Perspective: I have the coronavirus. So far, it isn't that bad.

[IronLionZion]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/02/28/i-have-coronavirus-so-far-it-isnt-that-bad/

My treatment has largely consisted of drinking gallons and gallons of Gatorade



By Carl Goldman

I have the coronavirus. And it hasn’t been that bad.

I am in my late 60s, and the sickest I’ve ever been was when I had bronchitis several years ago. That laid me out on my back for a few days. This has been much easier: no chills, no body aches. I breathe easily, and I don’t have a stuffy nose. My chest feels tight, and I have coughing spells. If I were at home with similar symptoms, I probably would have gone to work as usual.

I caught the virus on the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship that was quarantined outside Yokohama for 14 days, at the end of a 16-day cruise I took with my wife, Jeri. When I left the ship a couple of weeks ago, I felt fine. We checked our temperatures throughout our quarantine. Jeri and I got a swab test for the virus. Our temperatures were normal; they’d get the swab results back in 48 hours. Our test results had not arrived before we boarded buses for the airport, where two U.S. government planes waited for us.

As we took off from Tokyo, I had a bit of a cough, but I chalked it up to the dry air in the cabin. I felt pretty tired — but who wouldn’t, in our situation? I dozed off.

It's a good read. If you don't have a WaPo subscription, he's most certainly going to live. Many of his friends have been released from quarantine and he's agreed to be a part of a clinical study to find treatments. Keep calm and carry on

[OhioChick]

1. Thanks for posting n/t

[bearsfootball516]

2. It's worth noting that for the vast majority of people who get it...

It basically runs it’s course like a nasty cold does.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

3. Right.

Only a minority of people will get it. Of those, the vast majority will recover. Most, or all who die will be elderly or have some kind of underlying health issue. Which is certainly bad news for some people, and I sincerely hope no one here on DU gets it but the freaking out that WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!! is getting tiresome.

[USALiberal]

6. Link to "WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!" post please. Nt

[carlvsam]

20. Maybe not on this forum,

but stuff like this is out there.

For instance, I was in a workplace meeting Thursday. Most of the talk was concerning one of our supervisors being transferred to a different division. However the subject of the Coronavirus came up, and while sensible advice (like following the CDC website) was mentioned, oh boy, the amount of questionable and conspiratorial comments that were stated as fact by the other staff members was shocking - with the worst being that one from a staff member that stated that she heard that this disease was the equivalent of the Black Death (no wonder WHO is hesitating about calling this a pandemic ...)

[misanthrope]

8. I'm among those for whom this could very well be fatal

I have emphysema and am immuno-compromised. If I am surrounded by people with COVID-19, my likelihood of contracting it increases dramatically.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

11. I am sorry you have emphysema. But, sadly, that's a condition that

would have you at risk every year from influenza, yes? And year round from lots of stuff, unfortunately. How do you protect yourself during flu season? No doubt those same measures will be very effective against this corona virus. And depending on how you live your life, you simply aren't that likely to be surrounded by people who have it.

[misanthrope]

16. The difference lies in these words

"prolonged asymptomatic transmission"

Most people who contract influenza become symptomatic fairly quickly. They are more likely to stay at home or restrict the exposure to others at those times.

There are indications those who contract COVID-19 are asymptomatic up to 10 days but still able to spread the contagion during that time. Also, reports I've read say this virus is particularly rough on those with respiratory issues.

Yes, I already take measures to limit my exposure to standard influenza. I get the high dosage shot each year. I keep my hands clean. I am mindful about touching my face.

I don't think this new pandemic means I'm guaranteed to contract COVID-19 but it will make things even more difficult.

[Tumbulu]

19. Another difference between Corona virus and the seasonal flu is that we can get vaccinated

against flu. Which is a significant help. If it does not eliminate the chance of catching it, it does reduce the consequences of the infection.

All very important to the elderly and to those with compromised systems.

[still_one]

26. +++

[IronLionZion]

33. N95 Respirators

I know some immuno-suppressed people and they need these masks when around people in general, even without a pandemic. A coworker taking anti-rejection meds for a heart transplant uses one and my uncle undergoing cancer treatment uses one. Be sure to have it fitted correctly for you by a qualified health care professional.

https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/personal-protective-equipment-infection-control/masks-and-n95-respirators

3M is one company that makes them.

[Coventina]

9. I also would like the link to the "WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!" post. n/t

[lunatica]

10. Jesus!

Have you been listening to the news? Everyone has the right to be cynical about it, but accusing others here of “freaking out” is just thoughtless and downright mean. Is it no big deal if some elderly relatives of DUers die? It sounds like you think so.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

13. Look, I understand that any and all individual deaths are sad, even tragic.

But the reality is, the vast majority of people will not be getting this virus, and of those who do get it, the vast majority will recover. Some people here have been bandying about numbers that just aren't realistic.

[TwilightZone]

17. Agreed.

The people claiming that the death rate is already 10% based on what they "heard" or what some unknown blog claims are frustrating the hell out of me. The situation is bad enough without people just flat-out making shit up. We need realistic information, not intentional hyperbole.

One poster headlined a story about the one person at UC-Davis who is in serious condition with something along the lines of "virus invades college campuses".

Uh, no.

[Tumbulu]

21. It appears to be 1%, which is indeed very high

So I would not be so dismissive.

[lunatica]

23. The issue is that you've chosen to ridicule people

rather than explain this reality you’re claiming. Why don’t you just ignore those who you dismiss as “freaking out”. That would be the nicer thing to do.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

34. Okay, so maybe I'm ridiculing people who think that huge numbers of people are going to die from

this corona virus. They deserve ridicule. They really are freaking out. Yes, people with certain conditions are at more risk. They are entitled to be more concerned, but they are at more risk from all sorts of things all the time.

Every time I point out how low the death rate really is, especially given that it's probably that many, many more people have acquired the corona virus and have no or mild symptoms, I'm told to just wait. More are going to die. Yes, more will die but again, mainly those with certain risk conditions. I'm sorry if you have one of those. If that's the case, you need to be more cautious than I do in your day-to-day dealings. But your odds of contracting this are relatively small. Your odds of dying are even smaller.

[lunatica]

38. You either missed the entire point or

you see nothing wrong with being callous.

That is my point. Not whether people will die or that people fear the virus. It’s your response to them that is cruel. And spare us your, “I’m sorry if....”. That is not an apology and never will be.

[lostnfound]

4. The thing is, some of us care about the ones who won't

I don’t mean that you don’t.
But people who say “ I have a high probability of surviving” strike me the same way as the woman in 2002 that told me she wasn’t worried about the war because HER son would be in college. Like, if 2 out of 100 die, that’s still a whole lot. I have an 80-something I care about a whole lot.

I don’t want my neighbor to die, my neighbors grandmother, aunt or uncle, prematurely.

A bunch of people have died that weren’t likely to die, if it weren’t for this disease. I’m scared and worried for others.

[uponit7771]

5. 760 million people quarantined is bad

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

14. Where are 760 people quarantined?

I missed that story.

[Crunchy Frog]

25. China mostly.

[dewsgirl]

29. Here you go:from NPR 760 million locked down in China

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.npr.org/2020/02/18/806868972/coronavirus-lockdown-democratic-caucuses-and-primaries-ahead-weinstein-trial&ved=2ahUKEwjbhuqU8PPnAhUN1qwKHeniAi0QFjAAegQIBhAB&usg=AOvVaw1N5UuFNhZK5_SaoSFfA2wF

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

35. Locked down isn't really the same as quarantined.

And I expect the 760 million is an exaggeration.

[Totally Tunsie]

7. I've followed Carl Goldman's story by reading

a forum on Cruise Critic.com. Quite a few of the DP passengers have been posting through Cruise Critic to tell of their cases and how they're being handled.

Goldman and his wife have received some blowback because, as they have posted, they removed the balcony barrier between their cabin and their neighbor's because they were traveling as a foursome and wanted to interact with their friends. Well, now 3 of the 4 have tested positive, and they're just waiting for the last to do the same.

Here's a link to Cruise Critic:
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2730905-diamond-princess-passenger-tested-positive-for-wuhan-coronavirus/

[RhodeIslandOne]

24. Ok

I mean if they were interacting throughout the cruise, they likely would have gave it to one another anyway.

[Totally Tunsie]

27. They were in quarantine at the time, and weren't to have any contact with each other.

[dalton99a]

12. Kick

It didn’t scare me too badly. I knew my number was up. The way I saw it, I was going to get stuck in at least 14 more days of quarantine, even if I didn’t get the virus. So many fellow passengers had come down with the illness, including one of my friends, that I’d gotten somewhat used to the idea that I might catch it, too. My wife, however, tested negative and headed to quarantine at a separate facility a few blocks away. After those days being cooped up on the ship together, I think we both relished the alone time; we still could communicate through our phones.

During the first few days, the hospital staff hooked me up to an IV, mostly as a precaution, and used it to administer magnesium and potassium, just to make sure I had plenty of vitamins. Other than that, my treatment has consisted of what felt like gallons and gallons of Gatorade — and, when my fever rose just above 100 degrees, some ibuprofen. The nurses came to the room every four hours or so, to check my vitals, ask if I needed anything and to draw my blood. I got very good at unhooking all the monitors checking my oxygen level, blood pressure and heart rate so I could go to the bathroom or just pace around the room a little, to get my blood flowing. I never quite got the hang of hooking them back up without making a tangled mess. After 10 days, I moved out of biocontainment and into the same facility as Jeri. Now we can videochat from our separate quarantines, in neighboring rooms.

As of my most recent test, on Thursday, I am still testing positive for the virus. But by now, I don’t require much medical care. The nurses check my temperature twice a day and draw my blood, because I’ve agreed to participate in a clinical study to try to find a treatment for coronavirus. If I test negative three days in a row, then I get to leave.

The time has passed more quickly than I would’ve expected. With my laptop, I get as much work done as I can, remotely. I catch up with friends. I take walks around my room, trying to take a thousand more steps each day. I also watch the news. It’s surreal to see everyone panic — news conferences, the stock market falling, school closures — about a disease I have. It does seem likely that coronavirus will spread in the United States, but it won’t help anybody if we all panic. Based on my experience, I’d recommend that everyone get a good digital thermometer, just as a comfort tool, so they can reassure themselves if their noses start running. I have been relatively fortunate: At least six Diamond Princess passengers have died from the virus, of the around 705 passengers who caught it. But coronavirus doesn’t have to be a horrible calamity.

If you told me when I left home in January that I wouldn’t be back until March — that, instead, I would be confined for more than 24 days because I’d catch a novel virus at the center of what could become a pandemic — that would have completely freaked me out. But now that it’s happening, I’m just taking it one day at a time.

[BigmanPigman]

15. Who paid for all of this?

Didn't a guy in FL get a $$$$$ bill just for being tested?

For those of us with a compromised immune system and pre-existing conditions and health insur that can be killed by the GOP (the ACA is going through the courts AGAIN) it is a scary time. I have stress normally due to my ACA health insur possibly being yanked from under me. This ain't no party for me.

[JDC]

18. An excellent post. TY.

[ismnotwasm]

22. Have a patient who went into multi-organ failure/cardiac event after a influenza A infection

I am also sick of hearing about the coronavirus. I routinely take care of patients with a different, very common strain of it.

But the flu, of whatever strain is no joke people. Get your vaccines please. Wash your fucking hands.

[Raine]

28. Thanks

for posting this!

[bern2020]

30. stay safe

everyone! even the mild forms seems to need intervention

[DFW]

31. I did find the "we're all gonna die" link

[kentuck]

32. He's missing his headband...

Otherwise, hasn't changed very much at all.

[Maeve]

36. It really helps if you can telecommute or afford to not work

And the government picks up your hospital bills...

[IronLionZion]

37. Restaurant dishwashers, store clerks, janitors, etc. should telecommute

On a "government picks up your hospital bills" note, I read that the average American gets 20% deducted from their paycheck for "employer provided" health insurance but the average Scottish citizen pays 4% of their paycheck for national health service but the jackbooted heel of socialism steps on their neck to oppress their freedoms.

[Maeve]

39. Exactly--this guy is lucky in ways he isn't acknowledging

Making him...dare I say...privileged.
He could afford a cruise, time off from his work, someone else to pick up the slack... so "it isn't so bad"

[coeur_de_lion]

40. Thank you for sharing

Good read, does make me feel a bit better.