‘I thought this was behind us, but I caught Covid for a third time and it was worst ever’

Melanie Finn caught Covid-19 for a third time

Melanie Finn Twitter Email

July 07 2022 02:30 AM

Just when we thought it was safe to move on, Covid-19 has reared its ugly head again and is threatening to cast a dark shadow over our summer plans.

Like the proverbial bogeyman who springs out when you least expect it, the virus has begun to dominate the headlines again, with high levels of infection in the community and hospital numbers creeping up.

After a hedonistic June filled with communions and garden parties, birthday celebrations and outdoor concerts, Covid was the last thing on my mind when it unexpectedly swooped on me – for the third time.

I was instantly brought back to the dark days of March 2020 when I got it for the first time and spent months struggling to make a full recovery afterwards.

The Indo Daily: The Covid comeback – expert tips on how you can avoid the summer surge

Then, last November, it was the turn of the Delta variant, which brought mild symptoms.

I’m more used to reviewing events, not variants, but this third infection of Covid surprised me with its intensity, despite my being triple-vaccinated.

Initially, I had symptoms of a head cold and did a test that came up negative, but I opted to isolate and stay in bed anyway.

The following morning, I woke up shivery and with a sore throat, and the dreaded double lines came up as a positive on the antigen test.

I also noticed some different symptoms from previous times, including pins-and-needles in my hands and a sensitivity to light.

The worst symptom was the bone-aching tiredness. Too exhausted to move, I spent the entire week in bed, coughing and fitfully sleeping.

When I got up to move around, I was dizzy and got headaches. Ten days on, I’m still fatigued with brain fog, and I have nausea reminiscent of early-stage pregnancy.

Additionally, I’m filled with anxiety about what effects a trio of Covid infections might have on my body.

I consider myself a relatively healthy person and take regular exercise and daily supplements. I wasn’t expecting to be completely floored by Covid.

Dr Gerald Barry, assistant professor of virology at University College Dublin, said evidence suggests the more you are infected, the bigger the risk of things like long-Covid.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty around all of this, and we have to stress that,” he said. “Nothing is really clear in terms of long-Covid or even in terms of how people will respond going forward with repeated infections,” he said.

“Some studies suggest that every time you get infected, you run the risk of long-Covid, and some studies have suggested you’re at increased risk of developing long-term issues.

“They might be relatively mild, but for other people, they may be more severe.

“The evidence suggests it’s probably not a good thing to be repeatedly infected, but we don’t know for sure. There are individual factors at play here. Some people might not be affected at all and some people might be affected badly.”

Dr Barry said one infection with Omicron does not necessarily give any protection against reinfection, particularly beyond three or four months.

“I’ve heard cases about people being reinfected four weeks after a previous infection. They’re rare, but it does happen, so it’s no surprise that during this wave people are getting reinfected,” he said.

“We have to accept the new variant, predominantly the B.A5, is spreading rapidly through the population.”

When it comes to trying to minimise the level of disruption to people’s lives, planning is crucial if you want to avoid having your summer travel plans scuppered.

“For me, if I had a major social event coming up, I would consider reducing my interactions with people maybe a week or 10 days out from that to reduce the risk of picking it up,” Dr Barry said.