What happens if you are infected with COVID-19? Read the stories of people who have recovered from COVID-19.

Recently, as many parts of the country have optimized and adjusted their epidemic prevention and control policies, the public's concern about the Omicron variant has once again reached a peak.

Some people are anxious, while others are no longer afraid of the virus, but some questions still linger in their minds:

How pathogenic is the Omicron variant?

How severe are the symptoms of infection for ordinary people?

How should it be treated?

Will there be any sequelae after recovery?

Is there still discrimination against those in recovery?

…

In fact, many infectious disease experts have responded to these questions. Scientific evidence shows that the proportion of severe illness and death caused by the currently prevalent Omicron variant is significantly lower than that of the original strain. This is due to the low toxicity and strong transmission of the Omicron variant , as well as the improvement of the vaccination level of the population and timely intervention .

On December 2, Wang Xinyu, a professor of infectious diseases at Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University, also emphasized in an interview with reporters that with the spread and mutation of the new coronavirus and the continuous increase in vaccination rates, the proportion of severe cases and mortality rates after infection with the new coronavirus have continued to decline. The pathogenicity of the Omicron variant has been significantly reduced compared with the previous epidemic strains, and the vast majority of infected people are asymptomatic or mild patients.

Recently, the reporter interviewed several Shanghai citizens who had been infected with the new coronavirus in 2022 and whose nucleic acid test turned negative. Among them were elderly people over 90 years old, girls as young as 6 and a half years old, and AIDS patients; some people recovered at home and experienced the twists and turns of "turning negative". Although each person's physical changes after infection are different, many interviewees mentioned the psychological pressure and mental burden at the time. However, as their bodies recovered, their lives returned to normal, and no sequelae have appeared so far.

Taking into account individual differences, the symptoms and conditions of these interviewees cannot represent everyone, but they can still provide a reference as real samples.

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"We didn't have any symptoms of COVID-19, but we were burdened with a lot of thoughts at the time."

Narrator: Zhang Shihe, 79 years old, retired employee

In short, my wife and I have been asymptomatic from the time we were infected with the new coronavirus to the time the nucleic acid test turned negative. From the first half of the epidemic to now, we have not taken any medicine or felt anything, and our health is the same as before.

I don’t know how I got infected. Looking back, it was probably on March 31, the night before the lockdown of Puxi. I went to a market in Huangpu to buy wonton wrappers, and that’s when I came into contact with them. After the lockdown on April 1, we tested ourselves for antigens every day, and on April 2, my wife and I both tested positive for the virus.

How could there be "two bars"? To be honest, I was very nervous and didn't understand why I got this disease. I was very scared. But at that time, I didn't have any symptoms, no cough, no fever, no pain in the body, no discomfort, but I was very burdened.

After the nucleic acid test was confirmed to be positive, the neighborhood committee notified us to wait to go to the Fangcang hospital. We received a call at around 12 noon on April 6th, asking us to pack our things and prepare to go to the Fangcang. The car arrived at about 11 o'clock in the evening. There were about ten people in the van. We arrived at a Fangcang hospital in Huangpu District at around 12 o'clock. Because there were many people and cars collected that day, our car was parked at the door and waited for a long time.

While waiting to enter the quarantine center, I had a little problem.

The car was stuffy, with the doors and windows closed. I started to get irritable and anxious, and gradually felt dizzy, nauseous, and had abdominal discomfort. I wanted to go to the bathroom, but the driver got out of the car and I couldn't go out. I couldn't hold it any longer, so I saw a crack in the window and reached out to the driver in the distance, asking them to let me get out of the car to go to the bathroom. The driver came over to understand the situation, opened the door and let me get out. At that time, I had already lost control of my bowels.

After entering the Fangcang Cabin Hospital, my wife helped me with the registration procedures. I still felt uncomfortable and went to the toilet several times that night. I found that my excrement was brown, which was obviously blood in the stool. This made me more nervous and uneasy. Although I was very tired, I couldn't fall asleep and I stayed up until dawn.

Photo provided by the interviewee: In June, 79-year-old Zhang Shihe wrote a handwritten thank-you letter to the doctors at Shuguang Hospital, thanking them for helping him transfer to another hospital for treatment in time. Source: The Paper

In the early morning of April 7, I saw many people in protective suits in the corridor. The protective suits were written with Shuguang Hospital. I pulled a doctor to ask him to help me. After listening to my description of my condition, the doctor said that I needed to be transferred to another hospital for treatment immediately. The Fangcang did not have the conditions for treatment, so he helped me contact the transfer.

On April 7, I was transferred to Luwan Central Hospital and received emergency treatment at the hospital's fever clinic. The doctor found that I had gastrointestinal bleeding, and then I was given saline drips and medication for four days and four nights. At that time, I was still very nervous and worried that I was going to die. When I was most uneasy, I even left a will for my children who were far away abroad. However, after four days, my gastrointestinal bleeding eased and I recovered quickly.

On April 11, I was transferred back to the Fangcang Hospital. The staff arranged for my wife and I to stay together so that we could take care of each other. At that time, we did nucleic acid tests every day. On April 19, our nucleic acid tests turned negative. On April 25 and 26, my wife and I left the cabin and went home.

Many people have asked us how we were treated. My wife is 74 years old and I am 79 years old. She and I both received the COVID-19 vaccine in 2021. She got two shots and I got three shots. During the entire process of infection with the virus, from the time we found the nucleic acid was positive to the time we were discharged from the cabin, we did not have common symptoms of COVID-19 patients such as colds, coughs, fevers, and pains, and we did not take cold medicine. I was treated for gastrointestinal bleeding once, and my wife did not take any medicine and stayed in the Cabin Hospital for nearly three weeks.

As for my gastrointestinal bleeding, the doctor said it had nothing to do with the coronavirus. I suspected that it was caused by my high mental stress. At that time, I kept thinking every day how I was so unlucky to be infected with this disease, and I was very anxious.

Since leaving the cabin, my wife and I have been doing nucleic acid tests in accordance with the community's requirements. We have never tested positive again and have always tested negative. Now in the normalized management period, we do nucleic acid tests every two or three days. Life is very peaceful. We usually buy groceries and participate in community activities. Everyone is very friendly. We have not encountered discrimination and have no physical sequelae. It is completely the same as before.

Facing the new coronavirus, I may not be as nervous as I was at the beginning, but my wife and I are still very careful. We wear masks when going out and do nucleic acid tests on time, hoping that the situation before will not happen again.

“I recovered at home and there were really no sequelae.

Even if you try hard to make me think, I can’t remember it.”

Narrator: Ms. Wang, 25 years old, lives in a residential area in Pudong New Area

Our neighborhood is full of old public housing, and almost every building has been infected. I'm not sure how I got infected.

On the afternoon of April 8, I started to feel uncomfortable, with a headache and sore throat. At night, I measured my temperature at 37.8℃ and had a fever. I realized that I might have been infected with the new coronavirus because my back ached. I usually don't have back aches when I have a cold, but that time it felt like rheumatism on a rainy day. I also had poor physical strength, chest tightness, and shortness of breath when I climbed 4 floors, but I wasn't so weak that I couldn't walk, I just couldn't muster up the energy.

It was not convenient to buy medicine at that time, so I ate whatever I had at home, even Huaqingwen, antiviral oral liquid, and fever-reducing patches. My fever never rose above 40 degrees Celsius.

Photo provided by the interviewee. Source: The Paper

Ms. Wang, who recovered at home, recorded the daily changes in her physical symptoms and medication on her mobile phone after being infected.

On April 10, I was diagnosed. Although my temperature was dropping during those days, my throat was more painful as if it was cut by a knife. I had tonsillitis before, but this time it was much more painful. It lasted until April 15, mainly with a sore throat. Later, my throat got better, and the backache and other physical symptoms disappeared. My body was no different from before the infection.

But my nucleic acid test results were somewhat inconsistent. Because I suffer from other diseases and live alone, I asked the neighborhood committee for home quarantine. Every three or four days, someone came to my house to do nucleic acid tests. The first few tests were positive, negative on April 18, positive on the 20th, negative on the 22nd, and negative on the 28th, which was officially turned negative. My resistance is not very good and has been hovering around the critical value.

During the home quarantine, my appetite did not change much, I just ate normally. I usually slept for a long time, got up at noon to eat, and ate at night. Most of the time I lay in bed, covered with a quilt, turned on the air conditioner, and did not move around much. I was in a bad mood.

I consulted a doctor at the time, and he said it would be best to buy cephalexin, but I couldn't buy it. I only had Lianhua Qingwen and antiviral oral liquid at home. I took Lianhua Qingwen for a few days and then stopped. I took the antiviral oral liquid three times a day and continued to take it until the symptoms disappeared. After all, the absence of symptoms does not mean that it is completely cured. Later, when it ran out, I found expired ones, so I drank the expired antiviral oral liquid. I felt that taking medicine had no effect, it was more like psychological comfort. And drink more water, seven or eight glasses of water in the morning.

I didn't feel that bad physically, but I was under a lot of psychological pressure. I saw a lot of information online and was anxious. I couldn't sleep until 3 or 4 in the morning. There were also elderly people in our community who were diagnosed with the virus, but they turned negative after a few days. Maybe they didn't have any psychological burden and recovered quickly.

I am grateful to a caring neighbor upstairs. I didn't know him before, but I added him in the community WeChat group during the epidemic. During my stay at home, he helped me put the supplies distributed by the neighborhood committee and the supplies I bought at the door of my house. In fact, I didn't tell other neighbors about the infection, and I didn't dare to talk in the group. The neighbor who helped me get the supplies just wondered why I didn't go to the quarantine center, but didn't show disgust or worry.

After recovery, my life was not affected much. I had seasonal viral colds and tonsillitis later, but nothing else. In the past few months, I have had more mouth ulcers, but it is quite metaphysical. Mouth ulcers are related to many factors such as stress and diet. I also do strenuous exercise, and my cardiopulmonary function is not affected. It is similar to before I was infected with the new coronavirus, and there is no obvious change in breathing.

When we just resumed work, nucleic acid tests had to be done by one person per tube, but two weeks later this requirement was no longer required.

When I was diagnosed, I told my colleagues in Shanghai and they were very surprised. By the end of April, everyone was no longer emotional when they heard about it and got used to it. But when I talk about this with people from other places, they will look at you as if they are facing a great enemy, or use a very exaggerated tone, "You have had a positive test? Are you okay?" "Are there any sequelae?" It feels like I just came out of the ICU.

Some time ago, a former colleague in Beijing called me to ask if I had any sequelae from COVID-19. I said no, and he looked unconvinced and scared, so he continued to ask, and I said, "I really don't have any sequelae. Even if you try hard to make me think, I can't remember."

In fact, after I got sick, I paid special attention to whether anyone would discriminate against me, but there was no discrimination at all. I work in an Internet company, and when I told others that I had been infected with the new coronavirus, their reactions were nothing special, they were mainly curious. I also asked the HR whether they would ask "Have you ever been positive" when recruiting people, and he said they would not ask at all.

I had received two shots of the vaccine, but I still got infected. I may still rely on immunity to get sick. Through this incident, I felt that my body was too weak. Because I recovered very slowly at that time, the neighborhood committee told me that the old lady in her 70s had recovered, but I had not turned negative yet.

I usually have an irregular schedule and don’t like to eat fruits, vegetables, or milk. Most young people don’t live very healthily, and I feel that young people may also be susceptible.

In the past few months, I would exercise and go to the gym once a week to enhance my immunity. Exercise can also make me feel better. But I have stopped in the past month. Now I feel that it doesn’t matter if I don’t exercise. I have this disease. Even if I get it again, if I am not taken to the quarantine center, I am not afraid. Maybe for me, preventing the virus is not a physiological problem, but a fear of being taken away for isolation.

“I don’t feel any physical impact.

But my daughter is still taking samples alone in the school.

A bit special”

Narrator: Ms. Tang, 31 years old

(Her 6.5-year-old daughter and 68-year-old mother were also infected with the new coronavirus)

I checked into the New National Museum of China Parent-Child Quarantine on April 12 and ended my stay there on April 18. Although half a year has passed, I still remember this period vividly.

Before April, in our family, I did not vaccinate my 6-and-a-half-year-old daughter Tangtang because she had previously had pneumonia. My 68-year-old mother and I had received two and three doses of the vaccine respectively.

In early April, my mother was the first to be diagnosed with COVID-19. At midnight on April 4, my daughter and I entered the quarantine hotel as close contacts. The next morning, I felt that my daughter's forehead was hot. When I took her temperature, I found that she had a fever. After a while, she started crying and said that her body hurt. I immediately contacted the medical team of the quarantine hotel and called 120 to go to Tongren Hospital. My daughter was also tested positive for nucleic acid.

Children are actually quite intuitive, they will cry when they feel uncomfortable. My daughter cried for a whole day, which means that the pain was really severe on the first day. On the second day, she didn't cry much. I asked her to drink more water and sleep more, and she slept for a long time in a daze.

I actually started to have a fever around the same time my daughter had a high fever. From my own intuitive physical experience, being infected with COVID-19 is a little more uncomfortable than having a normal fever, mainly with fever, body aches, and then coughing.

Fever and body pain came almost at the same time, mainly concentrated in the first two or three days of "yang". The pain was a feeling of weakness all over the body, and people couldn't stand straight, and the bones and muscles hurt. But after two days, the pain basically disappeared. After that, there was a cough, and there would be phlegm for about a week, but the coughing frequency was not very high, nor was it severe. Later, I would cough occasionally and didn't take it seriously.

But my mother said she didn't feel any pain after she got infected. Now six months have passed, and none of us three have any health problems. I haven't caught a cold since then, and I'm still pretty healthy.

In terms of life, after we returned home, there were no other inconveniences. Neighbors in the building didn't talk to us about our experiences after infection, maybe they still felt it was a bit private and sensitive. My colleagues would ask me how I felt after being infected, and I told them that it was nothing, and I didn't feel there was anything to be ashamed of.

My daughter and I don't discuss what happened back then, but it's not like this didn't have any impact on her. In September this year, my daughter entered the first grade of elementary school. Before she entered school, we reported whether she had been infected with the new coronavirus and other situations truthfully, so my daughter's nucleic acid sampling at school is still done individually. I personally think that this is a bit special, but when I asked her, she didn't think it was a big deal.

Another positive influence is that my daughter formed a friendship with a "big white" brother.

In April, in the Fangcang Hospital, "Dabai" and his brother played with Ms. Tang's 6-and-a-half-year-old daughter Tangtang, adding more color to the child's life in the Fangcang. Image source: The Paper

In April, when my daughter was in the quarantine center, there was a "white" brother named Ganggang who played with her, gave her snacks, and spread plastic bags on the trailer to take her around, which added a lot of color to my daughter's life in the quarantine center. When she was in the quarantine center, I didn't add him on WeChat because I was worried about disturbing his work. My daughter missed Ganggang very much when she returned home. Later, I found him through a WeChat group.

At that time, I thought he was a medical worker from Guangdong who came to Shanghai to help. Later, I found out that he was a volunteer and was still in Shanghai. So after Shanghai gradually resumed normal production and life, I told Brother Gang on WeChat that I was grateful for what he had done for us in the Fangcang and wanted to treat him to a meal. On July 3, we saw Brother Gang for the first time outside the Fangcang. He was very handsome, haha.

My brother brought his girlfriend over that day. His girlfriend also knows our story. They brought a lot of gifts and fruits. When my daughter first met my brother, she was quite shy, but we soon became friends. The two of us ran and jumped together in the mall. My brother went out of town again recently. He contacted me on WeChat a few days ago and said he would send us local specialties. He was really enthusiastic.

The ward of the Shanghai New International Expo Center Fangcang Hospital.

“Our immunity is relatively low.

But I stayed in the quarantine center for one day and then my test result turned negative."

Narrator: Xiao Cao, 32 years old, HIV positive

Five years ago, I was infected with HIV without knowing it due to an accident. Through drug treatment, my condition has been controlled and the HIV viral load in my body is even undetectable.

When the COVID-19 outbreak occurred, I was a little worried at first. For AIDS patients, their immunity is lower than that of the general population, and their body resistance is weaker.

I was infected with the new coronavirus in April this year, which happened to be the period of lockdown in Shanghai. I was confined at home. At that time, many positive cases appeared in the community, and the community conducted centralized nucleic acid screening to further control the large-scale occurrence of the epidemic.

I have no idea how I got infected with the coronavirus. At first, I realized that my voice was hoarse, so I immediately took an antigen test at home. At that time, I saw two faint lines. I was a little panicked and called the neighborhood committee.

After waiting for about 2 days, Dabai came to my home to test the nucleic acid for me. Not long after, I received a call informing me that the nucleic acid monitoring results were abnormal. My nucleic acid records continued to show that they were being tested until I was taken to the square cabin hospital.

On the first day of staying in the quarantine center, my nucleic acid test record still showed: testing in progress. I was very scared at first and consulted Dabai when I checked in, but Dabai clearly answered: There is nothing to worry about, you are just a mild patient.

These words dispelled many of my concerns. The next day, I took a nucleic acid test in the quarantine center, and the result was negative. After that, it remained negative for three consecutive days. This made my life in the quarantine center less worrying.

The shower room in the cabin is separate, which makes me feel relieved. The public toilet is not very clean, but it is still within the tolerable range. On the first day in the cabin, I received a lot of daily necessities, including eye masks, earplugs, washbasins, toothbrushes and toothpaste.

The quarantine center distributes lunch boxes and medicines on time every day. I received a package of Chinese medicine and drank it for two consecutive days, and then I had no symptoms. During this period, I did not have any symptoms such as fever and cough, just an itchy throat.

After three consecutive days of negative nucleic acid test, I ended the isolation treatment on the fifth day and left the quarantine center. After that, I started home isolation. I felt more at ease during these days. I had no symptoms and my appetite was very good.

Two months after leaving the cabin, I went to the hospital for an imaging test to confirm whether the new coronavirus had affected my lungs. At that time, I accidentally saw a news report talking about the sequelae of the new coronavirus, but the test results were normal.

During the entire process of being infected with the COVID-19, I did not encounter any social discrimination. At that time, there were other positive cases in the building where I lived. I was afraid that I would be blamed for being infected, but no one blamed me.

I did not test positive again after leaving the cabin, so I have no psychological burden at all. I want to tell everyone that this virus is not scary at all, and you have to believe in yourself.

I am very fortunate that this experience of being infected with the new coronavirus has not caused me to suffer from employment discrimination, but has helped me develop a fitness habit. My daily routine has also improved compared to before. I used to exercise only occasionally, but now I have bought dumbbells, elastic bands and other sports equipment, and I exercise for an hour every day.

“I don’t think the coronavirus is scary at all.

It’s important to maintain a good attitude.”

Narrator: Wang Manru, 93 years old

Before I was infected with the new coronavirus, I lived in a nursing home in Pudong New Area. In April this year, I was infected and developed symptoms of coughing. I was admitted to the Lingang Fangcang Hospital for treatment on the 23rd of that month.

Because of my advanced age and some underlying diseases, I was given special attention by the medical staff in the shelter. My lungs had some inflammation, and the medical staff took special care of me. They gave me oxygen therapy, medication, etc., and also paid special attention to my nutrition and care, which made my condition improve quickly.

During the whole treatment, my appetite was good and my mood was good. I am already old and I didn't expect that I could live beyond 90 years old. More than 70 years ago, I volunteered to join the medical team to resist US aggression and aid Korea as a nurse. I stayed in the rear of the battlefield for 6 months and treated many injured volunteer soldiers. This experience has benefited me a lot in my life and made me more calm and composed in the face of difficulties.

After more than a week of treatment, my symptoms gradually eased, and multiple nucleic acid test results all showed negative. I was discharged from the hospital on April 30 after recovery.

On April 30, with the blessing of the Huashan medical team, Wang Manru was discharged from the hospital after recovery. Image source: The Paper

After leaving the cabin, I continued to live in the nursing home. There were special caregivers accompanying me 24 hours a day, and my physical condition has been very good.

In the nursing home, I stick to a regular schedule and exercise. I get up on time before 6 a.m. every day to eat breakfast and then write for a while. After lunch break every day, I get up to watch TV and chat with other elderly people. In the evening or after dinner, the nursing staff will accompany me to take a walk in the corridor to stretch my muscles. At about 8 or 9 p.m., I take a shower and go to bed.

A while ago, on the eve of the Double Ninth Festival, I felt a little unwell. It might be because I was not used to the temporary change of caregiver, but it was nothing serious. Afterwards, I was given nutrient solution and my body recovered and my appetite improved. The temperature has dropped recently, so I added some clothes to prevent catching a cold. Maybe it’s because the weather is cold, my appetite has improved recently and my sleep quality is also very good.

I think when a person gets older, he or she will always have some minor problems, which are all acceptable to me. A 91-year-old man in the same room with me was also infected with the new coronavirus this year. After recovering, he came back here and has been in good health. We will play mahjong together in the room when we are free.

I feel that the new coronavirus is not scary at all. It is important to maintain a good attitude, eat well and sleep well. You need to maintain a good mood every day and face the disease positively. Even if you are infected, don't be afraid, cooperate with medical staff for treatment, and trust them.

During the treatment, you can also call and chat with your family more often. During the quarantine, I often called my son. After leaving the quarantine, I often used my mobile phone to video chat with my family and took some photos of my life in the nursing home for them.

I believe that with the current advanced medical technology, we can definitely defeat this virus.

“I am a very optimistic person.

I think a good mood is the greatest immunity.”

Narrator: Chen Chaosong, 52 years old, migrant worker

Since leaving the quarantine center, I have not had a cold or fever, nor have I noticed any sequelae.

I don’t know where I got the coronavirus. At the end of March, I was working in logistics at Shanghai Renji Hospital. On March 28, I received a call from the CDC saying that I was diagnosed with the virus and that I should wait at home for arrangements and not go out. At around 5 p.m. on March 29, I was taken to the Expo Cabin Hospital.

Looking back, I had no obvious symptoms during that period, except for a slight cold. I have been working in Shanghai for more than 20 years. I have worked as a chef, barber, logistics, water delivery and other temporary jobs. Now I am also working as a water delivery worker in Yangpu District. Workers like us don’t take a small cold seriously. After entering the square cabin hospital, I was in a good mood. I had steamed buns and boiled eggs for breakfast, and a good combination of meat and vegetables for lunch and dinner. When I first entered, I checked my phone and looked at the ceiling.

I am an optimistic person. I think a good mood is the greatest immunity. In the Fangcang hospital, I saw that most of the infected people did not have serious symptoms and were in a good mood. There were people talking and laughing everywhere, playing cards, dancing in the square, and some people ate two or three boxed lunches at a time and had a good appetite. I did not receive treatment in the Fangcang hospital because everything was normal. I was discharged from the cabin after turning negative on April 15.

In April, Chen Chaosong slept on the street for a while after being released from the Fangcang Hospital. Image source: The Paper

But I had no place to stay, and I slept on the street for more than 20 days, and then I went to a community to volunteer to look after the buildings where there were positive people. After Shanghai was unsealed, I continued to work as a special agent in the community for a while, and then worked as a water delivery worker until now, and I changed water delivery companies in the middle.

I think immunity is very important. I received three shots of the vaccine in 2021. Now I deliver water, which is actually a form of physical exercise. Others have to spend money to go to the gym to exercise and lose weight. As for discrimination against infected people, I can't say that there is no discrimination in society, but I have not been obviously affected by this. I have been working part-time.

We work part-time, so we may have the opportunity to take a hot shower occasionally, and often take a cold shower, so our body resistance is pretty good. I haven't caught a cold since I left the cabin, so I think I have no health problems.

Source: CCTV.com

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