Definitely exposed

Several weeks ago I had a 6 hour meeting with a colleague in a room that was probably once a closet. As the day went on, he was complaining he didn't feel well. I didn't give it a second thought because I assumed it was the flu which I had just gotten over and assumed I would be fine. At that point, the coronavirus had not been reported here.

He just called to let me know that after our meeting he went to his PCP who immediately put him in quarantine that very day. He is from New Rochelle and they already knew about patient zero but the public did not. This guy is friends with patient zero and that is how he got it. He's totally find now, nobody in his family got it and he said that I saw him at his worst which didn't seem any more terrible than any other illness.

Our meeting was over 3 weeks ago and I am totally fine but it freaked me out to think that I could have been carrying it with me all that time and exposing people. I went to a concert that very night! I'm also curious if I'm immune to it now. He had to use my phone a few times during our meeting, he kept using my pen and we were sitting right next to each other in this tiny room reviewing documents. If I didn't get it from him, I feel like I'm not getting it from anyone but I don't know. Also, I'm super glad he couldn't get in touch with me until after my incubation period because I would have had a heart attack replaying him touching all my stuff for 6 hours.

Definitely exposed

That's concerning that you weren't contacted. I thought the DOH was getting lists of everyone exposed to positive patients then reaching out to let them know.

That said, glad you were spared! I know several people who think they had this a few weeks before anything was mentioned in the media. Who knows.

Re: Definitely exposed

Re: Definitely exposed

Wow that's interesting.
Glad you feel ok and that he is feeling better too
And I do wonder if people had it before it "broke" here and just thought- flu or whatever.
I also don't doubt that these agencies aren't doing a great job with tracking it- either through incompetence or just being overwhelmed.

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Re: Definitely exposed

Maybe you're already immune. The more we connect with family and friends online (while being stuck at home) it sounds like a lot of people I know might have had it already. I've talked to so many people that say they had pneumonia in late Dec/early Jan. Like perfectly healthy, young people that were diagnosed with pneumonia for the first time ever.

I'm looking forward to the serological testing to be made readily available to confirm it. The earliest diagnosed cases in China were in the beginning of Dec. They didn't lock down Wuhan until late Jan. Before the lock down, they estimate that over 5 million people left the city without being screened. How many of those people do you think came to NYC?

Definitely exposed

I definitely think it was here longer than we were lead to believe... And I think more people have been exposed than what is known.

Don't feel guilty - you didn't know. I had a friend who had to quarantine since a student in her school tested positive (child of a caterer) - but she had been out and about the whole weekend before the tests came back and before she was told to quarantine.

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Re: Definitely exposed

Unless he was coughing or sneezing in that tiny room though, you likely wouldn't have gotten it that way. As far as through touch. Maybe he had washed his hands before he was touching all your stuff? And didn't touch his eyes, nose or mouth to get his infected germs on his hands and then pass them to you. Germs don't just go through the skin (despite was SO many people think, not saying you do).

I was sick once on vacation. Stuck in a shoebox hotel room with my kids all week. They didn't get sick. So, just because you are in close quarters with someone, doesn't mean you are automatically going to get sick.

Message edited 3/27/2020 12:59:35 PM.