Covid Anyone?

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It’s been very beneficial for me. You can usually get antibodies tests at the same sites as they do the regular COVID tests. At least in NYC.

Australia has had very low rates of COVID in general; whereas NYC had very high rates early, with 1 in 5 testing positive for antibodies.

I’m getting the vaccine.

The UK has been very backwards in it approach to testing from the start. Even now, antibody tests are only available to social care workers.

That’s absolutely nuts!

We can get antibodies tests at many COVID testing sites.

I, myself, have been tested for COVID almost 20 times.

I got tested for antibodies last May.

Was testing handled at State level in the US? Can you get that sort of testing anywhere?

We can get a test to see if you've got it, but not to find if you've got antibodies. There's some logic in it. We're all in lockdown so I guess if a load of people found out they had antibodies, they'd assume that meant immunity and start flauting the lockdown rules - better to keep people cautious.

Testing is handled at state level in New York State.

It is also handled at city level in New York City----and probably other large places in the state, too.

I believe anybody could obtain a test free of charge in a New York City testing center. Any insurance info must be presented, though. Even though you don't actually need health insurance. Some of these centers also have "rapid" COVID testing and antibody testing.

"Urgent Care Centers" also administer tests----but they charge for them, unless you have insurance. These days, it's a longer wait at an "Urgent Care Center" than in the city-sponsored testing sites.

Private institutions, like colleges, also conduct testing. They make use of labs which they are under contract with, at least some of whom also service the tests given at the city centers.

In a word, these days, you could get a COVID test pretty easily in NYC. You might have to travel some, though, and wait a little while. It's very advantageous to have a car, especially in places where parking is easy to obtain.

Weirdly, I took my daughter for a test last week as she'd had a cough. Just got the results back - positive. Her mother and I also got our results back - negative. She's had the cough for about 10 days now, no fever and she hasn't complained of loss of smell/taste. As I mentioned, I was fairly positive I'd had it last February so maybe her mum and I have antibodies, but I don't understand why our daughter wouldn't have had it back then too. It's not like she isn't constantly sticking her fingers in our mouths and up our noses. Anyway the cough seems to be going and she seems otherwise fine. We were in lockdown anyway so she's not socialising.

You and your wife just might have antibodies. It's not a guarantee you won't get COVID again----but it's rare for people to get COVID twice.

COVID in children is usually not a severe disease. I guess your daughter will have to quarantine till her symptoms go away.

I’ve really only been out of the house for medical appointments, coincidently I started really getting sick from Hodgkin’s lymphoma around the same time COVID emerged. Despite undergoing chemotherapy, I managed to never get anything that wasn’t strictly upper respiratory symptoms (or chemo side effects, of course) and have had no reason to think I may have been exposed, so I’m pretty darn sure it’s a solid “nope, never” from me.

COVID seems to be pretty random in who it affects in what way, I’ve heard of people in nursing homes who had pre-existing conditions testing positive but never getting very sick from it.

I've heard of 100-year-old people surviving it.

My wife works in a nursing home.

I'm 90% sure I had it. Back in April, I was feeling a little under the weather for a couple of days. After that, I felt totally healthy and normal, except I had NO sense of smell or taste for nearly a month.

It's not like a regular cold where you can't smell or taste due to congestion. In my case, I wasn't congested at all. Everything felt fine. Nose was clear, throat wasn't sore. I had an appetite. But it's like a light switch was turned off on those two senses.

Eventually they returned and I've been tasting and smelling since. But it was eerie at the time. Later, this was reported as one of the possible symptoms of COVID.

Back in March, I had a cough and couldn't taste or smell. I wasn't sure if it was it at the time, I thought it was a sinus infection, so I was prescribed antibiotics and that seemed to work. Since then, I've been able to taste and smell again and haven't faced any long-term effects to my knowledge.

Your smell, and or, taste, shutting down. That seems to be the clincher - for mild cases- that you had covid, and not just a cold or a flu.

Ironically all of this social distancing must be having an effect. Usually I get one or two colds a year. Havent had any colds this winter. Havent had to open a can of chicken soup yet.

For some weird reason, I never lost my sense of taste or smell.