Fighting Omicron

In January 2022 the provincial government decided that schools in my city would resume on the 10th after a one week delay. Right away, my phone started ringing as teachers who had caught Covid over the holidays were desperately in need of substitutes. Omicron was sweeping across the country and it seemed as 'though almost everyone I knew had it.

As an unvaccinated senior, age 69, I realized that I was taking a huge risk when I accepted a sub assignment in the schools at this time but I had had no problems throughout the two years since Covid began. I determined that studies had shown that those who were optimal in Vitamin D3 would be somewhat protected or even immune from catching the virus and I didn't believe that a senior's immune system was any weaker than a younger person's if they were in good health. Innate curiousity wanted to put this research to the test which was one reason why I hadn't proceeded with vaccination. I was a human walking research experiment.

"You must be crazy!" I was warned. People can die from Covid! And well I knew, as the numbers of infected people continued to rise after Christmas that this virus was rampant and people were flooding the hospitals, some even dying. I had spent years supplementing with Vitamin D3 well over the usual RDA, finding that I needed anywhere from 4000 IU to 7000 IU a day to reach optimal. Optimal was checked with lab blood tests for Vitamin D3 about twice a year which I needed to maintain, not only for immunity but also for osteosporosis.

Coming into the school, I was in a mandatory rapid testing program and tested negative on Monday and Wednesday mornings. All was well. I proceeded ahead, confident that this assignment would be like all the others - without issue. But I was wrong.

On Thursday morning I awoke with chills, nausea, headache and a low grade fever. Something was definitely wrong. I hadn't been sick in four years but I remembered what the flu was like. I reached for cold medication on hand and whatever else I could find in my cupboard as ammunition, found an emergency substitute, phoned in sick and headed for bed.

Two days passed and I drifted in and out of exhaustion, still aware that my old body was mobilizing it's strength to attack this intruder. My appetite vanished but there were no breathing problems. It seemed as 'though this Covid had decided to avoid my lungs.

"Must be Omicron" I decided, knowing that it attacked the upper respiratory tract. But I was relieved that the nausea that continued for days never proceeded to vomiting and I had memories of past sessions with the flu that had. I thanked God for that as the virus which began as a flu, quickly proceeded to a cold and sinus infection.

On Friday I had a nasal swab PCR test that resulted in a positive. For two years I had avoided the virus, but it had finally found me. Would I be able to conquer this at home or end up being a hospital statistic? This is where my D3 and attention to health, diet and exercise would have to prove itself.

Days went by and the mucus monster descended upon me. I was kept busy blowing my nose and coughing up continuously. Very gradually my appetite returned, but not until I was several days into it and not entirely until 10 to 14 days had passed. For a long period of time I had to force feed myself. I started to take a little exercise but could only walk around the block. My strength hadn't returned yet.

Because I was unvaccinated, my isolation period was 10 to 14 days and it took exactly that long to recover well enough and test negative. Others around me who were vaccinated were being asked to return to work after five days of isolation with Covid. I thought that was probably wrong. It takes time to recover and were they rapid tested as negative before commencing work again?

I determined that the D3 experiment had done well enough in lessening the impact of the disease but hadn't protected me from getting it. But wasn't this the same with vaccinated people and breakthrough infections? How many studies were being done on how well optimal VitD protects or mitigates Covid? Should I have protected myself with vaccination as well as D3 and an N95 mask at the same time? Would I still have contracted the virus anyway?

Almost 20 days later and I seem to have recovered completely at home, without help. I could have and probably should have requested an antiviral which was another option but I didn't. In this case I proceeded naturally and so have probably acquired a natural immunity as well. I will proceed with a blood antibody test to see if there are natural antibodies and consult with doctors as to the timing of vaccinations after infection but I am confused by the lack of detailed information regarding this.

And I am hesitant to return to the battlefield. I know that Omicron is still raging through the schools and I want to be better fortified next time. Will I get the vaccinations then? Should I trust the media information? Will I continue to advocate optimal D3 with periodic blood checks? Probably. What if I get sick again despite vaccination? Would it be the same? My nephew, years younger, who was triple vaccinated seemed to have had a worse bout with the infection than I had had. Was that because he was low in Vit D? Very few people are checking. You can understand my confusion.

Meanwhile, war wages on.