My first symptoms were a mild feverish feeling late evening on 16 August. I had felt similar symptoms in early June and I tested negative so I just took a Crocin and thought that would take care of it. The next morning though, I continued to feel feverish and I measured it – 99F. That’s when I decided to test myself and my entire household as I have my 89-year-old mother, a cancer survivor, and my 71-year-old husband, a cancer patient, to worry about. I immediately self-quarantined in a separate room and waited anxiously for the test results. At 5 pm I was told that I tested positive but that everyone else at home including my staff, tested negative. Mercifully, the virus spared my mom and my husband. I asked for the CT (Cycle Threshold) value to assess my viral load and when I saw it was 23, I felt the load was safe enough to be home-quarantined under tele-supervision. Dr Murli Mohan from Narayana Health, Bengaluru and Dr Shashank Joshi from Lilavati hospital, Mumbai, were my key medical supervisors. I was put on a course of Favipiravir, azithromycin and paracetamol. Apart from this, I continued with my daily dose of Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Zinc, baby aspirin and chyavanprash! Not to mention my twice a week 200mg dose of HCQ! Days two and three were uneventful. I was measuring my oxygen saturation levels six times a day; they were all between 96-98 per cent, even after a brisk six-minute walk. My temperature was normal but late evening on Day three, I felt fluish and this extended to Days four and five. No measurable temperature, but frequent bouts of sweating, which suggested that my body was fighting the virus. I was also tracking my Cytokine levels. My cRP was normal at <0.5 throughout the infected period, which indicated no inflammation. My D-Dimer and Ferritin levels were also within normal range. I also tracked my cytokine levels especially IL-6, which were undetectable. By Day six, I started feeling better. My rtPCR test on Day 10 was still positive but with a CT value of 33, suggesting a very low and non-infectious viral load generally attributed to dead virus shedding. I also tested my blood for antibodies and T-cells on Day nine. IgM was noticeably present but not IgG. My innate immune response based on Dendritic, and NK cells was strong. A robust T cell activation was observed in my sample with a higher frequency of antigen specific T cells, effector T cells, Memory T cells and cytokine release on stimulation. I basically had developed T Cell immunity which could potentially protect me for a long duration. On Day 12 My rtPCR test was positive with a CT value of 36, heralding the final leg of my Covid-19 saga! My experience has been mild and uneventful. No loss of smell or taste and no drop in oxygen saturation. I recommend to everyone with mild fluish symptoms to test and decide on hospitalisation or home quarantine based on viral load: CT values <20 with fever ought not to home isolate. Monitoring oxygen saturation several times a day is psychologically good for your virus fighting morale.
