My son had all the symptoms when he came home from NYC. He had a bad headache, felt crummy, had a low grade fever and then lost his sense of taste. He was sick for about 4 days but never felt really terrible. I was able to handle it with giving him Tylenol. He tested positive about for the antibody about 3 weeks later. My husband and I each tested negative. I was surprised that I was negative considering that I had the most contact. I was careful about washing my hands and everything he touched but you never can be 100% sure. I guess I did better than I thought.
Everything I’ve read about people who test positive twice says that this is due to the shortcomings of testing. Something about the tests not being able to distinguish between active infection and RNA remnants of dead virus.
https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-reinfections-were-false-positives.html
I think the sailors who were positive again actually felt sick again. But the thought was that the first time they were “sick” they were asymptomatic for the most part, and then tested negative a few times, but somehow the virus never left and eventually did make them sick. The rest test will be a few months from now and the meat plants.
My blood was drawn on Friday for an antibody test. An email was sent in the wee hours (3 a.m.) today with the result: negative. I’m not surprised.
Thanks @my3girls and @EmilySpinach
We are in NH. DH was tested for antibodies on May 1. He traveled internationally several times from Dec-Feb. , including a trip to China. In Feb, he was ill with Covid symptoms (fever, cough, etc.). Due to to his travel and symptoms his doctor approved a test and he was able to have it done the following day. Results came right away (3 or 4 days including a weekend). I don’t know which test he had, but his results were negative.
I’m wondering if it is possible or even likely for people who are exposed but are asymptomatic themselves or experience only very mild symptoms to have successfully fought off the infection without developing specific antibodies to Covid – and so they would test negative on antibody tests. Something along the lines of the difference between innate and adaptive immune response.
I’m also thinking based on the situation on the USS Roosevelt that it might be very possible for the virus to stay dormant in the body awhile with a viral load too low to be detected on tests – (something like herpes) but the virus has not been totally eliminated from the system. That would be very bad news if it is the case, although it could be one of those things that is possible, but uncommon.
I’m not a virologist, but if one is infected with a pathogen, the only way to recover from the illness is to develop antibodies to it. It’s the antibodies that vanquish the infection and lead to recovery. What you are saying just doesn’t make sense to me. The way you “fight off” an infection is to develop antibodies to it. But again, I’m not a doctor or any other kind of expert.
I live in NYC and (in usual times) am on subway everyday. I had covid like symptoms and was pretty sick the last week of Feb. I had the CityMD antibody test 2 weeks ago and was surprised to be negative.
Not if the innate immune response is effective. (See https://onlinelearning.hms.harvard.edu/hmx/immunity/ for a basic tutorial)
I’m no expert either, but we have an infection that appears to be asymptomatic among up to 50% of people who test positive. Some unknown fraction of those people later develop symptoms, but many don’t. I’m just speculating that perhaps for various reasons, that some people might be successful in warding off the virus in the first 72 hours before the adaptive immune response kicks in.
Given the speculation about whether MMR vaccination can somehow be effective against Covid 19 – I don’t think that’s all that farfetched.
It could also provide something of an alternate explanation as to why there are reported cases of resurgence of the virus among the people serving on the USS Roosevelt, who reportedly suffered mostly mild infections: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/05/01/2026166/0/en/MMR-Vaccine-May-Reduce-COVID-19-Hospitalization-Rate-According-to-World-Organization.html
Maybe. These people might not be immune to a big viral load of covid, though?
Well, if they don’t develop specific antibodies, then they would be susceptible to reinfection. Which is why I found the speculation about the MMR vaccine in the military to be somewhat intriguing in light of the recent news of several crewmembers of the USS Roosevelt being cleared of the virus.
My kids were born in the 80’s, well before the vaccination for chickenpox became available. My son had full-bore chickenpox at age 6, when pretty much all the kids in his kindergarten class got it. My daughter was a toddler – but she developed only an extremely mild case – maybe she had one or two teeny bumps on her skin, and that was about it. I had always been told that it was possible for a child to NOT develop immunity if their case was very mild, so it was one of those things I always worried about. (https://www.healthline.com/health/can-you-get-chickenpox-twice - “You may be susceptible to the chickenpox virus twice if…Your first case of chickenpox was extremely mild…”) She’s in her 30’s now & I have no idea whether she has ever had a blood titration test — it’s just an example of something in the back of my mind about the possibility that person can recover from a mild viral infection without developing specific immunity. Of course, it is a very different virus, but right now there are a whole lot of unknowns about Covid 19 — and obviously plenty of anecdotal reports of people who had Covid-like symptoms but are coming back negative on the antibody tests.
But then again, I don’t think anyone here has posted that they ever tested positive for Covid and later had a negative antibody test, and it seems there are still a lot of questions about test accuracy.
@calmom I think the analogy to herpes is very interesting. My daughter was very sick in Feb with Covid symptoms. She had to stay at the college health center for a week because her oxygen levels were very low. She’s had a low grade fever and cough off and on since, but her Covid test was negative.
Given all of the weird test results, perhaps the test is only accurate during certain phases of virus activity.
That’s interesting about the MMR shot, @calmom. I wonder how long they think it could provide some protection. Both myself and my husband have gotten a boatload of vaccines in the military, assuming the MMR along with all the rest, but that was 30 years ago.
If she is concerned, couldn’t she just go get a chickenpox vaccine?
My D, a teacher in NYC, got tested last week and is positive for covid antibodies.
NYC has made antibody testing quite easy; she went to a Northwell Health clinic Monday, testing was free and they didn’t ask any questions about illness. She got her positive results in the mail today!
D was quite ill for about a week in early March but no covid tests were available at that time. She was sick again a few weeks ago with fever and chills that passed in 2-3 days.
I guess eithEr could have been Covid. She’s already signed up to donate blood for plasma and plans to continue wearing a mask and social distancing but we are all happy she has this extra layer of protection for as long as it lasts.
@sarha, good for your D for donating her blood. Her plasma could save the lives of several people!
Our local blood bank is now testing all donors for COVID antibodies. I think I will go next week and donate platelets. I have actually tried twice since Feb; First time in March I felt uncomfortable in the waiting room and left (no masks, not enough social distancing for me). Then in April I tried to schedule for next day and they said their need had been met and invited me to schedule for 2 weeks later. This is the test they are using: OneBlood is using the FDA-authorized Ortho Clinical Diagnostics Vitros® Anti-SARS-CoV2 Total Test (p.s. I will be SHOCKED if I am positive, because have had no symptoms and limited exposure aside from huge leakage of live-in working son)
I live in rural PA, and exactly a week before symptoms started I visited a crowded museum in DC.
I was sick starting March 9 with exhaustion, body aches, chills, fever, sore throat and cough. The worst of it was over after about 10 days but the cough lingered through mid-April. No lung issues/chest pressure though. I had a flu shot this season but when I saw a PA she thought it was the flu though she did not test me.
I was tested for COVID antibodies in a local clinic at the end of April (the only place in our area offering tests, about 30 minutes from my home) and it was processed at Quest. Came back negative. I don’t know the exact test used.
I received secure message in my medical portal from our medical group advising that they don’t provide antibodies test because they don’t believe current test targets new Covid and not picking up regular Covid that we all have antibodies for and with all unknowns regarding immunity they advise to wait until next generation test become available.