How can only one spouse be infected?

[mackers1]

Since Charles tested positive, and Camilla didn't, I've wondered how that could possibly be the case.

I had a few days in April with mild symptoms. I thought that it was just a cold. I did isolate in that I didn't leave the house but I didn't isolate in the home. In fact, I carried on with wfh, cooking for family- spending time with them, sleeping with husband etc. The loss of taste/smell happened on day 5/6 and so I took an antibody test last week, and so did my husband. I have the antibodies, my husband does not. How could he possibly not have been infected after having being exposed to it to that extent?

Oh sorry. I missed that someone already posted the article!

It seems some people are super-spreaders and are highly infectious, and have even spread it to up to 100 people.... Others far less so - children for instance aren’t reckoned to be very infectious when they have it.

So it’s quite possible many infected people aren’t especially infectious, and even in households, people won’t necessarily interact much socially.

For Covid’s R0 to be both around 3 (pre-lockdown estimate) and for some people to infect dozens, it implies many infected people infect no one at all... in fact I think it’s quite plausible that most infected people may not infect anyone at all!

I think this would help explain how it could have been here earlier in December or early January... it could persist for a while in very low numbers (and undetected by medics or death rates) and only start to expand more significantly once seeded through some superspreaders. In time, so many have it tha superspreading events happen all the time and growth becomes exponential.

According to this article, most people do not pass it on to others. Its estimated that 80% of the spread can be traced to just 10% of cases. Its not as contagious as they first thought it seems

So do they think some people pass it on and others don't? Is that usual for a virus.

It would then make sense that my dad was coughing all over the shop and didn't pass on to anyone, but my daughter gave it to me, my mum and her brother.

That’s a very unusual thing to have happened DarkMint ... I don’t know how she got it ... I guess it’s the effect of large numbers - if the sample is big enough eventually statistically very unlikely things will happen.

I feel quite reassured by everything I’ve read about transmission - enough not to worry about socially distanced activities outside anyway.

Yes and it’s highly unlikely you can catch it from surfaces either, because although it lives on surfaces under lab conditions in real life the virus is so delicate that any contact with it kills it immediately.

In fact going back to the German scientists, they could not find it live on any surface in any home with infected residents, even homes with four people who had it,

That’s not to say it is not infectious, it is, but it does appear as they understand it more, it’s about close proximity to an infected person for a prolonged period of time.

Germany’s patient zero stayed at a hotel with her colleagues, had dinner with them, drinking with them etc, many of heR colleagues got it, no hotel staff were infected.

Its not as contagious as they first thought it seems

On average it’s just as contagious, just that it’s contagious-ness is very different in different people.

So do they think some people pass it on and others don't? Is that usual for a virus.

Based on experience, that seems to be the case... I often won’t get colds that my family get and vice-versa... though sometimes we will. Strange.

Same here, my daughter or husband can have a cold and i won’t get it and vice versa. It seems to be how some viruses work.

Based on experience, that seems to be the case... I often won’t get colds that my family get and vice-versa... though sometimes we will. Strange.

So I always understood that we are all exposed to the same amount of colds, but depending on your health and immune system you may or may not get ill. But you still catch the cold - you just fight it off and don't fall ill.

But with covid they are saying some people just don't pass on the virus. The article says 10% of cases are responsible for 80% of the spread.

My friend who is fit and healthy had corona and was hospitalised with it. She developed a blood clot on her lung. She has been living with her husband - heart problems, overweight, lots of alcohol - not a single symptom for him.

@halesie it was in the press weeks and weeks ago, this is the study I was looking at this evening.

www.pharmacytimes.com/news/study-suggests-blood-type-a-associated-with-higher-risk-of-covid-19

My friend who is fit and healthy had corona and was hospitalised with it. She developed a blood clot on her lung. She has been living with her husband - heart problems, overweight, lots of alcohol - not a single symptom for him.

So the theory is she met a shredder but wasn't one herself.

I'd be really interested to know if other viruses are known to behave like this.

Where did you get an antibody test op?

My partner had it and I didn’t. He’s super cautious, working from home, I’m a front line worker. We have so much to learn.

My teen ds had Covid, he was so bad he was in bed for 13 days, but the rest of us in household (3) didn't get it.
Also my cousin's husband was bad with it but she didn't become ill.

I think superdrug sell antibody tests for £60

I intensively nursed someone with covid-19
For 48 hours (4 shifts over 5 days) whilst they were symptomatic. I didn't wear PPE. She was tested on day 5 and came back positive 2 days later. I spent 2 weeks awaiting my certain death which never came. I was even tested due to being knowingly exposed, but nada!

Very strange indeed.

I'm guessing because we all have different levels of immunity, whether we've been exposed to It or not.
I'd like my family to have anti body tests for a number of reasons I won't share but a doctor friend has advised me that they are not currently very reliable? What's your view OP?

We are a half and half household. DD2 and I both had it, DD1 and husband did not - even though they both have much more tendency to catch respiratory infections (to the extent that they both get called in for the flu jab every year now). It is a strange one.

Not C-19, but my DP had proper flu last year - I was scared by how sick he was. I usually catch everything going (teacher) but I didn’t get it. He did sleep in the spare room, but I was having to strip the bed every day because he was so feverish, bringing him drinks, soup and so on, plus sharing a bathroom.

My friend had it pretty badly - still has respiratory problems 2 months on but her husband and DD didn't catch it. Although many people get it asymptomatically do they not? So until antibody testing is available we won't know for sure?

Same as any virus I suppose. Some are just more susceptible to catching them.

In 47 years I’ve never had flu. I’ve slept in the same bed as my DH who has been rocking a fever and hacking cough from the flu. I also tend to miss stomach bugs when everyone else gets them.

On the flip side I suffer horribly from bacterial infections like tonsillitis.

Variation in humans I assume.

I'm a teacher - several of my class or their family members had C-19 just as lockdown started. My DH had it and was very poorly a few weeks into lockdown. I've not been ill ( had a slight cough for a few days but nothing else) and neither have our children. I worried I was a carrier from school to home, but if I was I don't know how my dcs ( who are teenagers/young adults) didn't get it.... strange virus!

@DippyAvocado

Antibodies tests are now available

@RockingMyFiftiesNot

... and they’re now much more reliable than they were even a few weeks back (see link)

medichecks.com/pages/coronavirus-antibody-blood-test-information

Places Where people are close together for a prolonged period.

As I said, SIL got it at the end of April, after a month of lockdown, which she observed strictly - only going to a supermarket once a week. So, how did she get it then?