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Peter Gay: The reality of COVID | Columns | thesunchronicle.com – The Sun Chronicle

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If you’re one of the minions who still believes COVID-19 was fabricated by overseas adversaries along with their friends on the far left in a successful effort to derail the re-electon of Donald Trump, you can save some time and move on to another opinion or move on to the next page.

Why? Because I know firsthand that the virus that has killed over 6.5 million people still exists and intend on using the rest of this space to warn you about the impact COVID still has in spite of the progress made to defeat it.

My bout with COVID began two hours before the start of last month’s North Attleboro at Mansfield High School football game when I picked up the color commentator who would be calling the game with me on North TV. Knowing parking near the high school was limited, I offered to meet him at the Mansfield Stop & Shop and ride to Alumni Field together.

The hour leading up to the kickoff was hectic, as I was scrambling to get a cell signal strong enough to send the video and audio of our live coverage back to North TV and didn’t notice how often my color commentator was coughing and clearing his throat.

Early in the first quarter I jokingly asked if he had COVID. “No, it’s because of all the ragweed in the air,” he replied.

I received the following email hours later, “Just took a home COVID test and it was positive, be careful.”

Showing only minor symptoms, the type associated with an allergy to ragweed, my family insisted I take a home test. I did so on Sunday and again on Monday morning. Both were negative.

The symptoms, especially my cough, were much worse by Tuesday morning, however. A resulting third test was positive.

I spent the next six days primarily in our bedroom and was warned that trips to other rooms in our house would require a mask and a healthy dose of hand sanitizer.

It was the second time I’ve had COVID, the first was a mild case back in January. Not this time. I went through two boxes of tissues and had coughing fits that had my family knocking on the door to make sure I was OK.

By Wednesday night, it was obvious that I was getting worse, especially when I started to experience pain in my chest during the many coughing attacks.

The person I had given a ride to the previous Friday night checked on me and asked if I had called a doctor. I had not. Sure enough, within an hour of calling his office I was prescribed cough syrup and Nirmatrelvir and Ritonavir tablets to be taken three at a time in the morning and again at the night.

The cocktail of medications had an immediate impact, as I started to feel more like myself after only a couple of doses. By Sunday morning I tested negative and did so again that night and on Monday morning.

Even though I’m still experiencing severe post-nasal drip and have a persistent cough, I was back at North TV on Tuesday morning and was in the booth Friday night at Community Field for our live cablecast and stream of North Attleboro High’s football game against Franklin.

Although uncomfortable, I was lucky, probably because of the two Phizer vaccinations and a booster of Moderna I’ve received.

You better believe another booster will be scheduled as soon as possible.

I strongly suggest you do the same.

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