COVID-19 (Avoid Me If You Can)

This memorial day I had the best time with my family, friends, and cousins and their cousins and their cousins…. We all compared notes, ensured all our vaccinations were up to the mark and have been safe right before the big wedding. All the festivities were excellent, we really missed each other and a very significant portion of social interaction over the past 2+ years

We took precautions when we met individuals we did not know, washed hands frequently, did what we knew was safest. And we all left with the thought that we should do this more often, only to realize that somehow one of us was already infected and most likely was spreading the infection around. COVID had, unknowingly of course, breached our inner circle of trust. How dare it do so…

Here are my observations as I experienced them and some relevant research, if you have time to read through:

1. Transmission is feasible in the infancy stage: The challenge is that you can transmit the disease on the first onset without having developed any symptoms. When the disease is in its infancy stage in its host, the host is still able to transmit to others.

2. The first symptom is so subtle: It’s difficult to catch or identify that there is something different. A temporary sore throat on the first morning not even making you register that this could be it. As day progresses the sore throat disappears and viola you think it was the AC in the room blowing too much cold air.

3. It is easy to spread: By now you have met a number of friends, said hello, gave them hugs, taken selfies with them, all the activities one should do.

4. The false hope of rapid testing: As the night comes by you feel a bit tired and go to bed. Again thinking that the amazing day you had with your family and friends knocked you out a bit. You take precautions while going to bed, ensure AC is running at the right temperature etc. but then the next morning the sore throat persists. You decide to take a rapid test. Negative: Hurray!!!

5. The symptoms persist, never fully go away: This goes on for another day and then on the third morning you don't want to get up at all. You have mild fever, a small amount of cough. You get up, get ready and get dressed. The morning shower fixes your fever, miraculously somehow, and you start debating if you need another rapid test or not.

6. Good Samaritan - Does not help: By being a good samaritan you decide to take another rapid test, but that is negative again. Viola! Two tests in three days and you are clear! This is it! You are done!

7. It knocks you out: By the time the night comes though, you are completely exhausted, fatigued with fever and cold. You say to yourself, that these tests are just not working, I am going to COVID test site first thing in the morning and you do just that.

8. Tested too early? Another 24-48 hours later, the RT PCR is negative. You are now completely confused. You are sick as it is day 4-5 from the time of infection, all at-home rapid tests and RT PCR is negative. So what the heck is going on?

9. IT IS COVID! By now all phones were ringing as some of the cousins did have the infection whereas some others had nothing!

In summary COVID either is a fickle disease or only targets certain types of individuals. For my high-school brain, it yet does not summarize why is COVID this selective. Here are some explanations:

1. The fact of the matter is that the tests are run on lagging indicators. They need enough viral load to report a positive/ infection on an individual. In my situation though, I never generated enough viral load for any tests to trigger a positive detection.

2. I am convinced that we all had the virus in each of our individual systems. Each of us met exactly the same amount of people. However, each one of us reacted extremely differently to delay detection. No different from any other infection such as Flu. (The R Value)

3. We all were vaccinated and boosted (thank god for that), so the fever and reaction I noticed on day 3 and 4 were exactly similar to that caused by the second dose of vaccine, at least in my family’s case. But hold on, My younger sister never got any of it.. Not even a sneeze. I will get to this point later.

4. The initial indicators of testing were so mild and negligible that one has to truly remember if they had any indication or intimation of something was going to happen. My Flu experience typically starts with a cold so I know that I am coming down with something. COVID is really strange.

5. We all quarantined following CDC guidelines. I never could get a positive confirmation that I had covid, but I treated myself as if I did until I had recovered from my symptoms.

6. My younger sister happens to be the one who escaped everything. No symptoms, all tests negative, no cough, no fever, not an iota of something being wrong in the household. Go figure!

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I will be documenting my journey of understanding music’s role in public health. I want this blog to be a place for me to explain my findings and connections. I think it’s amazing that I have the opportunity to explore my passions and even more awesome that I can find a way to combine them.

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