Omicron/Covid timeline to manifest

[gcgang]

I understand that there are several ways people have symptoms, or not, when they are infected with Omicron. But I've never seen anything on a "typical" progression.

The reason I'm interested is, of course, all about me. I'm 67 and boosted. My daughter has been back from college for about a week, going out and meeting with all her friends, so I wouldn't doubt she's picked it up and passed on to me. She tested positive Thanksgiving 2020 but had no symptoms and has been vaccinated. She is also in tremendous shape, being a cross country runner, so wouldn't be surprised if she is asymptomatic but infected.

In the last few days, my nose will occasionally run like nothing I've ever had before. Not frequently, or a lot, but once in a while when my head is facing down running like water coming out of a faucet.

If this is all it's going to be, great. On the other hand, if the virus spends a few days incubating while delivering mild symptoms, and then develops into something more serious, I should probably try to get on some of those treatments to limit seriousness.

But it could just be a weird cold.

I've got a call in to my doc but haven't heard back.

Does anyone know how the virus progresses?

 

[W2R]

I understand that there are several ways people have symptoms, or not, when they are infected with Omicron. But I've never seen anything on a "typical" progression.

If there is one, I don't know about it. When I read various people's online description of their Covid symptoms and so on, it almost sounds like a completely different disease than what I went through (even when they are describing the Delta variant, which I am guessing is probably what I had). To me it seems like every Covid patient has a different experience from every other Covid patient.

I think the best way to find out if you have Covid, is to get tested for it by your doctor ASAP (as you are planning to do). Until then, probably you should assume you have it and behave accordingly.

 

[disneysteve]

There really isn't a "norm". I see COVID patients every day and the symptoms are all over the place as is the progression.


Get a test ASAP and until then, assume you have it and quarantine accordingly.


I hope you feel better soon.

 

[rodi]

Get tested. In the meantime, wear a mask when among others and out and about.

My son just tested positive. Like your daughter, he was home from college and hanging out with friends. He left our house Tuesday morning to go visit his girlfriend's family. He tested positive today. Who knows if he infected the amtrak Surfliner and amtrak Starlight passengers... (He was masked the whole time in kn95. He probably has infected his girlfriend, and possibly her twin brother and parents.

His symptoms are fatigue, aches, mild fever. No respiratory. We assumed the symptoms were from the booster shot he got Monday or the hard core rock climbing session also on Monday. His test prior to this was Christmas Eve, negative.

Has your daughter tested since she's been home?

 

[gcgang]

Get tested. In the meantime, wear a mask when among others and out and about.
Has your daughter tested since she's been home?

Thanks for the responses.

It’s Hawaii. We’ve never relaxed mask mandates. Just received my Xmas present to my family of new KN95s.

Daughter feels fine, as do I (except the occasional nose dribble).

You’d think there’d be a better answer than everyone’s different, but this thing is so new and changing that it brings new meaning to the term, “practicing” medicine. Lol.

 

[Ronstar]

Does anyone know how the virus progresses?

I think it varies. I have a lot of friends and relatives who have had and are having Covid now. Some passed away. Some had a mild inconvenience that slowed down their drinking for a week. The virus progresses differently for different people.

Just take of yourself. Get tested, quarantine if positive, and heed your doctor’s advice. Odds are that you will recover nicely if infected.

 

[Alan]

My wife and I had symptoms exactly as you describe with the nose running like a tap and other cold-like symptoms, and this after a trip to London end of November. We tested ourselves daily and kept away from everyone, but no positive results so we concluded that it was just a cold. I canceled a scheduled massage, moved it back a week until I was well again.

 

[pacergal]

I, too, had a watery, runny nose a few weeks ago . My home test was negative. I think it was allergies.
OP--the only way you will know is to get tested. Do you have any home test you could take while waiting for the PCR test from your Doc?
In the meantime, isolate and wear a mask so you decrease risk of passing whatever you have on to others.

 

[Aerides]

Many municipalities/counties/states have drive up (free) testing for those with symptoms or exposure. Just near me there are at least 3 within a 30 minute drive, and one is 5 mins away. Open 12 hours a day, no appointment needed. Just a willingness to queue up for a while. I'd go to one of those the moment I had any symptoms of anything.

 

[disneysteve]

Many municipalities/counties/states have drive up (free) testing for those with symptoms or exposure. Just near me there are at least 3 within a 30 minute drive, and one is 5 mins away. Open 12 hours a day, no appointment needed. Just a willingness to queue up for a while. I'd go to one of those the moment I had any symptoms of anything.

There are some drive up sites here but they are by appointment only and due to the explosion of cases, some are booked a week or more out, which makes them kind of worthless.

 

[Aerides]

There are some drive up sites here but they are by appointment only and due to the explosion of cases, some are booked a week or more out, which makes them kind of worthless.

Yes I understand it's different everywhere, but in general I encourage everyone to be aware of the various options. I'm seeing new sites pop up every few days, and follow my county commissioner on twitter for updates.

 

[disneysteve]

Yes I understand it's different everywhere, but in general I encourage everyone to be aware of the various options. I'm seeing new sites pop up every few days, and follow my county commissioner on twitter for updates.

For sure. New sites are opening here too. My hospital is reopening our site this week and I'm sure others will too because the need is tremendous as we are now in the worst phase of the pandemic yet.

 

[Chuckanut]

Here's an very interesting interview done by Peter Attia with two other doctors/researchers who are looking into Covid. I actually left with a feeling of hope that we will find our way out of this mess sooner than later. The good news is that we have learned a lot about how to treat and manage this disease. The bad news is the messaging that goes out to the public needs a healthy dose of improvement. Of course, we are still learning more so some or all of 'the science' could change.

https://peterattiamd.com/covid-19-current-state-omicron/

Their comments on "what we can test is what we manage" and the massive testing of all the pro athletes were very interesting.

A word of warning: any position (including extreme ones) on Covid, masks, vaccines, social controls, etc. can be supported by taking comments out of context. You really have to listen with an open mind as they discuss the various issues. I like the fact that upfront Attia sets up a rule about making sure they are clear on what are verifiable facts and what are opinions. And the three doctors seem to take pains to do that. Thankfully, unlike many of Attia's interviews, it's NOT loaded with medical jargon that will confuse most laypeople.

Oh, did I mention its over 2.5 hours long? I listened to it in chunks as I went about my daily chores. The show notes list the time points where certain issues are discussed. I found that a nice way to divide this monster up into chewable bites.

 

[Gumby]

I second disneysteve's sage advice to get tested.

FWIW, the young wife and I just ended our 14 day Covid isolation today (based on a positive home antigen test). I assume it was the Omicron variant, because we were double vaccinated last March and then boosted in October (all Pfizer).

Our symptoms were nasal congestion and a little chest congestion, starting about 4-1/2 days after we were probably exposed (although, looking back, they might have been present but not particularly noticeable or bothersome the night before). We also had occasional, isolated coughs, and maybe a little sinus headache early on. We did not have fevers or feel particularly fatigued. No effect on smell or taste. A little restless sleeping. We moistened many a tissue as the sinus congestion eased, but that's what usually happens with a cold. We managed our symptoms with Dayquil and Nyquil, and they passed after about 4 or 5 nights.

We both feel fine now. If not for current world events and the positive test, I would have just chalked it up as a bad cold.

 

[audreyh1]

My DB and family probably had Delta as both parents experienced some loss of smell for about a week. Loss of smell does not seem to be an Omicron symptom.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

In the US how much are you spending on test kits for home? They are $30 for 2 COVID-19 Antigen tests here in the stores. The Collections Kits for RT PCR CE Test - COVID-19 are $85 each!

Who is buying those to test every time they go out or meet someone sketchy? We are not. Seems very hap hazard the way this is going in the US. Folks in general are not going to pay that. They will go to the emergency for free testing when they get bad, which is a lot more expensive in the long run.

Confused on how folks are getting tests to use willy nilly.

 

[Aerides]

Confused on how folks are getting tests to use willy nilly.

Mostly not I'm going to think. There has been a lot of interest on the home testing front here on the forum for quite a while, and I'm sure many members are the type who stocked up when they were easier to get. Still not cheap, but Binax were $24 for two and easy enough to get just 5-6 weeks ago.

Still, it does seem the need for home testing was overlooked, and probably incorrectly deemed to be not profitable by most providers, especially after Delta waned, and boosters were all the rage.

Really would like to see home tests in the 5 for $25 range to be viable. Still, expensive for families and for those who get a negative but have symptoms (guidance is to test twice).

 

[rodi]

In the US how much are you spending on test kits for home? They are $30 for 2 COVID-19 Antigen tests here in the stores. The Collections Kits for RT PCR CE Test - COVID-19 are $85 each!

Who is buying those to test every time they go out or meet someone sketchy? We are not. Seems very hap hazard the way this is going in the US. Folks in general are not going to pay that. They will go to the emergency for free testing when they get bad, which is a lot more expensive in the long run.

Confused on how folks are getting tests to use willy nilly.

Can't speak for others but I've kept some around in case I showed symptoms or needed a test for social reasons. (Our Christmas Eve dinner we asked friends/family to test first.) As I use them I order more.

I also just ordered some to be sent to younger son's girlfriends house... they need to test at the end of their isolation. (Their college won't let them come back in person after a positive test without a negative test after 5 days.) This way they can test at her house before they drive back to campus and get tested in person. I'm hoping the tests I ordered will be there on Wednesday....

Yes it's expensive. I'm consoling myself with the fact it is an HSA qualified expense and I have plenty of $$ in my HSA.

 

[Gumby]

We had two tests (one box) left over from September. Then I got two more in mid December in anticipation of testing before going to visit family for Christmas. I had to go to a number of drug stores before I found them in stock, and they were the last two in the store. A good thing, too, since we tested negative one day and positive the next and so did not go visit family.

 

[RobbieB]

Wifey picked up 2 at Walgreens, $35 each. Had a scratchy throat. Negative.

That's the rub eh? Now when you don't even have a sore throat, you get a covid test.

The fear and anxiety levels are high.

 

[Scuba]

I have a lot of social activities planned in the next week or so, and decided it would be prudent to get tested. Went online and to a number of stores today and none had any tests. They said they ran out well before Christmas and have no idea when they’ll be restocked. Online sites are showing tentative delivery times about 2 weeks out.

I have a very mild scratchy throat and some sinus drainage in the back of my throat, so tomorrow I’m paying $149 for a rapid test that will test for both COVID and flu. I’m vaxxed and boosted for COVID and also vaxxed for flu, but I decided to bite the bullet and do this. I’ll have results within one hour so between that and how I’m feeling tomorrow, I’ll decide if I need to adjust social plans.

At these prices, I won’t be testing often though.

 

[Another Reader]

Walmart has the Binax tests, two for $14, when in stock. I picked up six boxes over the last two days. Lucked into the first batch via slickdeals.com, but then Walmart was out when I tried to buy a second batch. Tried again this morning and snagged the rest. It's kind of like buying tickets. Check every hour to see if more have been released. Four to five days for delivery, which is why I keep some on hand.

I don't understand the thinking behind the current PCR tests. They swab only the outer area of the nostrils. No more reaching to the brain. According to many of the well known clinical and research doctors that post on Twitter, Omicron is found in the throat as opposed to the nose. A lot of cases may be missed as a result of the new PCR testing protocol.

 

[tb001]

We’ve been getting the Walmart binax tests as well. At $14 per kit, it’s at least less expensive.

We bought 4 kits in early December and went through them with kids colds/holiday testing. Now kids are sick again and covid testing is nowhere to be found. DD (vaccinated) stuck at home for 10 days because she said she had a sore throat. No fever, but no going back to school until we have a negative pcr result. School contracted pcr testing doesn’t have any appointments until mid next week. Luckily we found an alternative and should know by Wednesday, but it’s still three days of missed school.

We have one binax test left but it seems pointless to use it on DD. We managed to find a few more kits at Walmart due in on Wednesday.

The lack of good inexpensive testing options is a disgrace imo. For children, it’s a disaster.

 

[Gremlin]

Here's an very interesting interview done by Peter Attia with two other doctors/researchers who are looking into Covid. I actually left with a feeling of hope that we will find our way out of this mess sooner than later. The good news is that we have learned a lot about how to treat and manage this disease. The bad news is the messaging that goes out to the public needs a healthy dose of improvement. Of course, we are still learning more so some or all of 'the science' could change.

https://peterattiamd.com/covid-19-current-state-omicron/

Their comments on "what we can test is what we manage" and the massive testing of all the pro athletes were very interesting.

A word of warning: any position (including extreme ones) on Covid, masks, vaccines, social controls, etc. can be supported by taking comments out of context. You really have to listen with an open mind as they discuss the various issues. I like the fact that upfront Attia sets up a rule about making sure they are clear on what are verifiable facts and what are opinions. And the three doctors seem to take pains to do that. Thankfully, unlike many of Attia's interviews, it's NOT loaded with medical jargon that will confuse most laypeople.

Oh, did I mention its over 2.5 hours long? I listened to it in chunks as I went about my daily chores. The show notes list the time points where certain issues are discussed. I found that a nice way to divide this monster up into chewable bites.

I just listened to this podcast this morning. I agree it is excellent and I hope that their nuanced, science based approach gets more widely adopted.

 

[Alan]

I listened to an interesting interview on the radio this morning with a mother trying to get her 12 year old daughter vaccinated. A day before she was due to get jabbed in early November she caught Covid and tested positive. Classic Delta symptoms including loss of taste and smell. The rules in England are that you can’t get a vaccine until 1 month after Covid unless you are under 16 when it is 3 months because of the slight risk of myocarditis. Over Christmas she caught Covid again, confirmed with a PCR test, but this time milder and different symptoms, much more like a cold. Assumption is Delta followed by Omicron, and the 3 month clock to get her vaccine has now started again.

Her plea to the health authorities was to allow her daughter to be vaccinated a month after Covid rather than 3 months. I was amazed to hear that a young person can catch Covid so soon after already having it.