Episode 152: Paige Got COVID

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Paige: You're listening to Coffee with Gringos. I’m Paige Sutherland.

Ian:  And I'm Ian Kennedy.

Paige:  And so today, we are talking about a very personal issue in my life. Sadly, surprisingly, I got COVID recently, and I just wanted to talk about it as we haven't touched COVID in a while. And sadly, as I personally realized, it is still an issue. So, I know everyone's probably a little COVID fatigued but sadly this pandemic is probably not going away anytime soon, so we thought at CWG that we should also still talk about it from time to time. So again listeners, as always, if you get lost, check out that audio guide and transcript online at www.dynamicenglish.cl. Okay, so I really thought that I was not going to get it. I’ve been fully vaccinated with Pfizer since April and I don't know about you in Chile, Ian, but, in the US, it was kind of a vaccination summer. Once everyone was vaccinated, it was like life went back to normal. No one wore masks, no one thought about how many people were near you or whether to go inside or not. It almost was like the pandemic was in our rearview mirror. And then I got COVID and now I'm back in it.

Ian: I know, I was so surprised when you told me that you got it because I know how you got vaccinated early on. You even got Pfizer. I mean, I got the same but it's a high success rate or high protection rate. So, when I heard that I thought, wow, I was a bit surprised and we're hearing this happen with other people as well. But it is just one of these things that is not going away anytime soon even if we're protecting ourselves. So, I’ve got to ask you—how did you know that you had it?

Paige: Yeah, so like I said, I was living my life as normal since the CDC was like if you're vaccinated, you can go inside, you don’t have to wear a mask. So, I was just following that protocol and one of my best friends was getting married and everyone attending the wedding was vaccinated. And then the day of the wedding, I didn't feel great. I had a cough. Everyone in the US was talking about a summer cold going around, not to panic. So, I was like okay I have a cough. I took some Dayquil which is a medication for cough suppressant and just went to the wedding had an amazing time. I woke up the next morning was like, I'm pretty hung over but also don't feel great and then as the day progressed, I just felt feverish. My cough got worse, my throat hurt, and then I Googled COVID symptoms and it was like every single symptom of COVID I had. I lost my sense of smell, which is a big characteristic. So, I got tested and I was positive and then I panicked because I was at a huge wedding with a bunch of people.

Ian: Wow, yeah, that's not good. Thinking maybe I’m the super-spreader here when these kinds of things happen.

Paige: Yeah, so I was like I'm going to be on the news. This is terrible.

Ian: Oh no, I see. So, do you know how you got it? How do you think you got infected?

Paige: Yeah, so I work from home, so I mean I honestly don't leave too much unless it's on the weekend and I want to do something social. But within that timeframe, the only thing I did was I went to a baseball game in Boston for the Red Sox, and it's outside but there are a lot of strangers that you're near. So, I'm just assuming I got it from there but it's weird because I was with twenty of my friends—all vaccinated. I got it, none of them got it. I went to this wedding with probably a hundred people, talked to everyone, no one got it. So, I do feel like the vaccine works because if everyone wasn't vaccinated, I think I would have been a super spreader and would have been awful that I kind of ruined this wedding. So that was a big relief, so big supporter of the vaccination. I think me getting it is really just bad luck, the breakthrough cases as they call it.

Ian: Yeah, exactly. We have these sort of breaking through, and it's making people nervous, obviously. They think—a lot of people think—like you mentioned in the US, especially a lot of people think once I have the vaccine I can go back to normal life, I can do whatever. I don't have to wear a mask. I don't have to do XYZ. And unfortunately, we're not really to that point yet and we're seeing that more and more. 

Paige: Hey, Ian. Did you know besides the podcast, Dynamic English offers one-on-one classes with native teachers from all over the world?

Ian: Really? But isn't it just a bunch of grammar lessons?

Paige: Nope, it's completely discussion-based and focuses on topics the student is interested in.

Ian: That's amazing. But what if I'm not living in Chile?

Paige: No problem. Dynamic does online classes. You can be living anywhere.

Ian: Great, but I'm a little intimidated to take the class alone. Can I join with a friend?

Paige: Of course. Dynamic offers group classes of up to four. Plus, for the next month, Coffee with Gringos listeners get 10% off individual or group classes. So go online to www.dynamicenglish.cl and mention that you are a listener and get your discount.

Ian: Well, I'm sold. Sign me up.

Ian: So, you mentioned you had the symptoms you mentioned, but did you ever feel really sick? Really awful? Or was it kind of mild? I mean, can you tell us how you felt during the whole time?

Paige: Yeah, I mean, I have heard of these breakthrough cases and a lot of people, honestly, feel okay but unfortunately, I did feel like shit. So, I got all the symptoms—I had the fever, the muscle aches, loss of smell. I just felt like I had a really bad flu, cold for quite a few days. It's funny because when I left Chile to come to the US, because of all the traveling I did, I had this quarantine for two weeks and it was kind of miserable because I was healthy. I felt great and I had to be stuck inside all day and I was just bored. Where here I had to quarantine and it wasn't an issue because when you're sick, I didn't want to do anything. I didn't want to leave my house, I wanted to stay in bed and just get better and rest. So, the quarantine, actually, was worse when I was healthy, but yeah, I did feel like crap but I never felt like “Oh my god, I'm going to die” or “I need to an emergency room.” It was just like you have a bad cold, sleep it off, take some NyQuil and Dayquil and then you just get better.

Ian: Okay. And what was it like to lose your sense of smell? I'm sure that was a strange feeling?

Paige: I know, that was probably one of the worst because when you're inside all day, you're bored and all you want to do is snack. You just want food, you want candy, you want to drink alcohol, you want to order pizza, eat burritos. I feel like you just have the munchies and it felt so useless. I literally would have a slice of pizza and I'm like, I can't taste anything. There was no point. I was working throughout this and I would wake up like I always do, make coffee, and I was drinking the coffee and it was just like water. It had no taste to it so there was just no reason to drink it.

Ian: That’s so strange. I'm sure that'd be such a weird feeling.

Paige: It really sucks because it just makes life not as enjoyable because I feel like ooh, work really hard for an hour and then you can have a snack or you reward yourself with food and you look forward to eating throughout the day. And when you can't taste it, it's like, I honestly didn't eat much because it wasn't as enjoyable.

Ian: Yeah, your senses weren't as enticed to it probably. Have you recovered from all of those symptoms? Do you have your smell back now or are you experiencing some long-COVID symptoms as they call it?  

Paige: Yeah, that was what was great about the vaccine. When I talked to my doctor, if you are vaccinated when you get COVID you recover a lot faster. So, I think I probably would have had many weeks of these symptoms if I wasn't vaccinated. Yeah, like I said, about after a week, I started feeling better, I got my sense of smell back, which was great.

Ian: Yeah, that's great and obviously no one wants to get it, but if you are going to get it, it's a lot better that you were vaccinated. And this kind of brings up the overall topic we're having in the whole world about booster shots with the vaccines. So, a lot of people in the world have been lucky enough to get their first, their first two doses if it's a two-dose vaccine or the one dose if it’s a one dose. But we're hearing more and more that these vaccines are effective for a certain amount of time but as time wears on, of course, the vaccines wear down and it makes us more vulnerable and more susceptible to getting infected. And so now, the CDC in the United States, I'm not sure about the WHO, but many organizations are coming out to say, it's going to be a good idea for everyone to get a booster shot soon, especially if you've had your first doses of the vaccine for more than six months. A lot of people, like we were saying earlier, probably had the feeling that, “Okay I'm vaccinated, I'm good to go back to normal. COVID is over.” Unfortunately, that's not quite the case. It’s looking more and more realistic that we're going to have to get a booster shot maybe even every year for COVID for these variant strains that come up. We’re just going to have to add it to our list like getting the flu shot every year or getting the measles shot, whatever it might be. So, I think COVID is going to be with us for a bit longer, and those booster shots are going to have to happen for everybody pretty soon. Do you know if you're going to be able to get a booster shot soon or just wait and see what happens?

Paige: Yeah, in the US, they're rolling out in September. The protocol is eight months after your vaccination, you can qualify to get a booster shot, so I definitely plan to get one. I think, like you said, it's going to be a part of our lives where you get vaccinated every year and then you can kind of live your life normally and it's kind of great. I think, like you said, these breakthrough cases are scaring people, maybe questioning if the vaccine works. When I got it, I did a lot of research and the funny thing that's not being said is that the vaccine isn't supposed to prevent you from getting COVID. It's supposed to help you so if you get it, your body can fight it off. So, you don't have symptoms that will kill you, that will put you in the hospital, and I definitely experienced that. I had all the symptoms but I just can only imagine if I wasn't vaccinated. I think it would have been way worse. Especially, as you know, COVID really attacks the lungs and I had probably the worst cough I've ever had. And if I wasn't vaccinated, I feel like it would have been pretty miserable. So, I think people shouldn't be scared if you have it. It’s a bad cold like we get almost every year. You get over it if you're vaccinated. You get over it.

Ian: Yeah, and I think it's really important what you pointed out that I think is part of the miscommunication or the misunderstanding for a lot of people. Like you said, the vaccine is there to make your symptoms not as severe, so that you won't have to go to the hospital and your body won't be collapsing. That you'll be able to handle the virus, not that you are invincible from it, as many people think. So, you have a lot of anti-vaxxers saying, “The vaccine doesn't even work.”  Well, you're not really looking at what the purpose of it is. Basically, it's a minimalization of risk. You’ve got to think of it that way. It’s not a magic wand cure, but it's something that is minimizing our risks that are out there. So, you're hearing a lot of people too who initially were very against the vaccines, then they get very sick, and of course they change their mind and they start telling everyone else, “I was stupid. You need to get vaccinated. I almost died in the hospital. If I had had the vaccine, I'd have a cough at home for a few days and then back to normal.” I just hope everybody is smart about it and makes sure to protect themselves but also understand really what the vaccine is and what it's doing. And it's not going to completely protect you but it's going to make things better.

Paige: I agree. Yeah, I definitely felt a large peace of mind when I got that positive result that I was vaccinated and I knew that hospitalization and possibly death was just not in the cards for me. Which, if you aren't vaccinated, that isn't the case. So, I definitely think everyone should protect themselves and their families. I know it's politicized, but at the end of the day, just trying to keep everyone safe. So, listeners again as always, check out that audio guide and transcript online at www.dynamicenglish.cl. Thanks for listening.

Ian: We'll see you next time.

Ian: “Coffee with Gringos” officially has over one hundred episodes and we are among the “Top Podcasts in Chile”. And that’s thanks to you. But we are always working to grow our audience so make sure to rate sure to rate, review and share us.  

Key Vocabulary, Phrases & Slang:

 1.     fatigued (verb): to feel tired or exhausted.

a.     They were very fatigued by their long journey.

2.     rearview mirror (noun, idiom): a small mirror on vehicles used for seeing behind; used to describe the past as an idiom.

a.     It’s important to not look in the rearview mirror and move forward with the future.

3.     CDC (noun, acronym): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; national public health agency of the US.

a.     The CDC has explained the importance of being vaccinated.

4.     hung over (adjective): feeling physically sick or weak after drinking alcohol.

a.     I was so hung over after the wedding, I could hardly get out of bed.

5.     feverish (adjective): having or showing the signs of a fever.

a.     She was feeling feverish after the event.

6.     super spreader (noun): a person who transmits an infectious disease to an unexpectedly or unusually large number of other people.

a.     People are trying to avoid being super spreaders by taking care of themselves.

7.     mild (adjective): not severe, serious or extreme.

a.     Thankfully, her symptoms were mild and she didn’t need to go to the hospital.

8.     munchies (noun, informal): a sudden strong desire for food.

a.     Being stuck at home all the time gives me the munchies.

9.     to entice (verb): to attract or tempt by offering something beneficial.

a.     The government is trying to entice the population to get vaccinated.

10.  booster (noun): a dose of a vaccine to increase or renew the effect of an earlier one.

a.     Getting booster shots each year for COVID will likely be a long-term practice.

11.  susceptible (adjective): likely to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing.

a.     Unvaccinated people are more susceptible to severe symptoms.

12.  WHO (noun, acronym): World Health Organization; specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health.

a.     The WHO has released a statement regarding the new cases.

13.  to roll out (phrasal verb): to launch or introduce something.

a.     The agency will roll out the new vaccines in the next months.

14.  anti-vaxxer (noun): a person who is against being vaccinated.

a.     There are many anti-vaxxers around the world that don’t trust the health agencies.

15.  in the cards (idiom): very possible or likely.  

a.     A visit to the hospital is in the cards for those who decide not to get vaccinated.