We had an interesting turn of events at our office a few days ago. One of our staff members recently had the Covid-19 antibody test done for both herself and her son (who also works at our plant). Both tested positive, meaning that - if the test is accurate - they've both had coronavirus. Back in January when this person was sick most of the 10 or 12 people in our office were also sick with the same or similar bug (including me). I had a mild but consistent cough for 2 or 3 weeks. I had a 3 day period of a near constant headache for which I took OTC meds -- something I only do as a last resort. This was happening at the time when news was just starting to break that the virus was spreading all over the world. I thought at the time "Is this the corona virus that we all have?" But there were few confirmed cases in the US and the illness just seemed like a bad cold. Most of us never missed a day of work.

Now news is coming out that the virus may have been spreading earlier than what was first believed. I was in NYC for 4 days in mid December, packed in with all the New Yorkers & tourists on trains, ferries, subways, elevators and crowded streets to see holiday decorations near Rockefeller Center, the 9/11 museum, Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, etc. Maybe it was me who brought the virus back to my office. I have not been confirmed to have had the virus, but I think it is quite possible that I have had it. I'd like to have the antibody test done.

I talked about this Covid-19 issue with my two daughters that I met up with on our New York City trip. If I was exposed to the virus on that trip then they were likely exposed, too. My daughter living in Norfolk has been sick since our trip. My daughter (who lives in Oregon) doesn't recall being sick since the trip, but she sent me a link to an NIH study just launched looking for volunteers to be tested for the coronavirus antibodies. Both she and I signed up for it. Hopefully we can get tested. FYI: Here's the link.

NIH begins study to quantify undetected cases of coronavirus infection

On the news last night I heard that they've done widespread antibody testing in one county in California. I don't recall the exact numbers but something like 40,000 people tested positive for the antibody. Before this they'd had only 800 confirmed cases in the county. So that's a 50 to 1 ratio of people who've had and recovered from the virus undetected. Given those results I would imagine that we are going to discover that millions of us have already been exposed. It just may have happened before testing of anybody not seriously ill became available.

I did speak in depth with the lady in our office that had the positive antibody test. I didn't realize that she had actually become quite ill back in January. She was out sick for more than a week and did end up going to the hospital as a result. At the time they did not suspect coronavirus and were just treating it like a serious cold or flu. It was her doctor that later decided to have her and her family tested for the antibody. As he learned more about this virus he had a hunch that he had already seen it. He was right.

As related to this topic: this person at our office who got the sickest is older, quite obese and borderline diabetic. She fits the characteristics of those who tend to have more problems with this illness. The others in my office that were sick were all younger and/or lean and 'apparently' healthier. As for me I'm convinced that my current WOE may have saved me from a much more disastrous fate. I am not lean. In fact I am technically obese. But I am quite metabolically healthy. I think that is what this all boils down to. I hope that honest analysis of this pandemic will ultimately shed light on the true root cause risk factors for poor outcomes with is virus. Poor diet has to be one of the big ones.