Covid19 Part XVIII-25,473 in ROI(1,736 deaths) 5,760 in NI (551 deaths)(30/06)Read OP

A cousin of mine, who was due to bring his wife and two teenagers on a self-catering chalet type holiday to the Catalonia coast in July, was told by the company running the camp that they were not opening it this year for fear of being part of an upsurge, so they had to cancel flights etc. So not everywhere in Spain is happy to open.

I posted way back at end of March that I had returned from a holiday in Namibia with Covid-like symptoms (especially the breathlessness/82% SPO2 on pulse oximeter, fever etc), but that my regular GP who knows my full medical history was not on duty, so I didn’t get put forward for testing. Don’t know how I would have got myself to a testing centre as I was way too ill to drive at the time. Anyway after 5 weeks I ended up with a post-viral bacterial chest infection which responded readily to antibiotics (the previous bout did not respond at all to the emergency supply I had, so that was most likely viral). At same time I had acute stomach issues, presumably from a resurgence of previous inflammatory bowel disease, so GP wanted me to be seen ASAP at a hospital, and in order for that to happen I had to undergo a Covid virus test, which was negative.

Last week I saw an Antibody test available at €90 at a reputable centre, Travelhealth in Dawson Street. The doctor there took an extensive, detailed history of my symptoms, medication etc, and she said she would have given a “clinical diagnosis” of Covid-19 based on that. She explained about there being a false negative of 9%, and that it wasn’t certain whether it was due to inherent unreliability in the test itself or if virtually all these cases had totally lost their Antibody status. It’s an all or none test, it does not determine quantity of antibodies,. And she r planned having antibodies does not guarantee immunity, but merely suggests it, and that not having the antibodies probably indicates no immunity but there may be other factors of relative protection ruin. As she said, we are on the lower end of the learning curve and that going for such a test is helpful in filling in the gaps of knowledge.

So I don’t know whether I had Covid or not as I wasn’t tested, and indeed the reason for my low oxygen status was never explored, which could have been to the detriment of my health if it had another, maybe even more serious, cause, eg a return of cardiac issues. I knew Namibia did not have a proper health service as it is a very poor (but extraordinary hygienic) country. It could be I had the virus, which is likely enough given travel & symptoms (btw Namibia isn’t a typical country of tropical diseases) and that three months later I have lost antibodies. That is quite a scary scenario as I don’t want a repeat of the illness I had suffered.

It doesn’t change my behaviour, I have been doing, and still wear masks and use hand gel frequently. It just makes me feel less smug and more paranoid.

Goldengirl wrote: »

Sorry Cat , you were so ill.
Did you say you were tested in the hospital but it came back negative , or was it that you didn't get the antibody test?
Not being nosy but may be getting one done myself and curious .

You’re right, with all my tedious rambling I forgot to state my Antibody Test was Negative. I was Not originally tested when I first became ill. Therefore I don’t know if my Covid-like illness was Covid or not, or if I did indeed have covid and lost any antibodies to it.