I have COVID-19

[statsman]

I fail to see much benefit in the antibody tests. All it will say is you have been exposed to the virus. It won't be able to tell you when this happened, which I believe would be useful to know, but likely impossible to determine.

Even with a positive test result, it is no guarantee the time you might have been sick was actually COVID-19. The antibody test also won't be able to tell you that you can't get the virus again or a virus that has mutated from COVID-19 you were exposed to.

 

[RonBoyd]

I fail to see much benefit in the antibody tests.

Even with a positive test result, it is no guarantee the time you might have been sick was actually COVID-19. The antibody test also won't be able to tell you that you can't get the virus again or a virus that has mutated from COVID-19 you were exposed to.

Or if you are one of the "Carriers" who are asymptomatic and test Negative -- there is some thought this may be most of us.

 

[Aerides]

Or if you are one of the "Carriers" who are asymptomatic and test Negative -- there is some thought this may be most of us.

Please provide a source of this "most of us" idea.

There might be thought, but it's not scientific thought. The only data says maybe 4% in a California study, and that's deemed possibly too high, and has yet to be peer reviewed, and is only a very preliminary study.

 

[gwraigty]

OP....based on your initial post.....you NEVER had a confirmatory test for Covid 19. Correct?

Hence , how can you say "I have Covid-19?"

You MIGHT have Covid 19 and you might not.....but without a test.....you are just guessing.

Do whatever you need to do to get tested ASAP!

Only then will you know for sure. Anything else is just speculation.

I said this already on Page 1. OP did try to get a test, but was denied.

 

[Bestwifeever]

A. I would call this thread “I might have Covid-19” even though that’s much less dramatic....

We and our kids used to get TB “tine tests” every so often to see if we had TB antigens from previous exposures. Never did get a positive result, but the testing was routine, no big deal, no one questioned getting them. Would love a covid-19 antigen test asap....

 

[harllee]

Just saw on the local news that LabCorp now has at home testing for Covid-19. First priority will be health care workers and then it will be available to the general public. Costs around $150.

 

[kgtest]

Wish you well, SIL is on frontlines and also in self-quarantine from catching virus. Sounds like it isn't a fun time. Her blessing is that she is single so not too many have come in contact beyond those she cares for.

 

[RonBoyd]

Please provide a source of this "most of us" idea.

There might be thought, but it's not scientific thought. The only data says maybe 4% in a California study, and that's deemed possibly too high, and has yet to be peer reviewed, and is only a very preliminary study.

Yeah, you are right. It is unimportant... forget I said it.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Please provide a source of this "most of us" idea.

There might be thought, but it's not scientific thought. The only data says maybe 4% in a California study, and that's deemed possibly too high, and has yet to be peer reviewed, and is only a very preliminary study. The shelter tested all of its guests.

There's this that just popped up on my stock market app--a homeless shelter tested all of the people it was serving and found a bit more than a third of them tested positive and were asymptomatic (none had symptoms). Way too early for peer reviewed studies but there is anecdotal evidence .

A recent round of coronavirus testing in Boston’s homeless population is raising concern about asymptomatic spread of the coronavirus. Of 397 people tested, 146 — or 36% — came up positive, BHCHP President Dr. Jim O’Connell says. But another finding jumped out at clinicians.
“Every one of these folks were asymptomatic. None of them had a fever, and none of them reported symptoms,” O’Connell explains. “So the usual screening tool we had been using in order to see who should be tested turned out to be essentially useless for us. So this was stunning to us. We were not expecting that.”

https://apple.news/AUtmUA-e-TgG8SyOvMk-OOw

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

Folks, SOMEONE is getting tested. The daily tracking data as of 4PM yesterday shows that we are now north of 4 million tests performed in the United States, with 772,524 positives, 3,231,027 negatives, and 4,037 pending.

That data also shows that the majority of those tested are negative (at least at the time of the test alas dependent on the sensitivity (true positive) and specificity (true negative) of the test kit used. (19.3% of the known results, i.e. removing the pending) have been positive.

Yes, I know that 4 million / 330 million = 1.2%, and that some of those tests are likely repeats (I can't tell from a cursory look at the sources whether they are double/triple etc counted or not), but that is still a lot of tests performed. We are now running at a little over 1 million tests/week (7 day average, true for last 14 days of 7 day averages).

Do I wish there were more testing? Yes.

 

[calmloki]

From the LA Times...

Here’s how to get tested for the coronavirus in L.A. County
Four new drive-through coronavirus testing sites opened in Los Angeles County on Monday.

The locations are at a city-owned parking lot in Bell, at Beverly Community Hospital in Montebello, at PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital in MacArthur Park and at PIH Health Whittier Hospital, county officials announced over the weekend.

Any resident with symptoms of COVID-19 can now make a same- or next-day appointment for testing, the county announced Friday. Symptoms include fever, cough and difficulty breathing.

Previously, testing was limited to those 65 and older or with underlying health conditions, but earlier this month, the county expanded eligibility requirements to include anyone with symptoms.

Officials have said that more widespread testing and contact tracing are key to assessing the scope of the pandemic and taking steps toward lifting stay-at-home orders.

To make an appointment, residents must visit the county’s testing website and fill out a questionnaire. If they are eligible, they will receive an appointment confirmation number by email, which they must bring along with a photo ID in order to be tested.

Though most of the testing sites are drive-throughs, they also can accommodate walk-ups, provided people make an appointment, officials said. Those without internet access can call 211 to make an appointment. No one will be turned away because of immigration status or lack of insurance, officials said.

Test results take three to four days, and those who are positive will be notified by phone, while those who are negative will receive an email.

Advertisement

There are now 34 testing sites in L.A. County. Here is a full list.

Antelope Valley Mall (1233 Rancho Vista Blvd., Palmdale)
Pomona Fairplex (Gate 17, West McKinley/Fairplex Drive)
South Bay Galleria (1815 Hawthorne Blvd., Redondo Beach)
Carbon Health-Echo Park (walk-up only; 2110 Sunset Blvd., Suite M, Los Angeles)
Crenshaw Christian Center (7901 S. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles)
Glendale Memorial Hospital (222 W. Eulalia St., Glendale)
Hansen Dam Recreational Center (entrance on Osborne Street, 11798 Foothill Blvd., Lake View Terrace)
High Desert Medical Group (43839 15th St. W., Lancaster)
Hotchkin Memorial Training Center (1700 Stadium Way, Los Angeles)
VA Parking Lot 15 (100 Constitution Ave., Los Angeles; at the corner of Constitution and Davis)
Northridge Hospital Medical Center (18460 Roscoe Blvd., Northridge; enter on Reseda Boulevard)
Lincoln Park (3501 Valley Blvd., Los Angeles)
AltaMed Medical and Dental Group — Commerce, Goodrich (972 Goodrich Blvd., Commerce)
AltaMed Medical Group — Pico Rivera, Passons (6336 Passons Blvd., Pico Rivera)
AltaMed Medical and Dental Group — South Gate (8627 Atlantic Ave., South Gate)
Long Beach City College (1305 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach)
AltaMed Medical and Dental Group — West Covina (1300 S. Sunset Ave., West Covina)
Charles R. Drew Campus (1731 E 120th St. Los Angeles)
Santa Clarita (26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Santa Clarita)
Pasadena (1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena)
East L.A. College (1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park; between Floral and Cesar Chavez)
Avors Medical Group (42135 10th St. W, Suite 101, Lancaster)
Warner Center (6097 Canoga Ave., Woodland Hills)
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (8730 Alden Drive, Los Angeles)
Kedren Community Health Center (walk-up only; 4211 Avalon, Los Angeles)
Altamed Medical Group (2040 Camfield Ave., Los Angeles)
Bellflower Civic Center (16600 Civic Center Drive, Bellflower)
The Forum (3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood)
San Gabriel Valley Airport (4233 Santa Anita Ave., El Monte)
AltaMed Evaluation and Testing Site — Pennsylvania (1724 Pennsylvania Ave., Los Angeles)
Beverly Hospital (309 W. Beverly Blvd., Montebello)
Good Samaritan Hospital (1225 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles)
Bell (6480-6410 Atlantic Ave., Bell)
PIH Health Hospital — Whittier (12401 Washington Blvd., Whittier)

Worth noting that Caninelover went to a testing center and: "They took my temperature with a hand-held forehead device, and took my oxygen saturation level with one of those devices you stick a finger into. Both were normal, and they told me that unfortunately with no underlying conditions or not being part of a special population (i.e. over 65) I don't currently qualify for a test".
Several days prior to that her doctor, on video chat, suspected she might have the virus. At the testing center her readings were normal; thus did not qualify for a test.

I'd be happy to take a test as well just to see if I've contracted and survived the virus, but let's get the obvious sickies tested first.

 

[ivinsfan]

So confusing in our state they continue to say avaiablily of tests is increasing and if you show symptoms you should be able to get a test. Yesterday they ran around 850 tests, does this mean no one around the state is feeling ill or does it mean that they are lying about tests being readily available!!


This is a really low number of daily tests I think we had been averaging about 1500 a day.

 

[Rustic23]

Testing! IMHO, you can not compare say Korea and the US, or just about any other country other than maybe China.

Example: Korea has 38,000 sq miles, and 52 million people.
USA has 3.5 million sq miles and 360 million people.
all numbers approximate.

While I am not expert at testing, it would appear a lot easier to test in Korea than the US. Heck just getting to Point Blank Tx, or Gun Barrel TX, is a challenge, much less getting the fine folks there to agree to a government mandated test. (by the way I live in one of those places)

So when one complains about testing and says how much better another country is doing, it's not an apples to apples comparison.

 

[RAE]

I fail to see much benefit in the antibody tests. All it will say is you have been exposed to the virus. It won't be able to tell you when this happened, which I believe would be useful to know, but likely impossible to determine.

Even with a positive test result, it is no guarantee the time you might have been sick was actually COVID-19. The antibody test also won't be able to tell you that you can't get the virus again or a virus that has mutated from COVID-19 you were exposed to.

I'm not sure I understand. Antibody testing is one of the things most state govt's (and countries around the world) are saying is essential to determine who has already had COVID-19, and thus presumably who has the antibodies in their system to protect them (for a while, at least) against another attack. There has even been discussion of identifying people who have the antibodies so that they can return to the workforce, etc.. I'm not sure why you feel it is so important to know when the person was exposed to the virus? For example, whether it was January, or February or March of this year, does it really matter that much?

Also, if the antibody test is reliable (and they are trying hard to come up with a reliable test), why do you think it would not be able to determine if you were exposed to COVID-19? That is the whole point of the test, I believe. With regard to viral mutations, yes, they do occur, but I think most epidemiologists would say that even if the virus begins to mutate (and from what I read, it has not mutated much so far), being exposed to an earlier strain would still likely provide some protection. Nobody knows how long that protection would last, but I believe most estimates say that from 1-5 years is likely.

So basically, I don't understand why you think an antibody test would not provide much benefit. If you are correct, then all the efforts being undertaken to develop a reliable antibody test are not useful.

 

[Buckeye]

I may have had it a few weeks ago, but I decided that I wasn’t going to the hospital until I started having difficulty breathing. I figured that I could survive the fever, chills, stomach ache, diarrhea, fatigue and dizziness at home on my own.

Our county does not test people unless they have symptoms, and since I didn’t have a cough or difficulty breathing I figured that there was no point in going since I wouldn’t get a test.

DW had similar symptoms. We both would like to get an antibody test down the road.

Many folks are waiting (and told to wait) until they have difficulty breathing. This article discusses the fact people are hypoxic and don't even know it. They breath faster and deeper (without realizing it) and are damaging their lungs. The author is recommending people check themselves with a pulse oximeter to determine if they have low oxygen levels even though they aren't struggling for breath.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/...l?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

 

[pb4uski]

Did he paid for his time away per company instruction's. ...I wonder how companies are handling this.

Yes, he will be paid for the days that he missed. Good employer. Not only that, he's only been there for about 9 months and has only been on their payroll since January (originally was a temp).

 

[caninelover]

Quarantine, Day 5: Feeling fine but still self-isolating

Woke up today feeling a little less rested than yesterday (I did not take NyQuil) but still had a pretty good night's sleep. Normal temperature again and the minor cough seems to be quiet today. No aches, chills or other symptoms.

I am still self isolating but doctor did say if I have 3 full fever-free days (with no other symptoms and no fever-reducing medicine) and it has been greater than 7 days since symptoms first appeared, I can stop self-isolating in the house. Which is good because I hate being dependent on my poor SO for tea, meals, etc.

SO did have a scratch throat and cough yesterday but no temperature and is feeling fine today. We guess he was probably exposed (probably between the Saturday I went to Trader Joe's and the Friday I started showing symptoms) but we will keep isolating from each other within our house until at least the 7 days (just in our house - to be extra safe we will both stay quarantined from the outside world for the full 14 days).

It is very difficult I think for caregivers to not catch it themselves with trays, etc. going back and forth. I am glad it seems to be mild for him as well (assuming he was exposed, of course - maybe he just had a random cough).

I realize some people object to my claim that 'I have COVID 19' without a test. Although a test provides a nice confirming data point (and as noted I tried to get one yesterday), in the absence of that test - well if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, then I am comfortable calling it duck but YMMV.

I am very grateful and relieved to be feeling well, that SO is well, and look forward to putting this bug and quarantine behind me soon.

In the meantime, thank goodness for Netflix!

 

[troutnut1]

I hypothesize that just living in a state that has a Trader Joes is a major risk factor for Covid-19.

“There are currently 465 locations of Trader Joe's in the U.S., with more opening all the time, and there are only eight states with no Trader Joe's in them: Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Mississippi, Montana, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming.Aug 18, 2017”

Just looking at the map of states where Covid-19 is the lowest, and comparing that to the states where there is no Trader Joe’s store, this seems obvious to me. It seems far safer to live in a state that does not have a Trader Joes (even though I would personally love to have one!), than to live in a state that has one or more. If there were one where I live, I would almost certainly have gotten it by now.

But so far, I seem to be the only one who has figured this out. And no independent, scientific, peer reviewed trial has yet been conducted.

 

[caninelover]

I like this Scientific American article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-immunity-to-covid-19-really-means/

Basically we don't really know yet if antibodies = immunity at all, and if it does, for how long. But SARS is this coronavirus' closest match, and for SARS patients have antibodies circulating 2-3 years after their initial illness.

So there maybe some benefit to antibody test to individuals. You may not know when exactly you were infected but it would probably be the first half of 2020, and if the immunity is long-lasting (like for SARS) then that alone is helpful. From a public health standpoint, it is helpful to know how far the virus has actually spread so far.

I fail to see much benefit in the antibody tests. All it will say is you have been exposed to the virus. It won't be able to tell you when this happened, which I believe would be useful to know, but likely impossible to determine.

Even with a positive test result, it is no guarantee the time you might have been sick was actually COVID-19. The antibody test also won't be able to tell you that you can't get the virus again or a virus that has mutated from COVID-19 you were exposed to.

 

[caninelover]

Brilliant

I hypothesize that just living in a state that has a Trader Joes is a major risk factor for Covid-19.

“There are currently 465 locations of Trader Joe's in the U.S., with more opening all the time, and there are only eight states with no Trader Joe's in them: Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Mississippi, Montana, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming.Aug 18, 2017”

Just looking at the map of states where Covid-19 is the lowest, and comparing that to the states where there is no Trader Joe’s store, this seems obvious to me. It seems far safer to live in a state that does not have a Trader Joes (even though I would personally love to have one!), than to live in a state that has one or more. If there were one where I live, I would almost certainly have gotten it by now.

But so far, I seem to be the only one who has figured this out. And no independent, scientific, peer reviewed trial has yet been conducted.

 

[Aerides]

There's this that just popped up on my stock market app--a homeless shelter tested all of the people it was serving and found a bit more than a third of them tested positive and were asymptomatic (none had symptoms). Way too early for peer reviewed studies but there is anecdotal evidence . https://apple.news/AUtmUA-e-TgG8SyOvMk-OOw

Yes I'm aware of that, but infection rate between a few hundred folks in a group home - likely sharing facilities, meals, etc., can't be assumed as a rate in the general population. Shoot, if they were all together for weeks on end on one building I'm surprised it's not higher. Not even accounting for general health of the group, age, etc., not being known.

I've seen a couple folks here today suggesting numbers that would imply herd immunity, and there's zero published evidence anywhere close. Wishful thinking maybe, but no evidence.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Yes I'm aware of that, but infection rate between a few hundred folks in a group home - likely sharing facilities, meals, etc., can't be assumed as a rate in the general population. Shoot, if they were all together for weeks on end on one building I'm surprised it's not higher. Not even accounting for general health of the group, age, etc., not being known.

I've seen a couple folks here today suggesting numbers that would imply herd immunity, and there's zero published evidence anywhere close. Wishful thinking maybe, but no evidence.

We obviously are interpreting reports like this differently. Never mind.

 

[RonBoyd]

And it just keep getting...

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-china-patients-ins-idUSKCN2240HI

Chinese doctors in Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in December, say a growing number of cases in which people recover from the virus, but continue to test positive without showing symptoms, is one of their biggest challenges as the country moves into a new phase of its containment battle.

Those patients all tested negative for the virus at some point after recovering, but then tested positive again, some up to 70 days later, the doctors said. Many have done so over 50-60 days.

The prospect of people remaining positive for the virus, and therefore potentially infectious, is of international concern, as many countries seek to end lockdowns and resume economic activity as the spread of the virus slows. Currently, the globally recommended isolation period after exposure is 14 days.

 

[RonBoyd]

And then there is this:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/04/22/death-coronavirus-first-california/

Tissue samples taken from two individuals who died in Santa Clara County, Calif., tested positive for the virus, local health officials said in a statement. One of the victims died on Feb. 6, and the other died on Feb. 17.
...
“The fact that there were deaths related to covid back in early February is very significant because it means the virus was around for a lot longer than was initially realized,” Jeff Smith, a physician and the county executive in Santa Clara, told The Washington Post. “It’s been around for a while and it’s probably been spreading in the community for quite some time.”

 

[Bestwifeever]

Yes I'm aware of that, but infection rate between a few hundred folks in a group home - likely sharing facilities, meals, etc., can't be assumed as a rate in the general population. Shoot, if they were all together for weeks on end on one building I'm surprised it's not higher. Not even accounting for general health of the group, age, etc., not being known.

I've seen a couple folks here today suggesting numbers that would imply herd immunity, and there's zero published evidence anywhere close. Wishful thinking maybe, but no evidence.

PS no need to be rude. It is not “wishful thinking” that none of those who tested positive had symptoms. But again, never mind.