april 16
Just so we could properly acknowledge Spring Break, we went camping! In our backyard. It was a lovely time actually. We played cornhole/bags (depending on your geography and sense of humor), the kids dusted off the skate ramp and gave it a ride, we barbecued, roasted marshmallows, and all six of us slept in our giant Costco tent. It sounds all Norman Rockwell, but there were 5 electronic devices in that tent and the first person departed by 4am. Anyway, the family went camping! And memories were made.
april 17
BOWEN TESTED POSITIVE FOR A CORONAVIRUS ANTIBODY. Kind of. Just got a call from the doctor and he tested positive for one of the four proteins produced in the SARS-COV-2 antibody panel – Spike Glycoprotein (S2). However, he’s positive for the IgM antigen which is indicative of active infection. This means he likely has the infection now and has not yet developed the IgG antigen which is more likely to develop after recovery. And all of this assumes the test is accurate.
So, what does this mean for us? Maybe nothing! One scenario, and my favorite, is that we are all asymptomatic COVID-infected vectors and we are on the threshold of developing the IgG antibody. Immunity! But the short of it is that we just don’t know. There are cases of recovered patients who continue to test positive well after recovery – which could indicate the IgG antibody also takes some time to settle in. Maybe? And there are plenty of reports about recovered patients first testing negative, then testing positive. Lots of theories on this… like false negatives, or remnants of the virus messing with the second positive result. Still so many COVID mysteries.
But this is the biggest bummer to read about since the good news this morning:
“Earlier this week, WHO officials said not all people who recover from the coronavirus have the antibodies to fight a second infection, raising concern that patients may not develop immunity after surviving Covid-19.“
Nonetheless, I’m celebrating Bowen’s diagnosis. And for good measure, Jeff is getting the antibody test today. We’ll have his results next week and hopefully start to build a better picture of what might be happening in this Seattle bungalow.
april 18
I finally made masks. I modified a “no sew” pattern that uses an old t-shirt. Luke warm reception from the kids, but I wasn’t going to let this pandemic pass me by without a masked family photo.
april 19
The #reopencalifornia hashtag is the new #notmypresident friend-divider on my social medias.
Also, the continued incompetence of the current administration is astounding. Blaming governors for the shortcomings of the federal government, inflaming second amendment fanatics (for what?!?), essentially inciting violence. We ALL want the country to reopen. NOBODY wants mass unemployment and desperation. But we DON’T want our efforts derailed by unnecessary spikes in infection rates. Let’s allow science and data to inform these decisions. And how about some TESTS? That sounds like a smart way to understand the safest path forward. So smart in fact, that maybe a FEDERAL government is the right entity to ensure it’s happening. Seems to me, they have a vested interest in getting the train back on the tracks.
diary of coronavirus 