PAPILLION, Neb. (KETV) – A family in Nebraska thought they were safe from COVID-19 after fighting it, but months later, they were all facing the virus again.
Chuck Conboy Sr., 67, says he had a scary time walking to a Christmas lights festival in November. He, his wife and children tested positive for COVID-19.
“I walked about 60 meters and I couldn’t breathe. And I mean, it was a feeling of panic. I’ve never had anything like it in my life, ”said Conboy.
The family has fully recovered from the virus. But then, nine weeks later, Conboy said he started feeling very tired and again tested positive for COVID-19.
“I woke up… and I had a fever. It went up to about 102 degrees, which is high for me. I thought, ‘My God, not again,’ ”he said.
Conboy says the second infection is much worse than the first.
“It hit me like a truck and this time, it knocked me down. In fact, this is the first day – day nine – that I am back to half the normal. If you had asked me yesterday, I didn’t even know where you were, ”he said.
Conboy’s wife and children are also sick again, and he says the symptoms also appear faster.
“As for the symptoms, they were much more serious, settling in quickly. The taste and smell disappeared immediately. The temperature skyrocketed immediately, and it wasn’t just me. This was the whole family, ”said Conboy.
With the suspension of Nebraska restrictions, Conboy fears the virus will grow again.
Dr. Mark Rupp of Nebraska Medicine says that repeated infections like that of Conboys are rare, but not new. Some people who receive COVID-19 may develop natural immunity that lasts for several months, but there is no concrete evidence that this is the case for everyone.
“This may be one of the explanations: that people with very mild disease do not have such a strong immune response and do not have such a long lasting response,” said Rupp.
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