In the past year and a half, ive known 2 people that were really sick with something and one mildly sick with something they called Covid.
Not really a reason to shut down. Maybe what ive seen is rare.
What has been your personal observations and experiences?
I had COVID.
I have never had the flu, at least not what I understand the flu to be like. Would get a severe upper respiratory thing every 3-4 years or so, but nothing like the flu has it has been described to me.
My experience with COVID was unpleasant. Chills, upper respiratory congestion, sinus congestion, headaches, deep chest coughing, fever (102 at the highest), weakness and a general malaise.
Remaining effects are partial loss of taste and smell. More regular headaches and some slight numbness in the left side of my face.
As far as the taste issue, I have been testing the boundaries. So far, I have determined that my taste buds in the middle of my tongue are not transmitting the complete molecular message of certain spices. Particularly, related to tomato, cumin, garlic, and onion related items. My brain is receiving some message about the input (taste), just not the right message. I had Bells Palsy a few years ago and I know what COMPLETE loss of taste is like. My best analogy for the experience is that everything tasted like ashes or what I would imagine ashes to taste like. This is not what I am experiencing as a lingering effect of COVID.
Same with smell, I am getting some of the molecular signature of things, just not the right message. Not a total loss of the ability to smell.
While I was tested and confirmed as having Covid, it could as easily been a serious case of the flu from what I understand the flu to be.