Reinfected

[Flippetyflipok]

I've just had a positive test. I was ill last April, and had ongoing long covid. Ironically only chatted to GP this week who said that no one has any idea re recovery.

Has anyone else had it twice? I'm hoping second time not so debilitating - I didn't have to go to hospital or anything but felt like crap for weeks.

The PCR tests give a lot of false positives.

Hope you feel better soon OP.

Presumably you could get a different strain? Like flu? If it sufficiently mutated I guess that’s a possibility

There was a really nasty viral thing that went round last winter that left a lot of people thinking they’d had Covid. I def wouldn’t assume without a positive test.

I'm a nurse and tested positive on swab in May. Completely asymptomatic.

Have had two antibody tests and both were negative.

I'm sorry you're poorly but you can't be certain you had it before so your title is a little overdramatic.

@Flippetyflipok idk, I haven't seen any posters claiming that they have been reinfected when they tested positive once. Perhaps you can point me towards them.

I was reading about this earlier. There are cases of verified reinfection and generally they have been milder.

This is such an interesting post. Thank you OP. I had covid in March alongside all my family (1 tested positive - only testing done on admission to hospital, so the rest of us did not get tested, but it was very obviously covid). My husband has long covid and is really struggling now (a previously very fit man, no underlying health conditions). Some days he can barely climb the stairs.
My curiosity got the better of me and I finally took an antibody test. Result yesterday - I have antibodies and therefore confirmed I did have covid (which I knew). Now, the question is, have I still got antibodies from March infection? 10 months later? Or have I been reinfected recently but not known about it? Who can say?
Wishing you a speedy recovery. Long covid is debilitating and I dread my husband getting it again, as I am not sure he has the reserves to fight it second time around.

@NanaRant sorry to hear about your husband
I also had suspected Covid in March and long covid
There are people on the Facebook groups that are improving with certain (cheap!) supplements and diets and early research data is very promising that it is a treatment for long covid. Check out Gez Medinger's videos on YouTube (he posts under a channel called Run DMC, for some odd reason)

My colleagues had mild symptoms both times around

@Justmuddlingalong

I think as you never had a test in April, you can't honestly say you've been reinfected.

Clutching at straws I think - the GP has been involved throughout by the sounds.

@Flippetyflipok I heard of some hospital staff getting reinfected as well as few random people that some studies showed (in China and Hong Kong).

We are fighting covid now (same symptoms as what you had, no smell plus no hunger [which is kind of a plus I have to say :-D ]) and I was planning to fly in a week (now cancelled anyway) so I did some research in on-line medical journals and articles.

The scientists do not know, is the answer. There is no clear evidence that you cannot get it twice, there is some evidence of some antibody protection for 3 months.

You can also be a carrier and infect others after you have had the virus (which was my main worry). So if the science is saying they do not know, the research is simply not yet there.

My sympathies, hope you get through without any really bad symptoms, it is truly a crap illness to have.

[quote TiddleTaddleTat]@NanaRant sorry to hear about your husband
I also had suspected Covid in March and long covid
There are people on the Facebook groups that are improving with certain (cheap!) supplements and diets and early research data is very promising that it is a treatment for long covid. Check out Gez Medinger's videos on YouTube (he posts under a channel called Run DMC, for some odd reason)[/quote]
Thanks so much for that.

Without a positive test previously you don’t know you have had COVID already, long covid could be any other post viral symptoms. Bear in mind the number of negative tests daily, today 62,000 positive cases out of 498,000 tests so 436,000 people thought they had covid but don’t.

I am so pissed off with people who say that because you didn't have a positive test in March it wasn't Covid. I had it as did my Dd. Dr was sure, as was the Covid Centre. But no tests unless hospitalised (which I nearly was but thankfully got better). My Dd is still ill with long Covid now. We don't make it up you know. There is a global pandemic and there is going to be some serious ling term issues caused by this. But if you don't have the holy grail of a positive test result then you weren't really ill.

Maybe if people realise that it isn't just old people dying that is the issue they might take it seriously. It is young people who are still suffering 6 months later, it is marathon runners not being able to climb the stairs. Even the experts are saying the vaccine may only give 6 months protection so why do you think people can't get reinfected?

Covid denial is very strong, that's for sure!

@Frenchfancy well said!

@Frenchfancy no posters here have said that because OP didn't have a positive test that she didn't have Covid. They are saying she doesn't know and it could have been an other viral/flu dose or if t could have been Covid. OP is saying she was infected April and again in January. This is hugely concerning and people have a right to query it.

No one has debated about it not being serious either or that people are not sick for a long time.

Hi, OP!

I tested positive in April, and have tested positive again this week. Only found out due to weekly testing at work! So it is absolutely possible. When I spoke to test and trace the man said it wasn't uncommon to have it twice!

I was very poorly in April but this time round I am fine. Slight tickle in my throat every now and then but that's it.

HTH

It is certainly possible to get reinfected. The evidence so far suggests that subsequent infections are likely to be milder than the initial one.
www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/12/why-coronavirus-reinfections-are-happening/

A friend (nurse) had exactly the same. Positive test in March, long covid and another positive test. She feels worse this time

I’m sorry OP, and I am sorry to hear you have been struggling with long covid. I am fairly sure I had it back in April but no test, only real symptom was sudden and complete loss of sense of smell which is still very poor and distorted. I am scared of getting it again as I am pregnant now and not sure how my immune system will respond.

At the time I suspect I got it I had been in a hospital with a number of people who were testing positive shortly after (they were tested as they were staff). Although they all had positive tests for active infection and some were very ill, only about half of them went on to test positive for antibodies so that doesn’t give a definitive answer anyway.

[quote IseeIsee]@Frenchfancy no posters here have said that because OP didn't have a positive test that she didn't have Covid. They are saying she doesn't know and it could have been an other viral/flu dose or if t could have been Covid. OP is saying she was infected April and again in January. This is hugely concerning and people have a right to query it.

No one has debated about it not being serious either or that people are not sick for a long time.[/quote]
It’s bit hard to have long Covid wo having Covid in the first place....

It’s bit hard to have long Covid wo having Covid in the first place

Post-viral syndromes are common enough.

There could be no diagnosis of long Covid without confirmation of Covid in the first place.