Just in time for 2025, last week Al came down with Covid. He was feeling off Tuesday afternoon and worse by Wednesday evening. What began as a winter head cold deepened into a rough cough, so on Friday he went to urgent care to rule out pneumonia. His lung X-ray was clear, but a Covid test was positive.
We were both stunned. We’d been vaccinated back in September before our trip to Israel and Switzerland, and neither of us had any issues abroad or since our return. I’ve read about the uptick in Covid cases. Still, this one seemed to come out of nowhere.
Paxlovid is helping Al significantly, and his health is, thankfully, improving, although Covid is leaving him easily fatigued. As for me, as of Monday afternoon, I’ve consistently tested negative and have no symptoms. Hope it stays that way, and that my vax still protects me.
The last time I had Covid was in April, just in time for my 70th birthday. That was the second time I contracted it. I really don’t want a third bout. When it comes to this nasty virus, three is certainly not a charm.
So, if you have not yet gotten a Covid vax or a flu vax, for that matter, I hope you’ll do it ASAP. As we head into that inevitable winter season of closed windows and indoor crowds where viruses flourish, there’s all the more reason to be protected. While Al’s experience raises questions about the vaccine’s effectiveness after four months, I’d still favor the odds of it working.
So far, for me, so good.
Evelyn Herwitz blogs weekly about living fully with chronic disease, the inside of baseballs, turtles and frogs, J.S. Bach, the meaning of life and whatever else she happens to be thinking about at livingwithscleroderma.com. Please view Privacy Policy here.
Image: Evgeni Tcherkasski
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