Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

What this primary care physician learned from her COVID-19 infection

Maria Maldonado, MD
Conditions
January 10, 2022
Share
Tweet
Share

March 2020. Administrators informed us that primary care physicians would be deployed to the “front lines” – either the emergency department or the COVID-19 wards. When I shared my news with my 21-year-old daughter, she cried and hugged me and said, “I don’t want you to die.”

Fate intervened, and I didn’t get deployed. By the time I was up, the numbers improved, and it was time to return to my office and see patients in person. I armed myself with an N95, a surgical mask to protect it, and a face shield each day. From the beginning of the pandemic, I erred on the side of safety. I washed off food and other supplies before putting them in the refrigerator and on my shelves, let the mail languish on the floor for days before I’d open the envelopes, tore off my clothes immediately upon entering my home, rushing into the shower before interacting with my family. I imagined the multitudes of infected people who had touched those items I’d brought into my home, and I’d sanitize my hands again.

When the vaccine became available not even a year after the pandemic began, I was ebullient. By the end of January 2021, inoculated, I anticipated some normalcy. But by that summer, another COVID surge as cases ticked up. Nervous, I proceeded with my trip to Disney World with my family. I walked around Disney, armed with an N95 mask, and ate outdoors wherever possible. During that trip, we also traveled to South Florida to visit my mother-in-law who was vaccinated. One hour after we arrived, deep into eating a delicious meal, she learned that a close friend she’d spent time with unmasked had just been diagnosed with COVID-19. Already hearing of cases of COVID-19 in people who were vaccinated, I caught my daughter’s eye. We disappeared into the bedroom, emerged with N95 masks and eye protection, checked in a hotel, and flew back to New York the next day. We remained negative after that trip. However, my mother-in-law became symptomatic; she was fatigued beyond belief and lost the desire to eat without her sense of smell and taste. She slowly recovered over ten days.

Fast forward to the holiday season of 2021. My daughter came home from college for Thanksgiving feeling congested, coughing, and fatigued. She’d been exposed to someone who visited who was sick. She and her friend remained COVID-19 negative on multiple tests. But I too felt ill opting not to join family on Thanksgiving, erring on the side of caution. I felt hopeful about Christmas. I was now “boosted,” and most of my family was.

During the pandemic, I worked hard at not letting my guard down, wearing an N95 mask during patient care. I shop for food with my N95 mask. I’ve gone to a restaurant with the closest of vaccinated friends/family maybe three times. I socialize outdoors and take long hikes. And then in mid-December, I went to a party. There were 14 of us. All of us were vaccinated and most boosted. We rapid tested ourselves the day of the party. I took off my mask; I had followed the guidelines.

But we were on the cusp of Omicron raging through the country. Had the party been planned only three days later, we would have canceled it. The next day one of us tested positive. Over subsequent days 75 percent of us became positive.

Day 0: the party. Day 3: I developed a mild cough, congestion, a scratchy throat, and fatigue. My symptoms waxed and waned for ten days. Day 5: My rapid antigen test turned positive. Day 14: My rapid test was still positive. It did not turn negative until Day 16. I isolated myself in my bedroom – the only room I took off my N95 mask. My daughter back from college, and I kept our distance from one another. Multiple rapid antigen and PCR tests later, my daughter remained negative.

What I learned from my sample of one is that good masks work. I learned vaccines work. I had what could be described as a prolonged cold. I was able to exercise on my Peloton bike, and I never needed cold remedies. I learned that if I wore my mask and kept my distance in small quarters, I kept them safe. I learned that when we make decisions about attending events, we must measure the possible impact on our work and other people. Fortunately, my illness coincided with a planned vacation, and while my work was impacted, it could have been worse. But all of us saw how Omicron decimated urgent care clinics, medical practices, and hospital coverage.

Personally, I needed to cancel my daughter’s birthday celebration. I was unable to see cousins that had flown to New York for the Christmas holidays: one in from Spain and another from Florida. If I had it to do all over, I would have either not gone to the holiday party or I would have worn my N95 mask the entire time.

The CDC has announced that isolation can be reduced to 5 days if one is either asymptomatic or symptoms are improving. My anecdotal data may back that up if we are willing to wear the best personal protection equipment and the N95 mask is the crown jewel. A shortened isolation period may work if people around us are vaccinated.   While my holidays were not festive – I didn’t have the energy to put up a tree and didn’t see dear family and friends – I am grateful that I am well. I find that I am optimistic and hopeful in 2022. I believe we have rounded an important corner, and the time is coming where COVID-19 will become one of the benign players of illness. Time will tell. In the meantime, as we continue to evaluate the data, I recommend we wear masks, get vaccinated, and use common sense.

Maria Maldonado is an internal medicine physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Why you should not use BMI for your New Year's resolution

January 10, 2022 Kevin 3
…
Next

Do we really know why they died? The inaccuracy on death certificates.

January 10, 2022 Kevin 1
…

ADVERTISEMENT

Tagged as: COVID

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Why you should not use BMI for your New Year's resolution
Next Post >
Do we really know why they died? The inaccuracy on death certificates.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Maria Maldonado, MD

  • Care for patients with limited English proficiency begins with medical interpretation

    Maria Maldonado, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Think about the eventuality that comes to ourselves and our parents

    Maria Maldonado, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Poor transitions in care result in unsafe patient care

    Maria Maldonado, MD

Related Posts

  • COVID-19 proved that diverse voices make health care better

    Naprisha Taylor
  • The COVID-19 pandemic is a catalyst for reimagining future health care delivery

    Imelda Dacones, MD
  • COVID-19 adds a new health care gap: internet disparity

    Sandra Swantek, MD and Magdalena Bednarczyk, MD
  • Health care delivery after COVID-19: Move more procedures to the outpatient setting

    Shikha Jain, MD and Krishna Jain, MD
  • Primary Care First: CMS develops a value-based primary care program for independent practices

    Robert Colton, MD
  • Reflecting on my experience as a teenage health care worker during the COVID-19 pandemic

    Ananya Raghavan

More in Conditions

  • Financing cancer or fighting it: the real cost of tobacco

    Dr. Bhavin P. Vadodariya
  • 5 cancer myths that could delay your diagnosis or treatment

    Joseph Alvarnas, MD
  • When bleeding disorders meet IVF: Navigating von Willebrand disease in fertility treatment

    Oluyemisi Famuyiwa, MD
  • What one diagnosis can change: the movement to make dining safer

    Lianne Mandelbaum, PT
  • How kindness in disguise is holding women back in academic medicine

    Sylk Sotto, EdD, MPS, MBA
  • Measles is back: Why vaccination is more vital than ever

    American College of Physicians
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

      Momeina Aslam | Education
    • Why fixing health care’s data quality is crucial for AI success [PODCAST]

      Jay Anders, MD | Podcast
    • Navigating fair market value as an independent or locum tenens physician [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • When errors of nature are treated as medical negligence

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Navigating fair market value as an independent or locum tenens physician [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Gaslighting and professional licensing: a call for reform

      Donald J. Murphy, MD | Physician
    • How self-improving AI systems are redefining intelligence and what it means for health care

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • How blockchain could rescue nursing home patients from deadly miscommunication

      Adwait Chafale | Tech
    • When service doesn’t mean another certification

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Financing cancer or fighting it: the real cost of tobacco

      Dr. Bhavin P. Vadodariya | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

      Momeina Aslam | Education
    • Why fixing health care’s data quality is crucial for AI success [PODCAST]

      Jay Anders, MD | Podcast
    • Navigating fair market value as an independent or locum tenens physician [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • When errors of nature are treated as medical negligence

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Navigating fair market value as an independent or locum tenens physician [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Gaslighting and professional licensing: a call for reform

      Donald J. Murphy, MD | Physician
    • How self-improving AI systems are redefining intelligence and what it means for health care

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • How blockchain could rescue nursing home patients from deadly miscommunication

      Adwait Chafale | Tech
    • When service doesn’t mean another certification

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Financing cancer or fighting it: the real cost of tobacco

      Dr. Bhavin P. Vadodariya | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...