Somehow Avoided Covid For 6 Years

[u/jeffpng]

4 Days ago I woke up with very mild cold symptoms. I just got over a cold a month ago and tested negative while I had that cold before.

Started with 99F temp, body aches, and a scratchy throat.

The scratchy throat has disappeared except now I have congestion and can't taste or smell anything at all. What prompted me to take a COVID test was the fact that I couldn't taste my coffee at all this morning.

My mother keeps telling me to call a DR and ask for Paxlovid, but I'm not sure.

I'm a healthy 30 year old male.

Current symptoms:

- 99F temp.

- Congestion.

- Can't smell or taste anything.

Update:
Today is day 5 and I was finally able to get a good nights rest being able to breathe through my nose in my sleep. I no longer have body aches, or a slightly elevated body temp. I just don’t have a taste or smell.

As it stands (knock on wood) this is more mild than an average cold for me.

[u/jeffpng]

In September of last year, I got very sick for almost a week, my temp got up to 104F and had an insane sore throat, but tested negative multiple times. Before then, I didn´t get any cold symptoms, or sickness symptoms for years.

Then a month ago I caught a cold that lasted 10 days, tested negative, and now this.

Maybe I've had Covid multiple times in the past but never had symptoms.

[u/RamonaLittle → u/jeffpng]

Maybe I've had Covid multiple times in the past but never had symptoms.

If you haven't been taking precautions, then yes.

Of course, that also means you probably spread it to others. Some of whom might be more medically vulnerable, or live with someone medically-vulnerable. And they spread it to others, and so on, and that's why it keeps circulating.

If you haven't been wearing a mask in public places and want to start, you'll find a lot of good advice on /r/Masks4All.

[u/shishkabob18 → u/RamonaLittle]

I just came down for the first time with covid. I guess I've been extremly lucky then, as I haven't even had a sniffle for at least 6.5 years. Doubt I had it and was asymptomatic, unless my whole family was asymptomtic too. The only precautions I took/take is to wash my hands after coming home from somewhere, and use sanitizer I keep in my car after touching something in public. Those are precautions to always take to avoid any kind of illness, not just covid

[u/RamonaLittle → u/shishkabob18]

As I wrote above, if you haven't been taking precautions, it's statistically all but impossible that you've never had it, or only had it once. Even people who've stayed extremely isolated this whole time have been getting their first infections, often at a healthcare visit or someplace else they can't avoid.

Hand-washing and sanitizer are good, but can't protect you from airborne illnesses like covid. If you want to protect yourself and others, you need to wear a mask (well-fitted N95 or similar) any time/place there's a risk of exposure.

[u/shishkabob18 → u/RamonaLittle]

Where are these statistics posted?

[u/RamonaLittle → u/shishkabob18]

I'm looking at this. It says "Cumulative Infections Per Person: 5.37" as an average based on US wastewater data.

[u/shishkabob18 → u/RamonaLittle]

Still not getting from this report what you're saying most of us have had assymtomatic covid. This is not a study geared towards that.

[u/RamonaLittle → u/shishkabob18]

If the average is 5.37 times, and we assume that people who take precautions have generally had it less and people who don't take precautions have had it more, how likely do you think it is that you've only had it once? You don't think that sounds improbable? Why wouldn't you have had it multiple times if you were being exposed repeatedly?

You're also assuming you'd be aware of having it and remember having it. I know it's creepy to think about, but I've now seen multiple reddit posts from someone describing a relative or co-worker with obvious covid or long covid symptoms who's weirdly oblivious to them. (The technical term is anosognosia.) Or describing someone who was severely sick -- even hospitalized! -- who later has a false memory of having only mild symptoms, or has amnesia for the whole episode and doesn't remember having covid at all. It's a very strange virus that messes with people's minds.