Patients describe themselves: What does it feel like after having two positives? Experts suggest...

Recently, there have been many cases of infection with the new coronavirus, many of which are "double positive". In order to help everyone understand the various physical conditions when double positive occurs and make correct responses, we specially interviewed 4 patients who recently had double positive and asked experts to comment.

(Note that the examples listed in this article are all real cases, but they are only examples of expert comments and do not have statistical significance)

Interviewed patient: Ms. Yang, 28 years old

Location: Hebei

Situation: The first positive in December 2022, and the second positive on June 5, 2023

Patient's self-report

When I was in Shouyang, my fever reached about 38.5℃. Although it was not high, it was the highest fever I had ever had. I felt weak all over and just wanted to lie down. The other symptoms were not very obvious, but I coughed very badly, and I felt like my lungs were going to come out. I took some antipyretic and cough suppressant medicines at the time, but I still went to the hospital in the end. But I didn't go to the hospital because of pneumonia. In fact, although the fever was quite severe that time, it subsided in 2-3 days. The main reason was that the cough lasted for half a month. I saw someone on Xiaohongshu who had injured his ribs due to coughing, so I ran to the hospital to take an X-ray to check the ribs. Fortunately, nothing happened.

When I tested positive for the second test, I didn’t even realize it at first. I just felt a little uncomfortable in my throat, had a little cough and a little fever. I thought it was because I ate too many lychees. But a friend joked that I should take a test, and it turned out to be positive. This time the symptoms were much lighter, mainly a little thirsty, and the highest fever was only 37.7℃. I hope I can get better soon this time. In short, I feel calmer after the second test, after all, I have experience after the first time.

Possible routes of infection

It is possible that I was infected because I went on a trip at the end of May. But now that I think about it, I tested positive twice, basically a few days after my roommate tested positive. So... it is very likely that I was infected by my roommate! I usually wear a mask when I travel or take a plane. I sometimes forgot to wear it when I took the subway or bus a while ago, but I will still wear a mask in the future...

Interviewed patient: Ms. Cai, 55 years old

Location: Hunan

Status: First positive in December 2022, second positive on June 3, 2023

Patient's self-report

I tested positive for the virus in December last year. I was probably lucky at the time and didn't have any symptoms. I was considered an asymptomatic carrier. It was discovered during the nucleic acid test. I really had no symptoms at all, not even a fever. So I didn't take any medicine or see a doctor at the time. I just tested myself every day at home. After about a week, the test turned negative.

I had positive test results twice in June this year. This time I felt particularly uncomfortable. I had fever, general weakness and cough. I went to the hospital, took medicine and had injections. It was really uncomfortable.

Possible routes of infection

He should have been infected by his family during the first outbreak, and this time it may be related to his travels a while ago.

Interviewed patient: Mr. Yang, 40 years old

Location: Hubei

Status: First positive in November 2022, second positive in May 2023, recovered

Patient's self-report

My first positive test was in November last year. I was sick for about a week and had a fever of 41℃. At that time, my whole body was really sore except for my throat. I felt sore all over, just like you haven't exercised for a year and then suddenly exercised a lot. In addition, my appetite was a little poor. At that time, it was inconvenient to go to the hospital, so I took some antipyretics and took it at home. After that, I felt that my heart and lungs were still affected. After turning negative and recovering for 1 month, I still felt a little breathless when exercising. It took 2~3 months to return to my previous exercise state.

The second positive was around May 19th. I felt a little uncomfortable, and after a test, I found it was positive. This time the symptoms were much lighter. In addition to the runny nose, cough and fever, I only had a fever for one day, about 38 degrees Celsius. I took antipyretics for a day to reduce the fever. My personal experience is that exercise is helpful. After my physical condition recovered from the first positive, I basically skipped 1000-2000 ropes at home every day. I felt that my body had improved, so I didn't have much reaction when the second positive was detected.

Possible routes of infection

Shouyang should have been infected after we just opened up, and I had dinner with friends. Eryang, I calculated, should not have much to do with going out for fun during the May Day holiday, and should have been infected by eating with friends.

Interviewed patient: Ms. Liu, 24 years old

Location: Xinjiang

Status: First positive in November 2022, second positive in May 2023, recovered

Patient's self-report

My first positive was in November 2022. The temperature was not very high, about 38℃. Anyway, it was definitely not over 38.5℃, so I didn't take antipyretics. Other symptoms were mainly pain all over the body, muscles and joints, and throbbing pain behind the ears. My appetite was a bit poor, so I wanted to eat something light. Later, I observed at home and didn't go to the hospital. I got better on my own. At that time, my sleep was not very good. I often woke up at night and was very irritable. I felt that no one should talk to me, and I was annoyed by saying a word.

The second time I had a positive test was in May this year. It was not as severe as the first time. I just had a fever but it did not reach 38.5℃. Then my throat was very sore, I had phlegm and coughed all the time, but I did not have body pain. And this time I felt like I could get up and move around. The first time I really did not want to move at all. The duration of the two tests was similar, about 1 week each, but the second time the symptoms were much milder, and I just took some medicine and rested.

My boyfriend was in a worse situation. He was positive for both SARS and SARS at the same time as me. At first, his hands and feet were cold, and then he had a high fever of 39℃ and had to take antipyretics to reduce the fever. Fortunately, because of the first experience, I knew what was going on, so I was able to calm down and get through it.

Possible routes of infection

The time in November last year was probably due to infection at work, and the time when I tested positive in early May was probably because I went out to play during the May Day holiday without wearing a mask... Anyway, now I wear a mask every time I take public transportation, but sometimes I don’t wear it when I am outdoors.

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Expert Comments

Recently, the number of people infected with the new coronavirus has gradually increased, and many of them have been infected for the second time. Although many people describe that the symptoms after "second positive" are milder and the course of the disease is shorter than the initial infection, this does not mean that the new coronavirus has become more "gentle" .

On the one hand, the severity of symptoms after infection is not proportional to the infectiousness. Regardless of whether the symptoms are mild or not, even if there are no symptoms, it is still contagious . Infectivity is mainly related to the presence of the virus in the body and the viral load. During the recovery of the body, the virus will spread with breathing and droplets, so it will pose a threat to susceptible people around. Therefore, do not judge whether it is contagious based on symptoms. On the other hand, although some patients subjectively feel that the symptoms after the second positive are lighter than the first infection, some infected people still have severe symptoms, and the specific severity of symptoms varies from person to person. Moreover, for the elderly, people with low immunity and those with severe underlying diseases, the risk of adverse events such as severe illness after infection is higher.

Therefore, it is recommended to first balance your mentality and respond positively to the new coronavirus infection. Wash your hands frequently and ventilate your body frequently in your daily life. According to relevant guidelines, choose whether to wear a mask and what kind of mask to wear in different places . Once symptoms such as fatigue, fever, and cough appear, you still need to respond positively. On the one hand, you can determine whether you are infected through antigen tests, and on the other hand, you can choose to seek medical treatment and take medicine according to your condition.

Eating a healthy diet, exercising moderately, drinking enough water and getting enough sleep, and improving your immunity will help reduce the risk of infection .

Interview and editing: Ding Zong Science Editor

Interviewed expert: Zhang Yu, researcher at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Reviewer: Tang Qin, Director of the Science Popularization Department of the Chinese Medical Association