Life after COVID-19 is still a mystery

It’s been nine weeks since my family tested positive for COVID-19.

Luckily, we all had mild cases. And I’m better than I was, though I still have a cough and loss of smell and taste, plus intermittent fatigue, muscle pain and headaches.

This is relatively common, even among mild cases, that symptoms can linger long after you’re no longer contagious. We don’t know why.

Indeed, few questions about what to expect after COVID-19 have solid answers. It’s telling that “I recovered from COVID, now what” is a trending phrase on Google.

So, I reached out to three experts in Arizona — a doctor, an immunologist and a microbiologist — to help walk through what we know (and don’t) about the hundreds of thousands of us in Arizona who have recovered from mild cases of COVID-19.

Let’s start with that term, “recovered from COVID.” It may sound like you’re 100% better, but that’s not necessarily the case.

“When we say ‘recovered,’ it’s in terms of how likely you are to transmit the virus to others,” said Deepta Bhattacharya, a University of Arizona immunologist.

For many of us with mild cases, that’s 10 days. We are no longer thought to be contagious and are “recovered.”a

But that can be misleading, because common symptoms like fatigue and loss of taste or smell can persist for weeks or months afterward, even in folks with mild cases. In fact, studies have found that roughly a third of patients had persistent symptoms months later.

After I wrote initially about my COVID-19 diagnosis, I was flooded with advice on how to feel better faster. Take huge daily doses of vitamin D. Drink a ton of water. Take fish oil for the loss of smell.

People mean well. And absolutely, if you are having trouble breathing or your oxygen levels dip, you should seek medical help immediately. Talk with your health care provider about how you feel.

But experts agree there is no magic bullet to speed recovery from common symptoms like fatigue. Mostly, it’s a matter of waiting it out.

“A lot of people are throwing things at the wall, but really it is time” that makes the difference, said Dr. Michael White, Valleywise Health’s chief medical officer. “We don’t have lot of proven interventions.”

The good news is you likely have some level of immunity against SARSCoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. A recent study in the journal Science found that 95% of those who have recovered from COVID-19 still had memory cells that could help the body fight infection after six months.

Most people in the study had mild cases, and while the kind and levels of immunity varied widely — which is normal;

therefore

considered everybody’s immune system reaction is slightly different — it suggests that the majority of those who have recovered from COVID-19 should have some level of protection against the virus if encountered again.

“That’s amazingly similar to the vaccine,” noted Paul Keim, a Northern Arizona University microbiologist, TGen distinguished professor and co-founder of the Arizona COVID-19 Genomics Union.

But there are important caveats. While 95% of people may develop an immune response — a rate similar to that of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines — that response is not nearly as uniform in people who acquired antibodies from the infection as it is in those who acquired them from the vaccine.

Science has not yet resolved the minimum level of immune response a body needs to ward off COVID-19. And it remains unclear how well natural immunity — that is, the response gained from having the virus, not from a vaccine — protects against variants that are more transmissible or that reduce the efficacy of current vaccines.

It’s easy to get lost in the debate about when those who had COVID-19 should be eligible for the vaccine — and whether we should get one dose or two — to save doses for others at higher risk. Experts are divided on these points. But that should not overshadow the fact that we should still get the vaccine, given the number of variants circulating, that natural immunity can vary and that even one shot of a two-shot regimen can markedly boost the immune response of those who have recovered from COVID-19.

For that it’s worth, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone get both shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines but leaves the decision to temporarily delay vaccination up to those who have recovered.

Personally, I’ll be getting one as soon as it’s my turn.

In the meantime, where does that put those who have recovered from COVID-19? Does our immunity offer more freedom to meet with others who have recovered from COVID-19?

That’s tough to say.

While it’s thought that the risk is lower for those who have been fully vaccinated to meet with others who have been fully vaccinated, it’s unclear what the risk is for those with natural immunity. (And to be clear, even those who have been fully vaccinated should continue to mask and distance from those who haven’t been fully vaccinated.)

As with everything in the pandemic, it’s a delicate balance.

You shouldn’t be out in crowds without a mask. But that also doesn’t mean you have to lock yourself away in your house. If you meet with others, mitigate the risk as much as possible by masking and distancing.

As Keim suggested, “You should feel good in the sense that you do have immunity, but that does not mean it’s OK to let down your guard.”

What is CPAC? As far as I can tell, the big losers who tell the big lies disregard all the virus protections and squeeze together to hear each other tell more big lies and kiss each others rings.

It should show Americans just how much the GOP does not care about the people of this country.

They act as if there is no COVID-19 and try to spread it more with their senseless gatherings that have no importance to this country ... except their own fragile egos.

All of them should be thrown out on their cans.

Patrick Sampeer, Surprise