Covid is ongoing, and with us to stay.

This is the second time I used an antigen test, and the first time it was positive. This iHealth test which we got in the mail, was very easy to use, and it showed a positive result within much less than 15 minutes of adding the three prepared drops into the well. I did not remotely imagine I could catch Covid, because I am twice vaccinated, and twice boosted with Moderna vaccines. We had been traveling through airports, unmasked, and intermittently were masked on planes. And I have had colds before similar to my scratchy throat, with drippy nose. But I had a cold, which was getting worse for four days, and was encouraged to take the test, which I did on the fifth day.

Soon after this test I notified my doctor, and he arranged that I get an antibody infusion, which would happen by day 7, by which time it had to occur. He explained that my medications would interfere with the oral medication, Paxlovid. I received Bebtelovimab, a monoclonal antibody which is good against the range of Covid variants including the newer ones. The team administering the antibody said that these new variants are super contagious, and I read that our vaccine- induced antibodies are not as effective against these Omicron derived variants, so I imagine I came down with a new Omicron variant. Thank goodness we have these treatments, now!

I was astonished at the very small volume of liquid containing the antibody. It appeared to be well under one milliliter. Within minutes after the antibody was put into my vein, the nurse asked me, “What is it?” It must have shown on my face that I was puzzled about a backache in my mid lower back, about the size of the palm of my hand, so I said, “I have a backache.” My nurse explained that this is a normal effect, that not very many people get, and it lasts only a minute or two. And sure enough, it was very soon gone. It is a reaction of the body to the very large protein molecule, which is what the the antibody is, he explained.

I have personally learned that Covid is more likely to catch than a cold, and I need to keep my infection guard up, with a return to liberal use of hand sanitizer. I will test more liberally, to assure that my symptoms are not Covid-related in the future, to reduce the spread. It seems likely that we will be able to get this repeatedly, as we can with colds and flu. I concur with those who predict that because the high contagion of this virus causes new mutations to arise quickly, the vaccine manufacturers are most likely to be making annual changes to the vaccine, and we will most likely be confronted with annual or semiannual vaccinations in the coming years.