The Washington Post has an article about the people who haven’t caught covid yet. We know that no longer includes many famous people and lawmakers, including President Biden and top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci. Even the most cautious and well-vaccinated are catching these new variants. Many of the people who haven’t had it yet chalk it up to dumb luck. WaPo includes anecdotal close call stories from the covid-fortunate that rang true for me and sounded like people I know. These stories are getting more common with this latest wave.
There are no winners in a pandemic. That said, if you’ve made it to the summer of 2022 without yet testing positive for the coronavirus, you might feel entitled to some bragging rights. Who’s still in the game at this point? Not Anthony S. Fauci. Not President Biden, who tested positive this week. Not Denzel Washington, Camila Cabello or Lionel Messi. Not your friend who’s even more cautious than you but who finally caught it last week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that nearly 60 percent of Americans had contracted the virus at some point — and that was as of the end of February, before the extremely contagious BA.4 and BA.5 variants became rampant.
You might suspect that you are special — immunologically superior, a super-dodger. You also might have come up with some bizarre theories about why you’ve lasted longer.
Scientists have found no conclusive evidence of innate genetic immunity. “It would be extremely unlikely that any innate immune system properties could protect against all infections,” said Eleanor Murray, an epidemiologist and professor at the Boston University School of Public Health. But Moss’s ability to duck the virus — to her knowledge, we should add; a disclaimer that applies to all these folks, since in theory they could have had asymptomatic cases at some point — does cry out for an explanation. Consider that she’s a pediatric nurse who has been staring covid in the face (while fully masked) for 2½ years now. And that she rode in a car with her ex-husband, with the windows up, three days before he tested positive. And that a woman at the camp where she works every summer gave Moss a henna tattoo one day and reported a positive coronavirus result the next.
Moss’s mysterious good fortune has not made her less worried about contracting the virus. She wants to stay in the game as long as she can, because she knows it’s not a game at all. What Moss fears the most is the potential long-term effects of covid. “I just keep thinking, ‘I don’t want it. I just don’t want this disease,’ ” she said.
I am still a smidge under 50 but I’ve had two boosters and I will get one as often as they’re recommended. I’m like the pediatric nurse quoted above, I don’t want covid and work to avoid it. I don’t think I’ve had it yet, although it’s possible I had it early in the pandemic. About two weeks ago my 17-year-old son caught covid at a small party. He is boosted, but got moderately sick. My son and I live together and started masking around each other and in common areas after we heard he was exposed. We open windows and have two air filters running. Knock wood I didn’t test positive on rapid tests and as far as I know I didn’t catch it from him. We will keep masking around each other for a couple more days to be safe.
To be clear I am not being smug about not catching covid. Some of my most cautious friends, like Hecate, have caught it recently. That’s why this story resonated with me – avoiding covid feels like a crap shoot at this point. We know that reinfections increase the risk of long covid, so the longer the odds stay in your favor the better.
Photos credit: Backgrid, Cover Images and Avalon.red
I have not had covid yet but I suspect it’s more to do with never leaving the house than anything else. That said, I also feel like I know more people that haven’t had it than have.
I feel the same way. I’ve not gotten it yet (knock on wood!!), but I’m not running around a lot. When I leave the house, I am well masked, and I keep it on outside when there are people around (even just walking down the street). I wear it indoors in stores, ALWAYS, and try and stay distanced from others, masked and *especially* the unmasked! I will NOT eat indoors at a restaurant, and will only do so if it’s outdoors, and the tables are NOT close together (I prefer being *upwind* as well, and yes, I know that’s nuts, but I’ve *noticed* it as this variant has become stronger lol).
3 out of 6 of my close family have gotten it. Both nephews have had it twice (only one kid had mild symptoms; he always had Respitory problems like asthma and allergies growing up), and my sister got it a few wks ago (she didn’t wear a mask indoors at a conference; she FAFO for sure!). My BIL who was around them, did not get it. (She tested before coming into the house, then isolated immediately, and for the duration).
I know Fauci has said by this year’s end, at least 85% of the pop. will have contracted Covid. I hope to stay in the 15% who don’t. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I am double vaxxed/boosted, and will be first in line to get the Omicron specific booster in Sept/Oct as soon as it’s available. Just ordered another batch of masks; I won’t be going out w/out one anytime soon.
I pretty much never leave the house, but I finally caught it a couple weeks ago. I’m boosted and got on Paxlovid quick, but it was still unpleasant.
My elderly parents, who have been faithfully masking and not socializing much, finally caught it a couple days after I did, and they are in NJ while I’m down in Florida. They were only a little sick (thank goodness), so we’re thinking the current variant up in NJ isn’t as nasty as the one floating around in FL, but again, it’s all a crap shoot.
We have not gotten and have ventured out, it was simple we follow every single recommendation to a T faithfully for 2 years. We are triple vaxxed.
We do go out but not in high risk situations. We don’t make unnecessary outings though- I haven’t been in a store but once in 2 years and it was outside to the garden section, we do pick-up orders especially since it is free at most places. If we got out for pleasure we’ve shifted it to outside activities. We do not eat out at restaurants anymore period.
I know we’re very privileged in this all. But I still think the biggest thing is watching your masking (we haven’t stop using them ever in 2 years when out or around people not in our home pod) and diligent cleanliness standards- we have sanitizer everywhere and are doctor-like with our hand washing.
This 👆
I live alone, I stay away from people. If I leave the house I have 2 masks on, glasses and goggles. I get my groceries through Instcart, most everything else through Amazon. (I haven’t been shopping in years.)
I still social distance. If I have to go to work, I’m in my office alone, and I still never take my mask off. I haven’t had sex in 2 years, and it’s killing me.
Why am I so paranoid and strict? Because I’m battling cancer. I don’t appreciate these articles, because some of us must take this VERY seriously.
Yes, this exactly. Immunocompromised here. Articles like this that fail to acknowledge people who have continue to modify their lives and be cautious really piss me off. Sending lots of healing energy to you.
Lining up for my second booster today.
I haven’t had it yet (*knocks on wood*) – but I think that’s largely because I don’t have kids in school and can avoid high risk situations fairly easily. I’m also 4x vaccinated and work from home with a partner who also works from home.
Same. I live alone, work from home – I started WFH years before Covid – and have no kids. I have tested at home a few times when I had symptoms but so far it’s always been negative (**knocks on wood as well**.)
Most of the people I know who did catch it were in different situations than mine: they had young kids, or had a spouse who caught it, or were going out quite often. I guess being an introverted homebody is working in my favour, lol.
Same here also. Knocking on wood! My daughter and grandson who lived with me got it but luckily I was isolating because of having knee replacement surgery and had to isolate after having a covid test before hand. Luckily the kiddos, him and his 3 siblings could stay at their dad’s and my daughter had to live elsewhere. I consider myself very lucky.
No one in my immediate family has had it. I have no explanation for this. We are vaccinated but obviously, that’s no guarantee anymore.
Same. Even my brother and nephews who walk around maskless constantly. But they’re all vaccinated. As for me, I rarely leave the house. And when I do I’m ALWAYS masked up and I wear a personal purifier around my neck.
I don’t know if it’s a factor, but I live in an area that has a very high vaccination rate.
I just tested positive for the first time last Thursday and my husband, who also has never had it, tested positive today. Dropping like flies
Hope your cases are mild, and you both feel better soon! Wishing all the best! <3
I do think its interesting who has and has not gotten it. Neither of my parents have gotten it so far, even though they were around me in a hotel room a few days before I tested positive. They were really cautious before getting vaccinated and followed all the rules, wore masks all the time, didnt eat in restaurants, etc, but they’ve loosened up a lot recently. They’re around their grandchildren all the time (who are all vaccinated but also attend schools mask-less with all their germy friends, lol) etc.
My theory is that for a lot of people who don’t think they’ve had it, they probably have and were just asymptomatic or just thought it was allergies or a cold for a few days and that was it. I know a lot of people who had it and tested negative on their home tests and then tested positive on a PCR test a day later. so I would not be surprised if one or both of my parents had it and just didn’t realize it.
That’s not to say that there is no one out there who hasn’t had it, just that I bet that exclusive non-COVID club is a lot smaller than we think.
Interesting theory. I also feel like for some people the tests dont work. I got Covid a little over 2 weeks ago. My husband got sick at the same time. Our symptoms mirrored each other. Furthermore, we were on vacation, so we’ were together constantly. I tested positive. He took 3 tests (2 home and 1 PCR) on 3 consecutive days. Never tested positive. It just doesn’t seem possible
Just had my second round. Tested for 6 straight days at home, all negative. Got PCR later in the day on the 6th day I had tested negative, and it came back positive. I was insistent because I knew I had been exposed and had symptoms, so knew I had to have it, even though I tested negative for 6 days. I finally tested positive on a home test on day 8 of symptoms, and finally negative on home test again on day 11. I’m thinking if you’ve been totally exposed, develop symptoms, and test negative, one should assume they are actually positive. The tests just aren’t as reliable as they should be.
I think this is true as well. To my knowledge I’ve not had it, but I could have very well had mild symptoms and not realized. I do get really bad allergies.
Well that’s interesting but I haven’t caught it yet *knocks on wood* and I’ve been in constant situations with positive people.
Everyone from my immediate family has got it. My father and I were the ones who didn’t and he got it last week.
I am a teacher and I’ve been with students who had it, there was also an outbreak from teacher staff a few weeks ago, everyone in the teacher lounge got it except myself and other teacher.
Not asymptomatic either because whenever I am exposed I go get a test on the fourth day and on the 7th day after exposure. So far it’s been negative. I’ve spent a lot of money on testing.
I try to stay home for most of the part, except for working and quick errands to the supermarket or take out food. I am masked most of the time, and I’ve traveled a little during this year, been to concerts, on airplanes, etc. I’ve been lucky I guess.
My family of four (we have an 8 year old and a 6 year old) has not yet caught Covid. Just by saying that I’m probably jinxing us. My in-laws caught it over Fourth of July – we saw them on the 4th and I was SURE we would catch it. And my husband got sick for a few days, but had 6 negative Covid tests (including a PCR several days in). He isolated and wore a mask when he came out of the guest room and we didn’t get sick.
At this point it feels like a miracle that we haven’t gotten it. We have done our best to be careful; we social distanced for a long time, wear masks in indoor public spaces (the kids wore them at school the whole time except for a brief vaccinated lull this spring) and are vaccinated and boosted. I work from home except for mostly outdoor photo shoots, and my husband can the majority of the time. But we have relaxed wearing masks in small gatherings, which I know is really just an open door to Covid. We have been in situations where I was SURE we’d end up catching it, and we haven’t. I can’t even count how many times we have tested our family at home and with PCR tests. Always been negative.
I feel like we have done the best we could to avoid getting it—the goal was to keep my immune compromised MIL safe (even though she doesn’t take very many precautions herself) and our kids until they could get their vaccines. At this point we are just trying not to miss work, and not catch / pass on to someone who might have really bad effects. It’s not a moral thing or a superiority thing. I’ve lived in anxiety for 2.5 years about it though.
I feel like almost everyone I know has gotten it. Except for my one anti-vax/anti mask family, ironically. Which is hard because I feel like my husband and I have made hard choices to try to keep us safe and we’ve watched them not change their life at all, and somehow not get it. Or they got it and didn’t test or just didn’t tell us. 🤷🏻♀️
I’m posting this and we’ll probably get it now!
The anti-vax people have probably already had a version of the virus and wrote it off as a flu; that’s why we’ll continue to have variants. Now, if polio continues to spread, that’s a different story. Smh.
When my daughter caught it in January, she spent the first few days alone in her room. But she was pretty sick and needed company so I would hang out with her, played uno with her, hugged her, mostly without a mask (I know I should have worn one). I still never caught it. I was vaxzed and 1x boosted at the time. I would love to understand why it didn’t get it.
We’ve not had it here, either, knock wood. Includes a high school and a college student. We are rather hermit-like and don’t live in a big city. But at this point to have never had it is unsettling because I know it is coming for us, just no clue when. I feel like it is lurking, waiting to strike. I still mask in public spaces indoors but my husband doesn’t, even on his work trips that involve air travel. So it is inevitable. My circle of family and friends who are testing positive for the first time is growing, too.
Stay safe and healthy, bitches!
I live alone,work from home, and work out from home so I know that significantly decreases my risks. I go to the grocery store, hairdresser, gas station, etc and I always wear my mask. I try to limit the amount of places I go and when I need to get out of my house I got to the park. I am going out of the country this week so I’m nervous about that. I got my second booster shot 2 weeks ago and I plan to double mask on the plane.
I am from Mexico and was also nervous of traveling abroad. But since I was already forced to go back to work I just thought “might as well get it on my own terms”. So I decided to go to LA, I’ve been twice this year and still haven’t gotten it. For the flight, I recommend wearing a 3M Aura mask, I read those were the best out there and got a package at my local Home Depot. When out and about I just wore regular disposable 3 layers masks.
Best of luck and don’t let this halter your plans. Have fun but be safe
I finally caught it 4 weeks ago and it wasn’t pleasant. I don’t know why I escaped it for so long, I suspect because I was extremely careful before I was vaxxed (and reasonably careful after) and we did have strict lockdowns. Also sheer luck I guess. This Spring I decided I was going to live my life and go to restaurants, movies, etc. because it was getting obvious that a large percentage of Germans weren’t going to get the vaccine so we’d be living with this for years. Finally caught it at a bachelorette party (I was the only one, everyone else had had it) in a bar. Well, I knew it was risky. I also knew if I didn’t catch it now or in a month, I would get it in 4 or 6 months.
It feels like this comes in waves that now have nothing to do with seasons anymore. I think as terrible as it sounds, we just have to get used to it and pray that the next variants are milder.
I’m hosting an exchange student from Germany in a few weeks here in the US. She just caught COVID. However, she should be out of the quarantine in 10 days and be able to fly.
It’s everywhere here and I live in a very small town. I caught it Memorial Day weekend and was moderately sick and out for 10 days from work. Prior to that, I had been extremely vigilant about masking. I took my mask off for a picture with an old friend that weekend that I was having a drink with. Both of us came down with it. I wear a mask everywhere now as I’ve had two infections since my COVID, which both doctors attribute to complications from the virus. I’m double vaxxed and boosted.
As far as I know, I haven’t had it. I’m around singers a lot during the school year, some of which are unvaccinated, but otherwise I am pretty hermit like. I will probably go back to masking when school starts with a bunch of new freshmen. Not looking forward to teaching in a mask again, but needs must.
Double vaxxed and boosted here, not eligible for second booster yet in my state. Don’t think I’ve gotten it thankfully although I have to work with the public who are unmasked and pretty much everyone else has stopped wearing them, and I went on a trip to visit my partner in Europe in March.
Any time I have any symptoms of anything I test at home and it’s been negative. It’s possible it was asymptomatic but thankfully nobody around me got anything either.
It’s so hard to say for sure.
I caught covid in May for the first time. All of my home tests were negative and even my first PCR. But I felt like my symptoms were covid (lost my sense of smell and taste 5 days after cold-like symptoms began) and had a second PCR which was positive. Apparently this can happen, negative test at the onset of symptoms then several days later positive test. Depends on the viral load of the sample. My hunch is a lot more of us have had covid than we think
Yes, I believe that last part. I haven’t had any symptoms like that, only a little heaviness of the head sometimes – took one PCR and it was negative.
Not ruling out that I may have gotten it, but I think it would have been asymptomatic. I live with someone who is high-risk though, and thankfully they’ve never gotten it either.
Same here, not yet eligible for my second booster. Hopefully soon, especially if they tailor it to the variants. I haven’t gotten it yet, and am about to go on a road trip so I am desperately trying to protect myself and not miss my vacation. I have had several extremely close calls, but so far, knock on wood, haven’t had it.
Yes! I’m getting my second booster as soon as I’m allowed.
I caught it in January, as did my husband-kiddo has still avoided it, thanks to vaccines!
However, my anti-vaxx father, who has not been masked and has taken zero precautions and who is a walking pre-existing condition (heart issues, lung issues, had surgery in March) has YET to have it. He hasn’t been sick, hasn’t had a symptom, has tested when exposed (only because we insisted on it)… literally just walking around out here like Teflon.
It’s enraging, frankly.
My parents, too! Both in their late 70s, both have health issues, both unvaxxed…out having parties, eating out, etc. And still haven’t had it! Not that I want them to get it because I’m sure it would be terrible for them, but it’s crazy how people I know who’ve been soooo careful have succumbed, but my obstinate parents are walking around calling us all fear-mongers and thinking they’re invincible.
My father and stepmother were like that. They watch Fox News and are huge Trumpsters. They got the Johnson& Johnson vaccine which is pretty much useless. COVID caught up with them two weeks ago. Thankfully both of them are okay.
I’m right there with you. Double vaxxed and boosted and super careful for 2.5 years, then ate in a restaurant 2 weeks ago and bam, sick as can be. Yet my anti-vaxx inlaws eat out all the time, travel on airplanes maskless and they don’t get it. I’m trying to keep my karma up but it’s rough when you’re laying there with nothing to do but cough and seethe.
I’ve escaped Covid too. so far. 90% of my family has.
Around New Years’ with cases surging around the country,, my boyfriend was exposed and got it. He had two booster shots (he’s immunocompromised) AND a health worker. He was pretty sick and I took care of him around the clock. I slept in the living room and cleaned our bathroom constantly. I got tested twice and both times it came back negative. Every time I’ve been exposed it’s come back negative. I am also a front line worker.
My brother is a pediatrician/neo and has nver caught it. My sister caught it a few weeks ago and she’s a dentist and never stopped seeing patients.
I don’t know why this is happening but I hope it continues to happen. I don’t want the disease either.
My family and I (miraculously) have not caught it yet. We’re all vaxxed and boosted, and my partner and I are now eligible for our fourth shot so we’ll be getting that ASAP. Partner and I work from home. We mask everywhere we go, and we don’t go many places. We’ve become real hermits due to this f@&$!@g pandemic.
But that said, for sure our luck will run out sometime soon. And it’s definitely possible that we had it and we were asymptomatic. We’re not special or blessed or anything, we’ve just been really careful and we’ve been lucky. I feel like our commitment to staying away from people is waning – we’re starting to host guests again and let the kids hang out with friends again. I can’t keep us in an isolation bubble forever. It’s been 2.5 years and I miss my friends! I miss parties, I miss get-togethers, I miss PEOPLE.
As far as we know, none of the 5 of us have had it, including a teacher, two high school students and one college student. I just returned from overseas and tested yesterday because I’ve been feeling a bit puny, but it was negative. My husband is convinced that we had asymptomatic cases early on because it seems impossible we wouldn’t have gotten it yet.
That said, my unvaccinated parents also haven’t gotten it yet, either (unless they did and didn’t know/tell us).
It feels inevitable at this point, but I’m still masking and staying away from people as best I can. I was in London and Reykjavik last week and no one was masked there except a few tourists. A man accosted me on the Tube about my mask, too…this timeline is not my fave.
I’ve had Covid 4 or 5 times. I am fully vaccinated and once boosted. At this point, we will never get rid of this mutating virus ever, it is here to stay.
I work in healthcare, and between my boyfriend and various patients having it, I haven’t managed to get it somehow (that I know of, anyway). Im thankful but also dreading when/if I actually do get it haha. Eep.
Couldn’t be a factor the city or country in which you are? I am in Tokyo an in most public places people mask. Trains, grocery stores and schools. I am not elegible for the fourth shot because of my age but I mask even during this scorching summer. My husband mask at the office and only removes it for lunch time where people refrain from conversation to avoid clusters. We haven’t got infected in all this pandemic. So far people I know who have got COVID is because they were reckless, like going to karaoke with friends.
I suspect most people who think they haven’t had it yet were the asymptomatic cases (lucky them, either way!).
I am 3x vaccinated and I have never gotten COVID and neither have any of my family members. I have been on two cruises, flown to Mexico and have traveled extensively to our beach house in another state. We have only worn masks when it was mandatory and none of us work from home. We have all been to multiple sporting events and family gatherings. I guess our redneck immune system is pretty strong.
My family is the same. We’re vaccinated but not boosted. We wore masks when they were required. We all just live our lives normally now. Parents 70’s, us 40’s, kids 30’s and 20’s, and grandkids elementary ages. Seems odd to think that the whole family has just been lucky, but here we are. Knock on wood!
My parents and I haven’t had it but we don’t really go out much and when we do, we wear masks. We have enough health conditions between us that I don’t think asymptomatic cases would be possible. We have relatives in their 70’s who are very high risk, unvaxxed and are always around people, and they have never gotten it.
We caught it this week after 3 years of not flying. After a week abroad (Europe) we returned home and were all positive.
Most people we saw at the airports and flight were maskless.
I’m convinced I got it on a plane or at the airport. Nobody was masked. I don’t know why they removed that mandate. I’m sure people are flying all over with covid. There was a guy in the gate area I was in coughing his lungs off unmasked. I’m sure he had covid and spread it.
My husband and are Covid virgins. We have been exposed multiple times. Two days after Christmas last year, our daughter and 3 grandchildren became ill and tested positive. We spent all of Christmas day with them. We tested negative. My husband had lunch in March with an old friend who was admitted to ICU the following day. We still tested negative. We are fully immunized and are careful but are out and around more this year.
In February 2020, I had a wicked sore throat and fever, managed to get tested and it was strep throat and NOT covid and I took antibiotics. In early May of 2020, I was in the ER for other reasons and my Covid antibody test came back positive. I went through 5 rounds of chemo, antibody test still positive, a stem cell transplant (where all my bone marrow was killed) – antibody test still positive afterwards, a SECOND stem cell transplant – and the antibody test was still positive. It was only a year ago that my immune system was strong enough to be vaccinated, and I have had both vaccines, two boosters and I go for a third this Friday. My oncologists have sent in my blood to be studied because there is NO EXPLANATION for how those antibodies continued to exist through all the brutal cancer treatment that specifically targeted my immune system. BTW, the last three covid vaccines have LAID ME OUT – a solid 36 hours of a fevered coma like state. So, while I clearly had Covid at some point, it was asymptomatic, but my doctors hypothesize that it (covid) took a cancer that was smoldering/dormant in 2019, and kicked it into high gear. No way to prove that, but also, no way to definitively disprove it either as those antibodies continue to exist at a high enough level after 2 years to keep showing up on the test. I will mask until the day I die regardless, but I have a very healthy fear of what we DON’T know covid is capable of doing…
Wishing you all the best with your treatmen
Good luck RMS.
I had no reaction to the first 2 vaccines or the first booster. I got my second booster last week and it laid me out for a full day. It was horrible.
I, my husband and two teens have managed to avoid catching it up to now. My eldest has had it twice but he works in a hospital. He lives in our basement apartment so it’s been easy to avoid him when he’s had it. Leave food at the door, knock and walk away. Husband and I are both in are late 50’s. I think we’ve managed not to get it because we avoid large indoor crowds and when we are indoors, we wear masks all the time. We’ll see how long the streak lasts.
I just had covid for the first time this past month, and it laid me out for 2 weeks. I’m still struggling with fatigue, nausea, and cognitive issues.
I hardly know anyone who hasn’t caught it yet. My parents and I all recently got it (me twice in 6 weeks because I like to overdo everything) but my sister hasn’t. She was sick this past week but her PCR was negative as were her rapids so just a summer cold. She was also sick right before Christmas and also took a PCR and was negative. So either she was asymptomatic at one point or she has yet to get it.
After 2+ years of being cautious, I tested positive last month. While pregnant. While I was already in the hospital for kidney stones. I’ll never know where I got it – I hadn’t been feeling well so I was barely leaving the house.
My husband didn’t get it. The month earlier, when my husband’s mom got covid, his dad never did. Not even with me in the car with him, windows up, for over an hour, the day before I tested positive. It’s wild. I swear, 20 years down the road someone much smarter than us will find an explanation for why some people just never seemed to catch it. It’s bizarre at this point.
I’ve also never known SO many people around me to have covid than over the last 2-3 months. These variants are no joke. Luckily covid was the least of my medical concerns, but I got totally lucky. So incredibly grateful for science & vaccines.
I just tested positive for the first time last week, its been pretty awful. -10000/10 would not recommend
I’ve got to add the standard disclaimer, but I still haven’t had it “to my knowledge”. Husband got it in January on our vacation, and I didn’t make him test until we’d been home for a couple of days. I tested negative, and then tested negative again 3 days later. I’ve had to fly 4 times for work since June, and have tested myself intermittently. still nothing. I do mask in the airport and on the plane, and will do so if I have to go into a store, but otherwise I have not been very careful at all. That gives me stress, as I know my bulletproof status is not going to last forever, so I have been trying to be more disciplined about it. My husband, who was masking militantly for two years, has pretty much said “F* it” and rarely masks now. It’s complete behavioral chaos out there, which I’m sure the virus loves.
I haven’t caught it yet, but I’ve been regularly wearing a mask anytime I am with people other than my family indoors. I’ve eaten out on a patio once, and have had beach days with friends unmasked, but that’s about as risky as I get. Sometimes I am the only person in the office, or in the elevator, or in the grocery store with a mask on. People would like to think it is over, but it isn’t, so that is why it is still here and everywhere.
So far as I know I have not had covid. Vaxxed and double boosted. Had my first test last October for a medical procedure. 2nd test was a few months ago when I had some symptoms.
I wear a mask whenever I’m in public. I probably will for the rest of my life. I live in a blue part of CA and don’t get dirty looks (yet). The idea of having long covid scares the shit out of me.
I thought I had it back in may, cause I lost my voice, but I tested daily and did pcr and it was negative. For the most part of my life – 95% I’m masked up, distanced, and all that. But I have ate indoors, traveled (masked), been to weddings, worked out in Pilates studios (masked at some, unmasked at some), protests (masked), concerts and raves and clubs (masked and unmasked), etc. No one in my immediate family has had it yet. Very few have had it on my extended family. Some of my friends have had it twice. For the most part, I live alone, I work from home and I’m pretty vigilant about masks, but they’re are times when I’ve been laxed (although very few), so it’s just dumb luck.
My sister and her bf went to nyc this spring, and the bf got it, while she didn’t even though they were together 100% of the time.
Have had 2x in 6 months and I’m double boosted. My boyfriend – also super vaxxed – was VERY exposed to me both times and never got it. I know someone who is fully vaxxed, as are her two kids, and her husband is anti-vax. She and her two kids have had it twice; her husband still hasn’t gotten it. Who understands this sh*t.
No one in my immediate family has had it. Mom and dad in their 70’s in one house, me, my husband (40’s) and disabled daughter (20’s) in our house, oldest daughter, son-in-law, two kids in their house, and youngest daughter in college in the north (we live in the south). None of us have had it yet. We are all vaccinated and wore masks when required, but we’ve all gone back to our normal everyday lives.
AFAIK, no one in my immediate family has had it so far… kids have tested neg (pcr or home test as applicable), as have Le Papa and myself. 21 yo twin boys have both vaxes, no boost (😒), 24 yo daughter has one booster, not eligible for another. MD spouse has not yet reboosted. I’ve got 4 on board and eagerly await the new souped- up version this fall. Only for college graduation celebrations one weekend in May have I been unmasked since Jan ’20. I’m sick of it, but don’t foresee stopping any time soon.
I have purchased 3M N95s in anticipation of seeing my 85 year old mom (haven’t seen her for three years) late next month… traveling with those, antibacterial wipes, antigen tests, and sanitizer.
Wish me luck!!
I haven’t had it yet, at least to my knowledge. I’m still super strict about masking indoors and on transit, and my family members do the same. I’m getting my fourth shot this week!
There’s definitely luck involved, but I think there is also a lot of privilege, too: I’ve been able to mostly work from home. My partner works in an office where they still have Covid precautions in place. My child had a relatively small class at school, and masks were mandated for most of the past year. We have access to tests if we need them, and were able to buy or were supplied with good quality masks. I get most of my groceries delivered and am able to pop in to local shops if I need anything else. We have a backyard and live close to several parks where we can meet up with friends (still not really doing indoor gatherings). But if I lived in an apartment? In a food desert? If I couldn’t go online, and I had no choice but to work with unmasked people? If I had no choice but to take a bus with people coughing on me all the time? There’s a much higher likelihood that I would have caught Covid at least once by now.
I don’t say it often enough, but I’m incredibly lucky.
My youngest son has had it as well as my husband. I have somehow managed to avoid it despite my office only being shut down for about 2 weeks during the worst of the pandemic. I am single-boosted. I just chalk it up to dumb luck and keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.
I feel like part of this is governments not agreeing over what was symptoms of covid at different points over the last 2.5 years.
I’ve never officially caught it (and am very careful and avoid leaving the house still…) but there was, for example, a point when BC/Canada was saying certain symptoms weren’t covid (when a new strain was coming out) and I had those symptoms, and I couldn’t get tested because though Britain recognized those symptoms earlier, Canada was saying no! no test for you! Then three weeks later, changed their symptoms list. It has been incredibly frustrating because at first I really thought the government’s goal was for us all to not catch it, and that they were doing proper contact tracing, etc, but really, their actual goal is only to not overrun the hospitals. It’s made me a little jaded…
I’m double vaxxed and boosted, and planning to get my second booster this fall whenever they become available to people under 50. I’ve managed to dodge Covid for the past two years. I’ve chalked it up to sheer dumb luck. I’ve been careful but I still go out to socialize. For all I know, I had an asymptomatic case at one point, but I’ve no idea. It was a big joke in my friend group over the holidays during the Omicron surge that I went to not one but three events that turned into super spreaders, I was one of a small group that didn’t get sick. No clue why. Again, lucky. I just got back two weeks ago from my first international trip in over two years and was really worried that this was it. This was when I got Covid, despite masking at the airport and on the plane. Still healthy. One day I would love to know if there is some connective thread between people who don’t get it versus those who do, but for now, I hope my dumb luck will hold out just a little longer.
*touch wood* Still don’t have it yet, but I am sure it is only a matter of time. My partner contacted it in March on our 1st night out in the city centre after 2 years. I was fine; tested negative.
I did have a grotty reaction to the 2nd and 3rd vaccines, but they cleared up after 1-2 days. If I have had it, then I was blissfully unaware. I don’t socialise as much as I used to and I continue to work from home and I have my own office at work, if I must go in. Still mask up in public transport, or anywhere I think is a bit too stuffy or crowded.
My husband just got Covid – again. He had it in December of 2020 (asymptomatic then – sick now with scratchy throat and cough) – and he works from HOME. Meanwhile my 16 year old daughter (goes to private high school in person since 2020 and plays multiple sports) and I (work at a chemical plant which has had multiple covid cases – even when masks were required) and neither one of us has ever gotten it. We are all fully vaccinated and boosted. It’s just weird at this point. We just got back from Hawaii last week – over 24 hours in planes and airports to get home – not masked all the time – yet my daughter and I have had multiple negative tests and feel fine – it makes no sense. We’re masking and continuing to test for another week – just to be sure. I also went to New York City last month for a long weekend with my 84 year old mother and tested before and after – and we were both good.
Sometimes I wonder if TOO much isolation screws up your immune system? My husband works for the federal government and they only last month allowed them to come to work 4 days out of the month and work remotely the rest of time. Yet he is the one who hasn’t gotten sick twice (and he is the most vigilant with masks) – it makes you wonder…
I caught covid 6 weeks ago for the first time after my husband picked it up at a work conference. His case was mild, and my doctor thought I would pass it easily because I’m healthy and younger.
On day 10, I was getting worse and my doctor was concerned since I have asthma. I went in for a lung x-ray and it had turned into pneumonia. Fast forward several weeks later, and I’m just now feeling like myself. My doctor said that he couldn’t believe how sick I was. I’m also vaccinated and boosted. Be careful out there.
Teacher here, in adult education. I haven’t had it that I know of…fingers are crossed that continues. I wear a mask 100% of the time at school, much to the eye-rolling exasperation of some co-workers….Most students have shed their masks too. It feels like I am walking into a vat of covid every time I walk in the door. Yuck. I wear a mask when shopping, only occasionally go to an outside restaurant, and visit friends only outside. Who knows why I haven’t had it yet??? But I am afraid it’s coming for me!
Neither my wife nor I (in our mid sixties) have tested positive for Covid in spite of the fact that I’ve traveled to Europe 7 times since early April of 2021 and she has done so 3 times. In the process of all that traveling we were tested many times. We still wear masks in public and don’t go to restaurants or the gym, but we do have occasional unmasked get togethers indoors with small numbers of friends. Our vaccination history is a little unusual in that we have been fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca in 2020 (through a clinical trial) and Pfizer in 2021. We wonder if that vaccine combination could have helped us avoid Covid. AstraZeneca has never been approved in the US so only those in clinical trials have received it.
My Husband and I both caught it 2 weeks ago. Fairly mild symptoms: his were fatigue and body aches/sore throat for several days, and phlegm in fairly large quantities.I had sore throat, phlegm/congrstion, body aches for 2-3 days, and fatigue. Still have phlegm. *sighs We are both double vaxxed/double boosted 2nd booster was right at 2 weeks when he got infected & gave it to me