By DAN McCLORY
For the Valley News
I never thought I would be a COVID-19 statistic. How could I be?
For some background, I am a 59-year-old man with no underlying health conditions and was fully vaccinated in early May. I wear a mask in stores and my town has an 88% vaccination rate. I don’t consider anything I have done to be risky behavior. Regardless, I had a breakthrough case of COVID-19.
I have asked myself how and why multiple times. Was it a work meeting? Was it a handshake? Was it the after-work social? I understand some studies show that the protection against infection offered by the vaccines decreases over time, but the truth is I will likely never know how I became infected.
Looking back now, when I was sneezing a few weeks ago and attributing it to allergies, I likely had COVID-19. I went to work, visited with friends and played golf. I thought I was fine. Who did I expose? Friends at dinner, work colleagues, golf partners, my wife, or the person sitting next to me who I just met?
For days I worried about the number of people I could have infected. This is all part of the emotional toll that COVID-19 takes. My wife (who was also fully vaccinated in May) and I reached out to everyone I was in close contact with to inform them of my positive test. It appears that she was the only unlucky person I infected. Fortunately, she had a mild case and recovered quickly.
If I could do it over again, I would not be so quick to blame allergies and would have at least worn a mask — or better yet, stayed home — when I began to sneeze.
It has been more than four weeks since my first symptoms and more than three weeks since my positive test. I recently started feeling more normal, and I am definitely past the worst of the virus. I am the first to admit that I am a terrible patient, but this was an awful experience, one I don’t wish on anyone. The headache, body aches, fever, sore throat and cough were all present at some point. COVID-19 brain fog is real and seems to linger.
Contracting the virus reminded me of all the people who have been affected by this illness. We cannot forget the front-line workers who have to deal with this every day — the cashier in the store, the teacher in the classroom, the doctors, nurses and staff in our medical facilities, and countless others. All the people who are still risking their health by being there for us.
We are all fatigued by this pandemic, but so many people have lost so much — livelihoods, loved ones. With more than 5 million deaths globally, COVID-19 is now the third-leading cause of death, after heart disease and stroke. The United States alone has accounted for more than 765,000 deaths.
I am lucky compared to many who have had COVID-19. I knew being vaccinated was not a guarantee that I would not contract the virus. But the vaccine did its job and helped me fight it off relatively quickly, in my own home, without needing hospitalization. I will get my booster shot when I’m eligible, and if the science says I should get vaccinated every year, sign me up.
My experience has shown me that the vaccines have given us the ability to contain this virus, and to minimize its impact. But I also know we cannot let our guard down or get overconfident. Even with safe and effective vaccines, we must remain vigilant by wearing masks, washing our hands, keeping socially distant — especially if we’re not feeling well — and following the guidance of health authorities.
We have the ability to suppress this virus, and the time is long overdue.
Dan McClory, of Grantham, is publisher of the Valley News.