The variables involved actually favor WU-1 over influenza. I'm disinclined to go into the details but understand that I was in a hotel in Boston, although not the same hotel where some 500 participants acquired an atypical viral pneumonia of unknown etiology. I was still venturing out into the community unmasked at that point (as were we all) but I'm convinced we already had community circulation of COVID on a much broader scale than appreciated. And I was effectively vaccinated for influenza, and had recently received a booster of the quadravalent flu vaccine after discussion with my primary care doc.
IgG assays were non-specific, although they were trying to assign some significance in early March 2020. Since my symptoms were very mild, the IgG level could have remained low. I'll note that, despite the finding of no elevation of antibodies (and they would have identified only IgG in the test performed by Labcorp at the time) there was no mechanism to determine if they were specific for COVID at the time.
Following my infection in late June, I was enticed to become a high-titre plasma donor. My quantitative titers remained markedly elevated for over 4 months. This is consistent with reactivation of the cellular immune system. And, on reflection months later, my PCP was of the opinion I had, indeed, been an early case.
It is impossible to rule out influenza, or another CoV. However too many things were going on to rule out COVID, either.
The variables involved actually favor WU-1 over influenza. I'm disinclined to go into the details but understand that I was in a hotel in Boston, although not the same hotel where some 500 participants acquired an atypical viral pneumonia of unknown etiology. I was still venturing out into the community unmasked at that point (as were we all) but I'm convinced we already had community circulation of COVID on a much broader scale than appreciated. And I was effectively vaccinated for influenza, and had recently received a booster of the quadravalent flu vaccine after discussion with my primary care doc.
IgG assays were non-specific, although they were trying to assign some significance in early March 2020. Since my symptoms were very mild, the IgG level could have remained low. I'll note that, despite the finding of no elevation of antibodies (and they would have identified only IgG in the test performed by Labcorp at the time) there was no mechanism to determine if they were specific for COVID at the time.
Following my infection in late June, I was enticed to become a high-titre plasma donor. My quantitative titers remained markedly elevated for over 4 months. This is consistent with reactivation of the cellular immune system. And, on reflection months later, my PCP was of the opinion I had, indeed, been an early case.
It is impossible to rule out influenza, or another CoV. However too many things were going on to rule out COVID, either.