My son-in-law attended an in-person college class on Monday and lost his sense of smell on Thursday or Friday.

"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
10/03/2020 at 19:01 • Filed to: None

But since he lives in Utah, it’s a requirement that getting a COVID test be a PIFTA. He is isolating himself from my daughter and grandson while they await the test result, which is due on Tuesday. You might ask, “So if he’s positive, what then?” And I might answer, “I don’t know.”

My daughter said he wore a mask to class, FWIW. AFAIK, loss of smell is his only symptom.

DISCUSSION (34)

jminer > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/03/2020 at 19:09

Well shit- hope he and your family get/stay healthy especially with the new baby!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > jminer
10/03/2020 at 19:10

Yes, that. Thank you.

facw > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/03/2020 at 19:12

Hope he’s ok. In person school just seems like an unnecessary risk right now, especially for older students who can manage without constant adult supervision. Cornell is doing ok with it due to setting up a testing lab and doing frequent testing of students (I’m sure Ithaca’s isolation helps), but they seem to be the exception rather than the rule.

Taylor Martin > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/03/2020 at 19:22

That’s not ideal, but at least he caught it and is taking it seriously. Wishing him a speedy recovery.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/03/2020 at 19:26

Even if the test comes back negative, he needs to keep isolating for the full 14 days ; it’ll more likely to be a false negative test result .

You guys are up on the current COVI D knowledge . Everyone will most likely be fine.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > VincentMalamute-Kim
10/03/2020 at 19:27

Thank you, and yes, and thank you.

This is both helpful and reassuring.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/03/2020 at 19:30

yeah, from how you posted it, I know that you guys already know that he has COVID. But it helps to have someone else reiterate that.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/03/2020 at 19:32

im getting a little annoyed at this wore a mask shit

wearing a mask doesnt protect you from us..it protects us from you...and if everyone did it we’d be fucking dandy....ish

but tbh..if he is positive..and i hope he isnt

umm.. well basicaly send money.. have food delivered to the doorstep

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > VincentMalamute-Kim
10/03/2020 at 19:33

The loss of sense of smell is a new and different and peculiar and distinctive thing for him. He describes it as only being able to smell what’s inside his nose. I asked whether he tried whiffing some ammonia or something else strong smelling.

But he says he is never going back to any in-person classes until things settle down more.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/03/2020 at 19:41

I don’t think your smell experiments will change anything. There’s not many things that cause loss of smell without other symptoms (i.e. nasal congestion).

In this current environment, it’s pretty much COVID until proven otherwise. I don’t think a single negative test will be sufficient to prove it’s not COVID. In his situation, the only useful test result is if it is positive.

Better him than someone older like you or I. They’ll be fine. Just annoying for them and stressful for everyone. Also better for reducing guilt that it wasn’t your visit that caused this.

WilliamsSW > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/03/2020 at 19:50

Good chance that he does have it. Isolate and keep everyone else safe, and he’ll be fine. Keep that baby safe!

In my extended family, literally 75% of the kids between 15 and 22 have had it - and no one else has. Teenagers are super spreaders it seems.

shop-teacher > WilliamsSW
10/03/2020 at 19:54

Awesome. And my district is in-person.

WilliamsSW > shop-teacher
10/03/2020 at 20:02

It’s odd. 6 of 8 in that age range. And not one of them got it from each other. No serious illness thankfully, and they haven’t passed it to parents or younger siblings.

The common thread has been the loss of smell.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/03/2020 at 20:02

Just saw this:

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/theres-80-percent-chance-covid-045636757.html

Anosmia seems to be a very specific but not very sensitive symptom.

ClassicDatsunDebate > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/03/2020 at 20:05

Best of luck to the family!

DipodomysDeserti > shop-teacher
10/03/2020 at 21:07

I work at three high schools, all of which have been in person in a hotspot city. Zero cases.

Recently had a middle schooler test positive, so we’ll see how well our procedures worked at keeping everyone else from getting it.

cmill189 - sans Volvo > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/03/2020 at 21:24

Where in Utah? I’ve had two tests that were very easy to acquire and had my results in less than 24 hours.

superdave847 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/03/2020 at 21:29

My cousin was diagnosed with Covid in March—her sense of taste is still gone!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > VincentMalamute-Kim
10/03/2020 at 21:53

Or that we go there and catch it from him or them. Do you think he will now have a degree of resistance?

VincentMalamute-Kim > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/03/2020 at 22:03

You could catch it but he should be isolating himself for 14 days.

Current info says you are immune for at least a few months but how long the immunity lasts is not known. It hasn’t even been a year since t he first patients who’ve recovered from it.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > VincentMalamute-Kim
10/03/2020 at 22:03

That pretty much settles it. So a positive test confirms the 80% probability and a negative test has an 80% likelihood of being false.

Even when things are bad or dire, it helps to know what you are up against, though things do not look bad or dire in our situation.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > farscythe - makin da cawfee!
10/03/2020 at 22:05

I don’t know if anyone else wore one. And yes, I understand exactly what you are saying and people who refuse to wear them might as well also choose not to honor the lines painted on the highway when they drive so that their personal freedom is not infringed upon.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > VincentMalamute-Kim
10/03/2020 at 22:10

Right. I think it’s fair to say that my daughter and grandson have been well and truly exposed, but in the chance they’ve warded it off thus far, isolating definitely makes sense.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ClassicDatsunDebate
10/03/2020 at 22:11

Thank you. Doesn’t sound like there’s a lot to worry about in our situation, but being deprived of his baby for two weeks won’t be any fun. No complaints from here, though.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > cmill189 - sans Volvo
10/03/2020 at 22:11

Logan, UU

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > superdave847
10/03/2020 at 22:12

Like completely? Sour, salty, hot...? My daughter reports that her husband’s sense of smell has improved a bit since yesterday.

shop-teacher > DipodomysDeserti
10/03/2020 at 22:30

I’m very middle of the road, in terms of my “fear” of the virus. I’m not afraid to go to work, but as I’m spraying my porous wooden workbenches with diluted soap and water ... I’m not exactly confident in my district’s proc edures. We have had many positives in our district, especially among the athletes. The positive per 100,000 in the town I work in, is more than double the level that we’re supposed to shut down and go full-remote. Since our county’s level is still “moderate,” onward we press.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/03/2020 at 23:21

I’d be very concerned for the others. The incubation period varies greatly and it’s contagious before symptoms develop, so it’s fairly likely that his wife and son have been exposed. It spreads quickly and readily within families and close quarters, which pretty much everyone is living in right now to avoid it spreading.

My son is going to preschool now and I’m terrified that he’ll get it, because if he does we all will, probably including his grandparents...

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
10/03/2020 at 23:27

All of that. Did you consider keeping him home?

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/03/2020 at 23:32

He just started. We were practically unable to work, splitting our workdays in half with one of us early morning to noon working and the other noon to late in the evening working so someone was available throughout the day to care for him. It’s a crappy situation, as we really need our two incomes to live here.

cmill189 - sans Volvo > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/03/2020 at 23:33

That’s too bad. The University of Utah has been on the ball for me and everyone I know that's been tested. I’m assuming by UU you mean Utah State, so that seems surprising they are lagging with testing.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
10/04/2020 at 01:43

Where are you located?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > cmill189 - sans Volvo
10/04/2020 at 01:44

Some college in Logan with a U in it...

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/04/2020 at 11:20

Washington State.

Any developments? Is anyone else experiencing symptoms? Is he getting better?