Coincidence or....?

My DH had a cough that lasted for weeks and he felt very unwell. He is pretty sure he has had Covid 19 and wants a test to check it out but of course no joy. I came back from NZ in early February via Dubai and was unwell on my return. I thought it was jet lag but it just went on for far longer. Who knows but it could have been the virus.

Yes, we said that ages ago, didn't we! All those factories making lovely Italian goods are manned by Chinese workers yet Italy has a high unemployment rate.
Perhaps the Italians have lost the skills for which they were renowned.

Italian scientists have been testing wastewater in Northern Italy. Samples from last December show SARS-cov-2- virus were present.
Northern Italy has 1,000s of Chinese migrant workers who fly back and forth all the time.

I was listening to a phone in on my local radio station at the initial outbreak and a man was on saying he and his girlfriend had been in China in July last year and on return home were both quite ill with high temperature, cough and headache. His girlfriend’s mother had the same but ended up with pneumonia and in hospital. This was all in august last year. This man was convinvced him, his girlfriend and her mum had the virus then. I too think this virus has been round a lot longer than we think.

So sorry to read that sad news. I think it is possible. I even think it was here in November. I can't wait to have an antibody test just to see if I had it then.

May well be the case about you DDs. Also your GC. There is a finger and toe variation of Covid-19 that children can develop. Could he been tested for antibodies? Hope they are all well.

I think the world is dealing with an entirely different animal with this virus than with previous known viruses.

It will drastically change how we routinely deal with others on a social level just as AIDS and herpes changed how many people dealt with sex.

I wasn't well in early February, flu like symptoms, awful headaches and worst of all I found it difficult to breathe. I am mildly asthmatic anyway but don't usually have a problem. One evening I was gasping for breath it was very frightening but of course I didn't really know about Covid then. I had an emergency appointment with the doctor, who to be honest wasn't really interested and just told me to double up on my inhaler. I tried to explain I know the difference between an asthma attack and how I was literally gasping for breath. Of course I did recover but around a week or so later my ds had similar symptoms. It was weeks before we both felt fit again. The same week the local news announced that a local family returning from Italy were very ill with Covid. It would be interesting to know if this was simply flu or Covid.

I believe it is possible to have or have had Covid 19 without displaying symptoms at all, which might explain why OP's daughter has antibodies in her blood.

You have to have had the virus to have antibodies.

But it may well be that the virus has been around lonnger than we suspect.

My cousin thinks she had it at the end ofNovember as she had all the symptoms and was very ill.
My husband had it in late January after going to his table tennis club where there were some visiting Chinese players. A lot of people from the club were ill. He told me later he thought he was going to die and he is never ill!
I caught it from him and was really ill in February. It was before the virus was widespread over here, so, although I made several visits to the GP, nobody thought of it. I couldn’t breathe and was coughing up blood. I had a very high temperature and lost my sense of smell. GP sent me for a chest x-ray and scan, both of which showed a patch of infection on my lung. Was taking vitamin D which could well have saved my life. Also had steroids. Couldn’t breathe at all and had to call paramedics. Gradually got better and am fine now, as is my husband. Think we both had Covid19 as Chinese visit to club is too coincidental.

I forgot to add that I am blood group A. Least I am female which may mitigate things a little!

My daughter, working in the NHS was ill in March and had to self-isolate, taking her children out of school, husband from his work, etc. She was only able to have a Covid test recently and the result was negative. Presumably it was another random virus but who knows...

I was ill shortly afterwards and have been tested through the 'FluSurvey' scheme but as I have not heard anything further, I am to conclude that I, too, am negative for C-19.

I read that the virus was present in Italy (found via waste water apparently) in December so it is very possible that it has been circulating in Europe towards the end of last year.

I think that this virus has been under-estimated in the general popular but without accurate testing it will be impossible to know.

I was offered a test on the Imperial College scheme but couldn't have the test due to my medications, however, I know of several people who have taken more than one private antibody test (don't ask me why!) and they have had different results!

The information below may be of interest.

'NHS England has confirmed that the antibody test is now available for practices to use as appropriate and where there is not a specific clinical indication for the test, it may be offered to NHS patients already having their blood taken and who wish to know whether they have been infected with COVID-19.

The letter also describes a plan to roll out testing to staff working across primary care.'

In the second week of January DS, DIL and two eldest children went down with what fhey thought was flu, as did some of their friends. Their youngest child had a rash which they were told was Thrush. DIL and the children recovered quite quickly but DS was very poorly for weeks, said he had never felt so ill, and still had a cough for weeks afterwards. They stayed away from us so as not to pass it on, and it was then we decided to avoid crowded shops and town centres, assuming that it was the usual Winter flu. So we began our 'shielding' back in early February. Perhaps it wasn't just Flu, we shall never know. Maybe sometime in the future everybody will be tested for Covid antibodies as a matter of routine, or to help develop a vaccine. I think Covid will be with us in varying degrees for an indefinite time. Just another illness to be avoided.

Unless we all are tested and prove to have antibodies then I doubt we will know, Daisyboots.

We dont know if antibodies would protect us sufficiently either.

One of you posted about medicines/treatments you took when you had a 'bad virus' some months ago. It was a very detailed post. Any chance of posting it again, as we could stock up on some of those meds, in case we catch it. One of the items was 'Fisherman's Friend' lozenges.
MeryllStreep, just wondering about those Wuhan hospital photos you mentioned. The version I saw was 'the car park in August' compared with the 'car park in the Autumn'. A hospital is always busier in the Autumn.

The 19 does indeed stand for 2019.
CO stands for corona, VI for virus and D for disease. Originally was referred to as 2019 novel coronavirus
or 2019-nCoV.
Courtesy of WHO

I think many people have had symptoms that appear to be the same as the virus but I doubt we will ever really know.

Our neighbours went to a 'Turkey & Tinsel' event in S W England just before Xmas (we are in Wales). Many people on their coach had just returned from Spain. When they came home, the lady had what she described as 'flu as she'd never known before'. The whole family were unwell - so - we're talking December!

I think the pneumonia vaccine should offered on NHS free to those whom normally are offered the free flu vaccine as its very expensive to get at such as Boots or such like, and it seems to be getting more wide spread. I think i will ask at gps surgery if theyre offering this coming A/W? If not ill pay for me& my 2 sons to have it...my youngest DD's boyfriend had it about 18mths back,he was very poorly & in hosp a long time. (he was only about 28 then& reasonably fit. -and i now realise he had been abroad just before that.hmm He's been shielding all during lockdown.He& my DD don't live together.But they both work in retail.he's had to be off work, i presume 'furloughed'.

GrandmaKT, No in the uk we cant get antibody test, unless we pay for it (expensively) and theyre only just beginning to test NHS workers here.Even the private tests have now been taken by gov't for use.

I too think we had a dose of it Nannan2. I'm staying put now as a " next " bout will definitely see me off. I don't care if I never see another shop, there's always online and D doing my shopping so there's no need to go anywhere. I value my life.

My daughter caught coved well, sore throat, fever, cough and a six week tiredness but although she was on the front line, a test could not be done until much later and it turned out negative She is gutted to find out this week that her anti body test is also negative.

A LOT of people seem to have been ill around christmas with same symptoms, but put it down to usual seasonal ailments-theres been a lot of pneumonia too, which is what the docs say can be a 'complication' of covid- im beginning to think christmas was the first 'wave' of covid19 for us Brits, and march/april the second nastier wave.Brace yourselves for the next

Yes I'd been giving youngest son lots of vitamins the Wellteen plus, daily.(an all- rounder vitamin plus omega 3 with it) and vits C & D sometimes (when could persuade him) from being at school and as he was at college, and his immune system isn't too good - he gets something chest related each winter, has flu jab, gets it anyway..every time he gets ill he's worse each time.So i think that the vitamins probably helped him.

I'm convinced that my brother died of Covid-19 in Mid January. He had been ill over Christmas and New Year and had COPD. We went to see him in hospital when he looked poorly, but he died 5 hours after we left. No-one thought it was going to be so quick, in fact, we had discussed arrangements for him coming home.

Lizbethann55

Children suffering from Corona get the rash as described by u.
The hospital diagnosis was wrong.
I know of a 16 year old who was taken to the hospital with this awful rash. He was sent home with some medicine and told he would be refered to a dermatologist. As a matter of urgency the parents refered him privately via zoom to a dermatologist, who got him admitted to a private Hospital.His rash was related to cronavirus.He spent 4 days in the hospital