---
pubDate: 2022-06-20
title: My Experience with the Great SARS-CoV-2 Virus
tags:
  - biography
abstract: I recently contracted SARS-CoV-2. Here's my story.
table_of_contents: false
---

I recently contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with my symptoms starting on June 15
and my first positive tests (1 PCR and 1 rapid antigen) on June 17. I had
attended a college reunion on the weekend June 11-12, which was a large
gathering of hundreds of people. The event was almost entirely outside, but
people were often very close together. The event lines up when I developed
symptoms, and my family who attended the event with me also developed symptoms
at the same time as me, even though we parted on June 13, so I heavily suspect
that this event is where I contracted the virus.

During June 13-15, I did not experience any noticable symptoms.

On the night of June 15, I began to have a cough and a mild fever. I went to
sleep feeling very hot and congested, so I needed to blow my nose constantly and
prop myself up to sleep so that my nose did not clog completely.

On the morning of June 16, I woke up feeling fine -- the fever had passed and I
only had very mild congestion. So, I thought that whatever it was must have
passed and I went to work (I commute to work at an office) as usual. When I got
home from work that day, I started to have more severe symptoms. I developed a
sore throat, a mild headache, and the congestion was back. This was the worst I
felt during my sickness. I didn't feel very bad -- I've been sick with the
seasonal flu much worse many times before -- but I could tell that it was not
over with like I had thought that morning. I decided I would work form home the
next day and also go to a testing center to get a PCR test. All the symptoms I
had were consistent with COVID-19, so I thought it was likely. I slept fine that
night, though with mild congestion.

On the morning of June 17, I felt the same as the night before except my
headache was gone. I went to the testing center to take a PCR test. I would get
the results of this test in about 24 hours. When I got back to my house, I
notified my landlord (who is an older man) that I was concerned I may have
COVID-19, and he offered me a rapid antigen test kit. I tested positive on this
test, and so started my quarantine. I asked my family if they had any symptoms,
and they mentioned that my dad had developed a sore throat as well. They all
then took rapid antgen tests and he tested positive. I felt very mild symptoms
for the rest of the day, and slept fine.

On June 18 my symptoms were slightly less severe. My mild congestion and sore
throat persisted.

On June 19 my symptoms were almost gone. My congestion was gone, and my sore
throat manifested as about two short coughing sessions during the day.

One June 20 my symptoms were entirely gone. I still had a little big of phlegm
in my throat that I spit up about two times during the day, but I didn't need to
cough. According to the CDC reccomendations, this was to be my last day of
quarantine if I continued to lack symptoms. I decided to work from home one more
time the next day just to be sure, but I figured I was safe to go out and buy
groceries, etc. as normal as long as I wore a mask. My plan was to return to the
office on June 22.

On June 22, I successfully returned to my normal office-going work schedule. I
wore a surgical mask while in the office and public areas until June 26 (which
is the end of the 10-day period that the CDC reccomended to continue wearing a
mask after developing symptoms).

As on July 9, I have not, at far as I can tell, experienced any ["long COVID"](https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects/index.html)
symptoms, such as [brain fog](https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/brain-fog-memory-and-attention-after-covid-19-202203172707).