BCG Disciple said:

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BIL tested positive on 12/27. First symptom 12/25. He is vaxxed, but not yet boosted. Works in the health care industry. Was a mild experience.

We had a scheduled family outing (dinner out with 4 brothers and wives) on 12/30. On 12/28 or so he informed us he was positive and our dinner out would be the 5th day from his first symptom (I think CDC changed it to 5 days that day). All of us were ok with it, as we were all survivors, but no vaxxers. We are all late 30s to early 40s with kids and live a few hundred miles a part, so it was a rare event for us and we didn't assess the risk level as high. Brother 3 had to back out, but did hang out with the BIL on NYE, the next night.

I had COVID in Feb 2021. I participate in the Texas Cares study and just had high antibodies sampled on 12/3, so I felt good. I have purposefully exposed myself during the delta wave on multiple occasions, and I think my antibodies reflected that. Never had another positive or even a slight symptom after other exposures.

I popped positive on two at home tests on 1/6 after sustained sinus issue, which turned out to be COVID, starting on late 1/3. Only tested because both of my other brothers and one of their wives tested positive, including the brother exposed to BIL on 12/31. All of us are over it at this point, all had it minor.

My conclusion is that 1) Omicron is an evasive b**ch, even from strong prior immunity without vax, and 2) that the 5 day timeline appears to be meaningless considering the extent of brotherly contamination, even after the next night (day 6).

I felt it was relative feedback for prudent decision making.

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Good new here: It anecdotally is presenting as a cold. Nothing worth freaking out about no doubt (not say OP is, just a phrase to point out this thing appears mild). In almost every case so far, I have only seen one hospitalization and that was my BIL's father who has serious medical issue already AND ISN'T vaccinated (blows my mind. They won't get the vaccination b/c they believe all the anti-vax hype yet his health issues should make taking that vaccine a non issue given all the other meds and conditions he has. At some point, if all the other stuff is in you, keeping you alive, what is this vaccine going to actually do to you?). Yet he was released in about 3 days and wasn't severe unless I missed something. Everyone else I know that has had it ranged from no fever to mild fever. Some felt sicker than others but all recovered super fast.

This brings me to any and all CDC recommendations. Covid is a virus. Viruses are going to virus. The flu and common colds will also potentially hang out in you for a period of time after illness. If we need to take 5 to 10 days away from others with covid, it is the same with every virus. Yet that would not be realistic. It isn't with Covid either. And while some are still contagious on day 5, others probably aren't on their last actual day of symptoms. Most of this stuff is totally dependent on the individual. Sure, if hospitals were overflowing with covid patients and that was leading to many who need treatment going untreated (from covid or anything else) there might be an argument to take the extra time. In this deal though, seems we are ok. I personally had it but once I felt better, I was out again. We stayed in for the most part but I did "break the rules" a bit. And I am glad I did. I might have still been contagious. Might not have been. But given this is so mild, I might be much more willing to mask, stay in etc with the flu vs this thing.

Look, I think you did the right thing. Don't let this hold up your life now that it is so mild.

I was directly exposed to my son on day 4 of his '5 days after symptom onset' period. He no longer had symptoms.

I had covid Dec 2020 and have had antibodies tested 4 times, last time December 28, at which time results were 900.

I have experienced no symptoms. I have not tested. I 'quarantined' by not going out in public till my day 6 which is today.

ymmv and just adding another data point.

DadHammer said:

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It's mild and highly contagious.

Covid is over now. My wife and I treat it like a common cold now.

We don't do anything other than what we would do for a cold. Which we got over thanksgiving week.

We don't go anywhere that requires masks either.

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Agree. At this point, this should be the official policy. Or better put, there should not be a set of official guidelines or mandated policies. Maybe a variant of covid is bad someday, don't know. But right now, this thing had evolved into an overall mild virus. It should be treated as such and I think most can relax now and not see the spread as a signal to add mitigation at all. Mask if you want but it's probably a waste of time. Stay home if you want but why? at this point if you aren't living pre 2020 you are either way too careful for what omicron actually is or you are listening to misinformation about what Covid now is. And yes, that could change, but seems that evolution would dictate that less dangerous versions of covid like this would become the dominant form as it leaves the host healthy enough to spread it better. Kill you host, you've killed yourself long term...

BCG Disciple, do you mind sharing what your antibody levels were in December when you had them checked with Texas Cares?

Dolphin Roper said:

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BCG Disciple, do you mind sharing what your antibody levels were in December when you had them checked with Texas Cares?

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i will this evening. Had to get a hard copy because my identity match failed, and I don't recall exactly what it was other than I was told it was high.

Did your BIL have strong or mild symptoms and were they completely gone on the 29th? I'm curious because my thoughts are if you have pretty good symptoms for a couple or however many days and then go 24 hours without any symptoms you shouldn't be much danger to infect someone. Basically the same as we have treated viruses in the past.

Your narrative would contradict my thoughts which are based on not seeing any study or anecdotes prior to yours that were contrary.

Btw, I had it and felt like I was well after day three.

AggieBiker said:

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Did your BIL have strong or mild symptoms and were they completely gone on the 29th? I'm curious because my thoughts are if you have pretty good symptoms for a couple or however many days and then go 24 hours without any symptoms you shouldn't be much danger to infect someone. Basically the same as we have treated viruses in the past.

Your narrative would contradict my thoughts which are based on not seeing any study or anecdotes prior to yours that were contrary.

Btw, I had it and felt like I was well after day three.

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BIL had it the worst. 12/25 he had body aches and was tired around noon. Aches, chills and fever that night and all day 12/26. He took Motrin. Tired and a few body aches on the 27/28. By the 29th it was only sinus pressure. He took mucinex dm for that, which is what he was on by the time our gathering hit. Said he really didn't kick the sinus drainage until the end of the next week.

So he definitely was not symptom free, but should have been fever free for 48 hours His symptoms were worse than mild.

When you say high antibodies on 12/3, what were the counts? I'm in the same study, had covid same month as you, and was tested 12/7. So curious how we compare.

You're also supposed to wear a mask continuously around other people for day 6-10. If you're eating a meal together, you're not masked. I never got the impression that contagiousness has waned, just what people are willing to put up with has changed in the name of getting back to life.

IMHO it is much more mild than previous COVID-19 viruses for most people. I wouldn't be too quick to call it the sniffles or about like a cold. Calling something "mild" is subjective. I know at least 10 people that got it over Christmas vacation. For me and 2 others is was like the flu. I had high fever, extreme fatigue, night sweats, 103 temp. I would not call that about like a cold. I was down and out for 2 days. It's been at least 10 years since I had the flu, but I don't remember it being that bad. Still have dry cough and irritation in the upper lungs, but nothing there. To be fair, the other 7 people I know for them it was like a cold with a bad sore throat. All vaxxed.

I truly believe that the cdc has in the back of their mind that this being so mild compared to other, it might be time for most to get it and develop antibodies.