I had Covid-19 in June, 2019.
 

Did I have Covid-19 in June after being in Europe for 17 days? I think so! Two days before we left London, I started with a very bad sore throat. For the entire 12 hr. flight to San Diego, I was burning up with fever. I NEVER NEVER get a fever when I'm sick. I was in a middle seat, coughing uncontrollably into the armpit of my tall boyfriend. I was freezing cold and shaking like crazy. I felt so sorry for the girl to my left; I kept apologizing but never coughed in her direction. When we got home, I took two Tylenol and went to bed as it was around midnight. The next morning, I woke up and BF took me to Urgent Care. My temp. was 103.4, even with Tylenol. I couldn't breathe. My lungs hurt 10 out of 10 with every breath. I had the worst headache ever. Long story made short, I was out of work for a month, had to be seen by my GP three times, two different changes for antibiotics (xray showed double pneumonia). Needed two kinds of inhalors. I finally got in to see a pulmonologist end of June. She put me on Prednisone 40 mg. X 7 days which really was the game changer. Now I can't say for sure, but I am 100% convinced I had Covid-19. I would love to be tested for antibodies. Does anybody know of any similar stories of people being sick (like this) prior to November, 2019? Please don't beat me up with disclaimers, I just feel so strongly that I had every symptom folks in the hospital are having now.

A 70 year old friend of mine who lives on Coronado Island was up visiting her grandchildren on Bainbridge Island in late November of 2019 when she became very, very sick, the worst 'flu' of her life she thought. Her symptoms and length of illness parallel what you describe. She also lost her sense of taste and smell. Most of the family were very ill. Two of the children suffered pneumonia.

A lot of Chinese nationals reside in that area and are visited by relatives living in China. So looking back, my friend believes that she likely contracted COVID-19. She has not been tested but will probably get tested when tests become readily available.

I hope you are back to normal!

Lungs have not been the same since!
 

I am feeling much better now, thanks. One thing I do remember about being in London, there were many many tourists. Many Chinese, many from other nationalities too. We did the hop on/hop off bus so we were exposed to thousands of people. Pollen was also falling from the trees like snow. I remember sneezing constantly those 4 days in London, Unlucky me!

Well, actually, LUCKY ME. I survived. :bigbow:

I was sick in February for three weeks. Mid grade temperature, horrible horrible cough so strong I thought I cracked a rib. My lungs hurt when I lay down at night to try to sleep. All I wanted to do was sleep. I will be looking to take the antibodies test as well.

Two posts. And in both you mention getting tested. Why not do it? Why not at least contact someone involved in fighting this thing and tell your story? You may be able to make an important contribution.

I have not heard that the antibody test is available yet. Did I miss that news?

I did post twice, thought the first one didn't post …… my mistake.

Good point MM. Who could I contact? CDC, local health department? I'm going to see my doctor in two weeks and will ask for the testing. Thanks for the good advice.

"There Is zero probability [SARS-CoV-2] was circulating in fall 2019,” tweeted Trevor Bedford, a computational biologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center who has been tracking SARS-CoV-2’s genetic code as it has spread. Allison Black, a genomic epidemiologist working in Bedford’s lab, says this is apparent from researchers’ data. As the virus spreads, it also mutates, much like the way words change in a game of Telephone. By sequencing the virus’s genome from different individual samples, researchers can track strains of the coronavirus back to its origins.


Richard Neher, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Basel in Switzerland, told the Scientist that Nextstrain researchers’ work has tracked the virus back to a single source “somewhere between mid-November and early December,” which then spread in China. The earliest cases in the U.S. appeared in January 2020, according to Nextstrain’s sequencing work.

You did not get COVID-19 in the fall of 2019.

You didn't have COVID-19. You might have had the flu, or food poisoning combined with a cold, or a pneumonia, one of the other coronavirii, or any of a myriad of illnesses that eventually resolved.

COVID-19 is known as a "novel" coronavirus because it is new. That's what "novel" means, in medical terms. It didn't exist before November/December 2019, so it is impossible for you to have gotten it in June 2019.

"There Is zero probability [SARS-CoV-2] was circulating in fall 2019,” tweeted Trevor Bedford, a computational biologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center who has been tracking SARS-CoV-2’s genetic code as it has spread. Allison Black, a genomic epidemiologist working in Bedford’s lab, says this is apparent from researchers’ data. As the virus spreads, it also mutates, much like the way words change in a game of Telephone. By sequencing the virus’s genome from different individual samples, researchers can track strains of the coronavirus back to its origins.


Richard Neher, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Basel in Switzerland, told the Scientist that Nextstrain researchers’ work has tracked the virus back to a single source “somewhere between mid-November and early December,” which then spread in China. The earliest cases in the U.S. appeared in January 2020, according to Nextstrain’s sequencing work.

You did not get COVID-19 in the fall of 2019.

Sure sounds like it. I think our granddaughter who lives in Manhattan had it in January. She had gone to visit her mother in London over Christmas. I hope you are both now immune.

She didn't have COVID-19 in May of last year. It didn't exist in May of last year. Or June, July, August, September, or October. It didn't even exist in the USA until late December/early January, and was exclusive to a whole ocean away for the month-1/2 leading up to that.

I would say you have pneumonia. I got it in the spring of 2016 and it came and went twice in a two month period. Other than all the things you described, and I had it even worse, when it was over I had my entire life changed. I had to give up softball, my lung capacity had gone down to 59% and I no longer could run. Before that, I played 5 years, 15 seasons and maybe missed 4 games. After the pneumonia, just running out to shortstop to play my position I would get winded, much less playing. I also had to stop taking some classes at MVP because I couldn't catch my breath. I was sent to a pulmonary doctor and I was diagnosed with Emphysema and now I have 3 inhalers I use everyday. Consider yourself lucky you didn't have the lasting effects that I did.

you do not understand -- the antibodies test -- ELISA TEST -- is not officially available yet -- only a test for antibodies -- not a current infection -- will tell if you have had the corona virus -- it is coming on the horizon -- not readily available yet

If any of these instances of sickness were COVID-19. surely a whole lot more people would have been infected around them?
JMO.

Personally I was too sick and too miserable to leave the house. I stayed home for 3 weeks. Gee kinda like now too but not sick. 2020 sure is boring.

Several weeks ago, my son up in Ohio can down with coronavirus like symptoms such as a fever, cough, hard time breathing and a very sore throat. After a week or more of isolation with his family (wife and two sons), he was able to be tested for the virus. The first test results can back inconclusive so after a few days he took another test which came back negative. However, his condition was not improving. Finally, his doctor sent him to an urgent care facility for a chest x-ray. The result was that he found out he has bronchitis which is not great but can now be treated. He is on the mend now with everyone taking a sigh of relief. So, we can get many other illnesses during these times other than the coronavirus.

I heard there is an antibody test available at this time. In fact, they are testing people for antibodies who have had Covid-19 and using plasma from these people to treat those who are sick with Covid-19.

I have a good friend who lives near Milwaukee in WI...in November she became very sick...it last from just before Thanksgiving til maybe after Christmas. I don't remember exactly but know it went through the holidays. There were family gettogethers that were kept but other plans got cancelled. It is reported that the symptoms were identical to what was reported out the UK this year. The doctor did tests and said "it must be the flu and you have (maybe) bronchitis. Drugs didn't help! Other family members got it too....Was it Covid-19? Quite possibly! I've read other reports of people who had similar symptoms earlier than what's going around after the 1st of the year.

Cool. I didn’t think it was out yet.

Whether all these "armchair doctors" think you had it or not, when the test is available, get it. It will answer your questions and you can move on.

I came down with similar respiratory symptoms on a Yangtze River Cruise last August. I think their are a lot of Coronavirus floating around, but the Covid19 version didn’t show up until November or December in China.

DrTiche in Ocala has the antibodies test.
 

DrTiche in Ocala has the antibodies

Novel Covid 19 is a "new" respiratory virus which can manifest itself into a viral pneumonia. Antibiotics only work on bacterial infections. Usually, bacterial pneumonia occurs when someone can't adequately fight off a flu and eventually, the lungs become infected.

I was a college professor in Pennsylvania last year, and my recollection is that throughout the entire year of 2019, a shocking number of students got pneumonia. I’d never experienced so many students out with pneumonia. However, there are many different strains of pneumonia, and they often develop after a severe cold. The fact that your pneumonia responded quickly to Prednisone suggests that it was NOT the Coronavirus, as Prednisone is well-known to make Coronavirus-related pneumonia WORSE.

Because the tests are not yet available. I had the same thing beginning in late January...all the same symptoms and the cough lasted for about four weeks with three trips to the Doctor. Zpak and prednisone killed it off before it killed me. Sore ribs, etc. I just talked to my Villages Health Doctor and he said that is was possible but when I asked about getting tested for the antibodies he said that the test kits weren't available yet but I am on the list when they do arrive.

There are - and have been - many coronaviruses.

Here's how WebMd categorizes them:

Human Coronavirus Types

Scientists have divided coronaviruses into four sub-groupings, called alpha, beta, gamma, and delta. Seven of these viruses can infect people. The four common ones are:

229E (alpha)
NL63 (alpha)
OC43 (beta)
HKU1 (beta)

The three less-common ones are:

MERS-CoV, a beta virus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)
SARS-CoV, a beta virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19

Virus
 

It sounds like your pneumonia could have been viral. Covid-19 is not the only corona virus. Its not possible you had Covid-19 in May 2019 because the virus first moved to humans in winter 2019. It is not likely, but possible, you had a different corona virus. Pneumonia is either viral or bacterial, or in some cases, first viral progressing to bacterial. You did well with prednisone. You family doctor can prescribe prednisone - I have continued lung infections - but I find I need to ask for it and I add I've done well on it before. Too much prednisone, too often, of course, causes very bad problems, so it is only for when you lungs (or other health conditions) are quite serious. Tests to see if you have had Covid-19 are not available yet for the general public, but will be. If you test positive, however, then you had the asymptomatic version, as it is impossible your May 2019 illness was Covid-19.

So sorry to hear that JohnW. I also have different lungs now since that event in June. It kicked me in the arse. Our "senior" lungs cannot handle any form of pneumonia. I'm grateful that I survived as I thought I was going to die!!

Thanks to all of you who posted in response to my concern. Whatever I picked up in London . . . . . almost did me in. BTW, I use Dr. Jose Diaz in Leesburg. He has been highly regarded in the field of Pulmonology way back as far as I can remember, 2009. He was so thorough and explained things to me in a very caring and concise way. I didn't feel rushed at all. He answered all of my questions. I highly recommend him for anyone who needs a Pulmonologist here in Central Florida.

I had similar extreme symptoms in December 2017. That was the epidemic flu season of 2017-2018 when 80,000 people died in the U.S. from it. Gives perspective as to what we're going through now.

Disagree

Yep, the problem people know there sick and still get on airplanes possibly infecting others. Before boarding any airline, cruise ship, bus temperature should be taken if sick booted off. We know there lots without any signs, but at least weed out the known ill. But, guess no international law says you can’t spread virus that could kill others throughout the world.

My math teachers would suggest that 100% is pretty darn close to saying for sure. 99% leaves some room for doubt. Precision people, precision.

You may have already been told this BUT I am a nurse and think this is what needs to be done. Contact your primary care doctor, infor them you'd like to be tested to see if you have antibodies. If you did have it you are the type of person health department is looking for to donate plasma to help those currently I'll. IF your doctor won't help contact county health department.

Haven’t you learned before to “never say never!”

Contrary to what is being fed to the public, there are not antibody tests available and that is a real problem. If you had it, which it sounds like you did as did my daughter who flew back thru Orlando in Dec and was deathly ill in Jan, you could help people. Unfortunately the testing for the US is abysmal. Heads should roll for the epic failures. The antibody test is needed for frontline workers and the validity of the testing appears to be in question.

I am also a nurse. I know this all seems to fly in the face of science but I have never been so sick in my life. I will see my pulmonologist in two weeks. Will ask him to order the antibody test. Then, if positive, I will absolutely be contacting the county health department. I need to know for sure. Thanks for helping me along.

I saw Dr Diaz during the last week and although I was hesitant about going into the office they met me and opened the door and escorted me back to my examination room with no stop in the waiting room and sanitized the chair and the chair next to me so I could lay out my BiPap/CPap machine. I ruined my streak of not going into any office or store but it was necessary. They didn't touch anything except the Chip from my machine and the credit card for the co pay. Professional operation in total and worth the short ride to be treated so well and to know they care for their patients.

My sister had the symptoms you described but I believe she told me it was in early January. She became sick in San Fransisco while on a business trip and said the main event was the pain in her lungs and it was rough. Her words not mine, "I believe I had this already" she made it home to the N.E. but was out of action for a month.

The most important thing to know about the coronavirus and COVID 19 is that very, very little is actually known at this time. Research is going on at a furious pace, but no one still knows the original source or timing.