Scratchy throat and stuffy nose.

ssfc72 · September 14, 2022, 07:07:57 AM

So last Sunday evening I developed a mild scratchy throat and stuffy nose. I had a Covid rapid test kit so on Tuesday I thought I should just check and it came up positive. :-(
A lady friend of mine had the same symptoms on Friday evening and she also showed positive for her rapid Covid test.

fox · September 14, 2022, 07:29:11 AM

A CBC article suggested that 60-70% of Canadians have gotten COVID.

buster · September 15, 2022, 10:11:35 AM

The most interesting part of this post, for the readers who know you anyway, is
"A lady friend of mine had the same symptoms on Friday evening and she also showed positive for her rapid Covid test."
Don't forget to social distance!

Hope your symptoms are mild. Friends of ours suffered a fair bit. OK now.

ssfc72 · September 15, 2022, 07:14:29 PM

The rapid test kit, fine print, says that a positive indication could be caused by other illnesses beside covid.

Since I have had a mild scratchy throat and stuffy nose numerous times before covid showed up, then I may actually not have covid. Only a molecular PCR is proof positive of having covid and the Ontario government is no longer doing this test, to confirm a positive result from a Rapid test kit.

Jason · September 16, 2022, 01:52:15 PM

Sorry to hear that, Bill. You can check the Ontario government website but I believe the normal thing to do is check again in 36 hours ideally, but up to 48 hours or so later with another RAT to see if it comes up positive. It's after that period but you could do another test. If it comes up positive again, you have it. If not, it was a false positive. But seeing you're a close contact of someone who also tested positive, it's almost certain that you have it.

I do hope that those are the only symptoms you get, Bill. I believe you're full vaxxed and boosted so you'll likely be fine. Generally, if you get really sick with COVID, it gets worse very fast. Some people can still get symptoms like the flu and be fine but you should so still go to the hospital if that happens. Take care of yourself and stay home if you can until your symptoms have abated or wear a mask if you can't when around other people. I know you're pretty responsible so it's probably unnecessary to say this.

Btw, I don't know about Kawartha Lakes, but Peterborough Public Health asks that people report the results of the rapid tests. Since we're not testing everyone, these rapid tests are the only indicators in the general population, aside from hospital entries and wastewater (which isn't necessarily accurate to actual numbers). So if you can find the page on their website, it's a good idea. It's all kept perfectly confidential. I've done it 3 times that I tested myself and my wife (all negative).

My problem is that most of the COVID symptoms are problems I've had for many years, stuffy/runny nose, chills, hot flashes (that can seem like fevers), severe headaches, so I'd probably never know if I had it! Except that I've gotten heart palpitations since I was a teenager. But evidently, that's a new symptom of long COVID. And in the past couple of months, they've increased in frequency and intensity. Who knows?

Jason · September 16, 2022, 01:55:33 PM

Quote from: buster on September 15, 2022, 10:11:35 AM
The most interesting part of this post, for the readers who know you anyway, is
"A lady friend of mine had the same symptoms on Friday evening and she also showed positive for her rapid Covid test."
Don't forget to social distance!

I see what you did there. I remember early on, Canada's Chief Medical Officer said that if you had sex, to wear a mask. I shared the article with my friends on Facebook commenting on it saying only "Kinky!" She didn't say a leather mask though.

In other words, no heavy breathing directly on each other or kissing. I'm sure that advice was dutifully followed, right?

Jason · September 16, 2022, 01:58:06 PM

Quote from: fox on September 14, 2022, 07:29:11 AM
A CBC article suggested that 60-70% of Canadians have gotten COVID.

It's important to note that it's a preprint, meaning it hasn't been peer-reviewed yet. But what I find odd is that I didn't think they could tell the difference between vaccine-induced antibodies and infection-induced antibodies. So how would they know if people with them were infected or just got them from vaccination? Were most of the people in the study not vaccinated?

Jason · September 17, 2022, 12:11:26 AM

Bill, I just checked the Ontario website and people are eligible for PCR testing if they're at higher risk of severe illness (and have symptoms). One of them is if you're over 70 which I believe you are. There are other reasons that might apply to you like if you're of Indigenous or Metis background. See here:

https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-testing-and-treatment#section-2

There are some antivirals that can reduce the chance of you getting really sick but they have to be taken soon after infection to be effective. Your symptoms might not be that worrisome but that could change so it's obviously your call. I just wanted to let you know.

ssfc72 · September 17, 2022, 03:50:36 AM

Thanks Jason. I did the pre-assesment questionaire and for the symptoms I had/have (scratcy throat, temperature, stuffy nose, some dissyness) it says to just stay home. The questionaire didn"t ask if I was 70 years or older.

Jason · September 19, 2022, 02:03:28 PM

Quote from: ssfc72 on September 17, 2022, 03:50:36 AM
Thanks Jason. I did the pre-assesment questionaire and for the symptoms I had/have (scratcy throat, temperature, stuffy nose, some dissyness) it says to just stay home. The questionaire didn"t ask if I was 70 years or older.

Was the questionnaire regarding eligibility for a PCR test though? A call to a local drugstore would tell you. But I guess it's too late to worry about now. How are you feeling?

ssfc72 · September 19, 2022, 02:46:36 PM

This is the eight day since the symptoms occurred. The scratcy throat and stuffy nose has gone but I am still quite tired and have momentary dizziness when laying down at night and occasional dry cough.
I still haven't shaken this thing off.

Jason · September 19, 2022, 03:56:29 PM

From what I've read it can several weeks before it's totally gone. Hopefully, you're not one of those unfortunate people to get long COVID but they're usually people who had it quite seriously. Hope you feel 100% soon!

ssfc72 · September 23, 2022, 10:04:12 AM

I did a rapid covid test this morn and it came back negative, even though I still have my symptoms, 12 days after they first occurred.
I will not meet up with people until my symptoms are gone.

Jason · September 23, 2022, 05:25:32 PM

Quote from: ssfc72 on September 23, 2022, 10:04:12 AM
I did a rapid covid test this morn and it came back negative, even though I still have my symptoms, 12 days after they first occurred.
I will not meet up with people until my symptoms are gone.

That's a long time. You're probably no longer contagious especially since you don't seem to have a viral load, at least not high enough for the test to pick up. Good on you for doing the right thing!

Jason · September 29, 2022, 06:50:10 PM

I read something on Medscape that might interest you. For those under the age of 65, 1 in 8 still had symptoms associated with COVID-19 more than 30 days after infection. And if you're over 65, it increases to 1 in 4. So having symptoms after COVID has passed isn't that unusual. I don't think it's long COVID. It just means that some people take more time to recover fully.