Did I Already Have an Asymptomatic Case of COVID-19?

Summary

The author reflects on the possibility of having had an asymptomatic case of COVID-19 during a trip taken in February 2020, considering the high-risk environments they were exposed to.

Abstract

Despite engaging in activities that later became known as significant risks for contracting COVID-19, such as international travel and attending large gatherings, the author and their spouse did not fall ill. This leads them to speculate whether they unknowingly experienced an asymptomatic case of the virus. The couple's travel occurred shortly after the coronavirus was named and when global awareness of its spread was still limited. They visited multiple cities and countries, used various forms of transportation, and were in close contact with many people from different parts of the world. The author acknowledges the uncertainty of their health status during that time, especially given the subsequent understanding of how the virus can be transmitted by asymptomatic carriers. Despite the high likelihood of exposure, the fact that neither the author nor their spouse showed symptoms, nor did they spread the virus to others upon their return, suggests they may have been fortunate to avoid infection.

Opinions

The author believes it's possible they had an asymptomatic case of COVID-19 due to their exposure in high-risk environments.
There is skepticism about their good fortune in not contracting the virus, given the circumstances of their travel.
The author recognizes the role of luck in not displaying symptoms or spreading the virus to others, despite extensive exposure.
They express gratitude for not facing significant financial strain as a result of the pandemic, unlike many others.
The author emphasizes the importance of continued vigilance through handwashing and social distancing to maintain their health and that of others.

Sometimes I think there’s no possible way that I haven’t had the virus.

Travel was one of the first things to come to a screeching halt as the novel coronavirus became a pandemic. We all watched as flights were cancelled, cruise ships were quarantined in port or turned away, events with large crowds postponed, and tourist attractions shuttered.

So, how in the world is it that I participated in each one of these major coronavirus faux pas and didn’t get sick? Maybe the answer is that I did.

My husband and I had been planning to take a trip for our 5 year anniversary for months. Maybe even years, if you consider that we are travel enthusiasts with an ever extending bucket list of destinations. We’d been earmarking several big ticket destinations for a milestone such as this and it was finally almost here.

Our chosen itinerary: fly from the middle of the U.S. to Dubai, UAE and take a cruise through the Persian Gulf. I know that you probably think we’re crazy. So does my mom. But there aren’t too many places I wouldn’t go, if given the opportunity. The weather is most enjoyable in the UAE during their winter months, from November to April, and our anniversary falls in February. Perfect!

We touched down in Dubai on February 15th, just over a month after the first death in China had been reported and a mere 4 days after the virus officially had a name. Things were different then. Travel was still open and the only questions being asked of travelers were regarding whether or not they had traveled to or through mainland China in the last 14 days or had experienced flu-like symptoms.

But what we also know, in hindsight, is that the virus was absolutely spreading around the globe and was not contained to China.

We know that the virus was and is spreading. And that it is thought to spread mainly through close contact from person-to-person by way of respiratory droplets from an infected person.

Let’s explore this recipe for potential disaster:

Close contact? Check. We were in close contact with a ton of people. And their respiratory droplets. I can’t even begin to imagine how many people we encountered, from multiple countries, on our trip. Social distancing hadn’t become a buzzword yet.

Travel? Check. We went to 4 different cities in 3 different countries: Dubai and Abu Dhabi, UAE; Manama, Bahrain; and Doha, Qatar. We also passed through 3 major airports and spent over 30 hours on 4 different planes. Speaking of planes, our international flights alone were on Boeing 777 aircrafts that hold 396 people.

Large crowds and tourist attractions? Check and check. The Burj Khalifa and the Grand Mosque, for example. We went everywhere. Uber’s, Taxi’s, Buses, 4x4's? Yes, yes, yes, and yes.

Cruise Ship? Check. Did I mention that this trip was a cruise? A CRUISE! And not just any cruise. An international cruise on one of the largest ships with 4,500 passengers from all over the world. That doesn’t include the staff. Remember the Diamond Princess that was quarantined in the port of Yokohama, Japan with 621 infected passengers on board? They began leaving the ship while we were on our cruise. We watched the coverage on BBC from the cabin of our ship.

So, I frequently ask myself. And my husband and I ask each other. “How did we do all of that and not get sick?” I don’t know. I genuinely have no idea. It seems so impossible, that I often find myself concluding that we did have the Coronavirus. And that we were merely asymptomatic.

Just as quickly as we talk ourselves into that conclusion, we talk ourselves right back out of it. Sure, one of us could have gotten it and, by some crazy string of luck, could have been fortunate enough to be asymptomatic. But what’s the other thing that we now know about this virus? That you can spread it even while never knowing that you have it.

And that’s the kicker. If one of us had it, the other one would have gotten it, too. And it’s just not likely that neither of us would display symptoms. Further, it is simply not possible that every person that we came into contact with after we returned from our trip and to whom we would have undoubtedly spread the virus, would also be asymptomatic. There’s no way.

So, we must not have gotten it. It’s unfathomable to me how we could possibly be that lucky. But, we were.

If we aren’t careful, though, our luck will run out. Your luck will run out, too. Until then, we will keep washing our hands, social distancing ourselves, and practicing gratitude that we are not facing significant financial strain as a result.

Thanks for reading…