WAS COUPLE'S MYSTERY ILLNESS COVID?
As scientists struggle to pin down the exact origins of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, an Edmonton couple who hiked Peru's Inca Trail in fall 2019 believe the mysterious illness they caught might be part of that story.
“We were well into the fourday hike before we realized we were not at all well, but there was no way to turn back,” said retired Edmonton police Staff Sgt.
Elton Nichol, who travelled with his wife Patti Nichol, a former police detective. “We had both developed sore throats, a cough, nausea, fever, and had no taste, smell or appetite.”
“It's extremely rare for Elton to be sick,” said Patti. “But he told me at times he thought he was dying.”
At the time, COVID-19 hadn't been named; it was barely a rumour. But since they've come back, they've watched the evidence mounting.
Nothing is confirmed; they have not had any serology testing to confirm the presence of COVID -19 antibodies in their blood. But looking back, it's a mystery and one heck of an adventure.
Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the new wonders of the world, was always going to be a trip of a lifetime.
“The site is a symbol of the
Inca Empire and was built in the high Andes Mountains around 1450 AD,” said Elton. “Historians believe hundreds of men pushed or carried rocks weighing 50 pounds or more up the steep mountain sides where they were cut to fit together without mortar.”
The couple began their trip on Nov. 28, 2019, by acclimatizing for two days in the former capital of the Inca Empire, Cusco, elevation 3,400 metres.
They met their guide Alexis Fuentes there and the fourth member of their party, a strong-looking man of about 30 who regularly travelled the world as a member of a British airline's cabin crew.
“We couldn't help but be close to our new friend while hiking and sharing meals in the same tent during the trip,” said Elton. He seemed a bit ill, but “we had never heard of COVID-19 and thought our new buddy had probably flu and or altitude sickness.”
Two days later, the party journeyed by bus through the town of Ollantaytambo to the Inca trailhead. There, roughly 500 permits are issued each day, 200 for tourists and 300 to guides, porters and cooks.
“By the end of the first, 12-kilometre day at Wayllabamba, I wasn't feeling well and Elton felt dreadful,” said Patti. “The second day was our most challenging and Elton said he felt as if he was living in hell. Thank goodness we had six porters with us.”
They climbed that day from 3,000 m over the summit of Dead Woman's Pass, which, at 4,205 m, is the highest and most dreaded point on the Inca Trail.
“The descent from the pass was very steep and it would have been easy to injure a knee or twist an ankle,” said Elton. “We had no idea we could have (a new) coronavirus, or we might have panicked. We felt terrible but had to push on.”
Archaeological gems were the highlight of the third 16-km day. But for the Nichols, it was a head-down-and-keep-going journey past two village ruins and great views of river valleys and mountain ranges.
On the last day on the trail, the couple hiked six km to the Sun Gate entrance to Machu Picchu. They were struggling with classic COVID -19 symptoms, including the lost of taste and smell, but wouldn't realize that for months after.
They did their best to appreciate Machu Picchu's houses, temples and sanctuaries. But it was hard. “I was hurting and told Patti to get us a flight home as soon as possible,” said Elton.
Later, at a lower elevation, they were surprised when what they thought might be altitude symptoms did not go away.
It wasn't until roughly March that they started to wonder. But at that point, there was no place in Edmonton to test for antibodies, said Patti. They're hoping to get their COVID -19 vaccine this week.
Investigators with the World Health Organization believe the virus has a natural origin, likely from bats and through an intermediate animal. But they have not found conclusive proof that is originated at the Wuhan wet market, or confirmed exactly when that leap between species happened.
When Patti started to research, she found one study from researchers at the University of California, San Diego, which estimated the virus could have jumped to humans as early as mid-october 2019.
The South China Morning Post reported Chinese authorities had identified at least 266 people who contracted the virus in 2019, the earliest case being on Nov. 17.
Whether the Nichols had an early case of COVID-19 or not will remain a mystery. But regardless, said Patti, “we persevered in what was the experience of a lifetime.”