Looks like COVID finally caught me, but I did make it pretty long without catching it.

So I’m sure you guys are all wondering what happened - how and when did I catch, when did I test positive and what symptoms do I have?

Here’s the answers to it all.

Who caught it? Me
What did I catch: COVID 19 - BA.2 Omicron Variant, also known as the stealth Omicron subvariant - this variant is much more contagious than its predecessors, but the symptoms are not worse.
When did I test positive? I tested positive on Sunday, June 5, and had tested negative the day before
Where did I catch it? I am not 100% sure, but can confirm it was related to going to work/happy hour last Wednesday or the Corporate Challenge in Central Park (which was entirely outdoors). Everyone I was with and spoke to did not test positive for COVID, so it is unclear.
Why? I think I had a weakened immune system from a lack of sleep from a jam packed week in Atlanta for work/fun followed by 2 late nights of work events leading into the weekend when I tested positive.
How? The COVID germs found me!

While I was not asymptomatic, my symptoms were somewhat mild. Here’s a rundown:

• Fatigue leading into the week of potential exposure

  • May 24-May 29 - Trip to Atlanta with jam packed days & late nights,

    • Woke up feeling tired (more than usual), the days leading up to the positive test, despite getting normal sleep

• Potential Exposure:

  • June 1 - Work and happy hours with coworkers

  • June 2- Corporate Challenge at Central Park

• Tested Positive:

  • June 5 - decided to take a COVID test from a mobile testing center since I had a scratchy throat and was losing my voice

• Symptoms:

  • June 5 (Day 1 ➕) : Woke up more tired than usual, fatigued, scratchy throat, starting to lose voice, feeling warm (99.4F in the morning to 100.9 F by 6 PM)

  • June 6 (Day 2 ➕): Woke up more tired than usual, throat is on fire, it is in a constant burning and I can barely speak, essentially lost voice, fever (100.9F the highest), very fatigued

  • June 7 (Day 3 ➕): Woke up very tired, throat is no longer on fire, but scratchy, but voice is cracking in the morning but basically back normal by the evening, super tired/fatigued, but much better in the afternoon, slightly elevated temperature. Boss made me take the day off, felt a big difference from 9 AM to 9 PM

  • June 8 (Day 4 ➕): Head a bit cloudy, but more functional than earlier in the week, dull constant headache and fatigue as the day goes on, temperature is back to normal

  • June 9 (Day 5 ➕): Basically back to normal, a small cough here and there & tired voice from talking in meetings, dull headache as the day went on, somewhat strong by 930 PM

  • June 10 (Day 6 ➕): Basically back to normal, a cough here and there to clear my throat

  • June 11 (Day 7 ➕): Feeling good & back to normal, did get hungry and felt a bit light headed from not eating before lunch, usually I can last through lunch. Also got tired walking up the stairs, but was wearing a mask which impacted my oxygen intake

  • June 11 (Day 7 ➕/➖): Feeling good, tested positive in the morning with a faint line and NEGATIVE by 6 PM!!!! I am now COVID FREE!

To help remedy the virus, I hydrated with plenty of electrolytes (Pedialyte & Gatorade), Vitamin C & D and an attempt at getting some more sleep. Despite knowing I was still testing positive, my boss had some placed some expectations on me to get some data analysis done, which I think caused headaches and delayed my recovery, but made sure to rest up on the weekend!