[COVID-19 confirmed Q&A] No sequelae after recovery from the infection?

Hong Kong has experienced the fifth wave of the epidemic since the beginning of the year. As of March 29, the cumulative number of confirmed cases has exceeded 1.13 million (Hong Kong's population is 7 million, which means that one of the seven people has been infected), and the death toll has exceeded 7,000.

Three doses of vaccine and still infected?

Because there are only two COVID vaccine options in Hong Kong: Sinovac and BionTech (BNT), there is no way to mix and match vaccines for the third dose, and the three consecutive doses are all BNT.

The third dose of the vaccine was administered in mid-February, and then the date of my illness was March 8. According to reason, the protection within one month after vaccination should be quite high, but the breakthrough infection ability of the Omicron variant virus is higher. So I got hit too. According to the results, taking three doses of the vaccine does not mean that you will not be infected, and daily protection still needs to be satisfied.

Do you think vaccination can prevent severe illness?

Xian Lishen, I personally think that vaccination is a personal wish and should not be forced on others. There are people around me who have experienced serious side effects and deaths after being vaccinated (but not officially acknowledged). Before deciding to get vaccinated, it is recommended to consult a family doctor and fully understand the current physical condition.

From personal experience, the onset time is one month after vaccination. Although there is no complete protection effect, compared with other infected people on the Internet, my symptoms are very mild. At most, I have nasal congestion and runny nose for only two or three days. On the eighth and ninth days after the diagnosis, the self-quick screening test had already turned from positive to negative, and there were no symptoms of fever, muscle pain or headache during the whole process.

In this wave of large-scale infections, many people said that the sore throat was like being cut by glass. Fortunately, it did not appear to me at all. On the contrary, during sleep, it is inevitable that nasal fluid will flow back, and the throat will feel dry for a long time. I also feel a small amount of clear phlegm stuck in the trachea, but it is not very uncomfortable. I only have one or two coughs all day. Maybe it is the help of vaccines? Resist the virus quickly and keep symptoms to a minimum?

In the past year, I have also developed the habit of exercising. Maybe my immune system has been strengthened, which can alleviate the disease more or less?

My family members also received the third dose of the vaccine in February to give them some protection. The effect of the vaccine is to reduce the virus load in the body for a short period of time. Perhaps this way, the family members were spared uninfected.

Of course, the above is purely personal speculation. I have also heard that there are people around me who have not been vaccinated, and have no symptoms at all after infection (asymptomatic infection). The final decision on whether to vaccinate is based on personal needs.

Do you know the source of the infection?

As mentioned in the previous blog, from February to March, the number of going out was only four or five times, and the last time was with family members. Since they were not infected, it can be ruled out that the places they visited together were the source of infection.

I went to the university library to check materials after being separated from my family due to work needs that day. After returning home, I started to feel unwell the next day. In other words, the most likely place I got sick was in the university library and taking public transportation. On the way, there was no conversation or contact with people during the period. It is conceivable that the virus is very infectious this time.

If you are unfortunate enough to contract COVID, don't blame yourself, like me, there is no contact with people, and there is also a risk of infection in public spaces that are not crowded.

Are your family members not infected?

Thankfully, the family members who lived with me were not infected.

The key point is that in the afternoon of the first day after going out, I felt a little stuffy nose and a cold. It just so happened that there was a change in the weather that day. Usually, the weather changes, and occasionally I have nasal allergies. The self-screening result was negative that day, but just in case, I decided to self-isolate in my room, eat and use the bathroom separately from my family.

By day three, the screening came back positive.

From experience, during the epidemic, when there is only discomfort, it is better to self-isolate as soon as possible to effectively prevent the virus from spreading to family members who live with you.

Another key point is to wear a mask all day long. In addition to eating, drinking and bathing, whether in your own room, when you go to the toilet, or even when you sleep, you should wear a mask to minimize the amount of virus residues. I believe this is an effective way to prevent the spread of the virus at home. the elements of.

Every time you go to the toilet and take a hot bath, you should clean it thoroughly, even if you use the bathroom separately, you should also clean it thoroughly. If there is only one bathroom in the house and the family is forced to share it, arrange for the last one to take a bath, and then fully disinfect and clean it.

How are you feeling during quarantine?

Staying leisurely at home is very different from being trapped in a small room for more than ten days. If the symptoms are not serious and the spirit is not very bad, try to maintain a regular living habit, and continue to work hard to complete it if you have work to do. Occasionally stretches and stretches, if you want to rest, it is best to treat it with a normal heart.

In fact, after the diagnosis, I was a little worried. I was worried that my family would be infected, and I was worried about not knowing which community isolation facility I was sent to. At that time, the government policy changed rapidly, and there were too many uncertainties, which put a lot of pressure on myself.

On the third and fourth days after the diagnosis, the nasal cavity was relatively swollen, the breathing was not smooth, and the blood oxygen was slightly lower than 95% (still a qualified level). Because it was impossible to estimate whether the virus would induce more severe symptoms, I lay in bed and rested, feeling very relieved. disturbed. Later, I felt that this was not right, so I applied the breathing method when doing yoga to readjust the rhythm of the body.

I also find some light-hearted series on Netflix and YouTube to watch, relax, don't think about it, and feel much better.

On the fifth day after the diagnosis, the swelling in the nasal cavity disappeared, the quality of sleep improved, the symptoms completely subsided soon, and the heart also calmed down.

What to do while sick?

Purely personal experience, may not be suitable for everyone, here is a reference:

💧Drink more warm water – During infection, the throat often feels dry, and I keep wanting to drink water, especially hot water, which can effectively relieve throat discomfort. However, if you drink too much, you will feel puffy, and occasionally drink vitamin C granules and mineral-containing beverages to balance it out.

😷Wear a mask – Wear a mask for a long time, especially if you have problems with sneezing and coughing, to prevent more viruses from accumulating in the isolation space. Family members who live with each other should also wear masks and double-isolate to reduce the risk of infection.

👕 Changing personal items frequently – including: clothes, sheets, pillowcases, masks, frequent cleaning and disinfection can reduce the number of viruses in the environment

🧼Disinfection and cleaning – Used tableware, water cups, computers and tablets for work should be disinfected and cleaned regularly, the same purpose is to reduce the amount of viruses; after cleaning tableware and water cups, steam can be used to sterilize to minimize the risk of infecting family members living with them.

🔆 Sunbathing – The weather was good during the quarantine period. There was sunshine in my room around noon. Every day I sat by the window and basked in the sun, and I felt very comfortable after drying.

💊Taking medicines – On the first day I suspected that I was infected with COVID, I took Panadol immediately to stop the reflux of nasal fluid one step earlier, and I didn’t want to cause throat inflammation; even though there was no obvious symptoms of sore throat, I also took throat lozenges to relieve throat discomfort .

💛Maintain a healthy state of mind – To be completely isolated, try not to go out of the room during the sick period, and communicate with the family members who live with them by phone and video. However, this time, I found myself isolated alone for a long time, and I felt a little depressed later, especially when the screening result turned from positive to negative, and I had to stay in the room for a few days. Most importantly, in addition to online entertainment, video chat with family and friends, talk and laugh, and relax immediately. Feel good, and your body will recover faster.

📝Recording small things – Some people share that they have "brain fog" after illness, inability to concentrate, and loss of short-term memory. On the fifth day of the disease, after my nose stopped, I once forgot whether I had taken the medicine or not, and then occasionally I forgot to close the toilet door, forgot to turn off the lights, and became in a trance, but now it is rare. If this happens during the illness, prepare some notes, remind yourself if necessary, and don't panic too much.

Are there sequelae?

I don't feel any obvious sequelae, but my breath is a lot weaker and my energy is also decreased. As long as I concentrate on work for a period of time, the feeling of fatigue will come suddenly. This has never happened before COVID-19, so the number of sleep and recharge during the day increases, but Can't sleep at night.

My solution was to go with the flow and get back to the right amount of physical training. If you can't fall asleep at night, don't force yourself to sleep. It is better to read a book in meditation and adjust your breathing. Soon you will feel drowsy and lethargic. Exercise habit during the day. Sometimes you can use yoga to relax and regulate breathing with YouTube teaching; or follow the coach to do some physical muscle training to improve your sedentary posture. After you regain the regularity of exercise, your anxiety will disappear and your sleep quality will be better. And the law gradually returned to normal.

Post-sick care?

Since my condition is similar to a cold and flu, I don't have a strong need for conditioning after recovering from a serious illness. Exercise and yoga breathing have been very helpful to me.

The Hong Kong government provides free "Chinese medicine outpatient special diagnosis and treatment services" for patients who have recovered from COVID-19. The service is valid for six months from the date of discharge / completion of isolation. For details, please refer to this website . Friends in need can call to make an appointment.

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