74 "2022-08-04T03:30:30Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > due to heart problems I cant get a vax … If it’s not too private an issue, would you please elucidate? Everything I’ve read says that people with heart disease should absolutely get vaccinated, that the vaccine is safe for those with heart issues and that those with heart conditions are at increased risk for complications from COVID. Are there exceptions? ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383/75 "2022-08-04T03:34:35Z")
I have a moderately serious heart murmur(among other problems) and at the time they didn’t know how it would affect it ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383/76 "2022-08-04T04:56:07Z")
Thank you for explaining. Have you checked with your docs since then? Now that we understand so much more about COVID, maybe they’ve changed their recommendations. I’d hate to think you were at increased risk. Wishing you the best! ---
**Author:** ![Tfletch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tfletch1/32/5340_2.png) [@Tfletch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tfletch1)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383/77 "2022-08-04T14:33:46Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > I have a moderately serious heart murmur(among other problems) and at the time they didn’t know how it would affect it > [@nelliebly](#): > > Have you checked with your docs since then? Now that we understand so much more about COVID, maybe they’ve changed their recommendations. I’d hate to think you were at increased risk. @nightshadea, I agree with @nelliebly. Cardiac complications due to vaccination are much more rare than those caused by covid. It’s getting harder and harder to avoid being infected unless you live in a bubble. I hope your doctor can give you good advice. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2022, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383/78 "2022-08-10T19:29:11Z")
Got headache and sore throat at night Aug 1st. Not too bad, but thought “uh oh”. I don’t get headaches or sore throats. Tested in the morning and sure enough, I had COVID. Was mostly like a head cold with a bit of a cough. Never lost any sense of taste or smell. It’s still hanging on 8 days later. I think being fully vaxed up has helped me fight it. My Wife got it 2 weeks before I did. So has been sleeping in guest room for nearly a month now. Our house actually works pretty well for this. Though we cheat and play chess or cards together making sure to disinfect our hands a LOT. Otherwise, our lives have been pretty normal. We live remote and like the ‘illusion’ of seclusion (my wife coined the phrase.) We don’t miss ‘night life’ one bit, It’s not our thing. ---
**Author:** ![Workingdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f17d59/32.png) [@Workingdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Workingdude)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383/79 "2022-09-21T01:42:17Z")
Now that I got Covid 19 after being vaccinated I say this . I now have natural immunity to this crazy virus on steroids and I have perfect immunity to this strain. Whoooo whhhoooo! I have thee best immunity now that I have natural immunity. I am still vulnerable to a mutated strain but it will probably not do much to me if I get it. Whoooooo whhhoooo!. I got natural immunity and I feel so protected now! ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383/80 "2022-09-21T02:50:28Z")
> [@Workingdude](#): > > I now have natural immunity to this crazy virus on steroids and I have perfect immunity to this strain. None of this is accurate, but you’ve been told that multiple times here and it hasn’t made an impression on you yet. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383/81 "2022-09-21T03:30:50Z")
fwiw, I read that post as sarcastic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-having-covid/966383.md?page=5)