COVID is in full swing in the DMV area. Number one symptom is sore throat with possible razor pain. I tested positive 3 weeks ago assuming it was strep.

I had this earlier this year. Worst sore throat I have ever had. Tested positive for Covid and negative for strep. Lasted for over a week.

My family all had the sore throat for a couple of days. First me, then my kid, and now DH. For me the sore throat passed after a couple days and morphed into intense muscle aches and fatigue (e.g., 4- to 5-hour daytime naps each day) for a week. My kid, it turned into a major cold but passed after 4 days. DH has it now and he's got all of our symptoms wrapped up in one. It's completely knocking him out. None of us developed a temp beyond 100 but had hot/cold flashes.

We all tested negative for covid and flu a/b. Just a weird virus of some sort.

Are you sure you don't have strep and COVID at the same time? I had that at one point and it was terrible. That could account for the sore throat .

I had this. Razor sore throat and general "sick" feeling, and a cough. Little bit of fever, tested positive. I recovered in a couple days, not too bad. But I lost my sense of smell and taste. I got sick on Monday, was recovered my mostly by Wednesday evening. On Thursday morning, could not smell or taste my coffee.

I did some reading, took mega doses of turmeric for 2 weeks and it returned. But I have felt totally (totally!) run down since then. Napping during the day (which I don't do), shaky at times, can barely walk from the house to the car in the driveway or from the car to the store. I wfh but these past 6 weeks I've been almost housebound.

Sounds like Strep.

An older family member got this. Extremely painful sore throat to the point of having difficulty swallowing food and drink. Plus a very bad cough. Family member was taking Paxlovid, but the sore throat did not improve and after a couple days, we called the doc and got an RC cough syrup with codeine which was very helpful for symptomatic relief. Family member was just starting to feel better the 6th day.

Sore throat began last Tuesday. Felt better by Friday and finally tested negative on Sunday.

Mine was like that in 2022. Worst sore throat of my life...so sore I couldn't sleep even with 800mg advil on board. It lasted 48 hours then I felt fairly well by day 5.

Our kids got it. Lasted two weeks but they were both Covid negative (which doesn't mean it wasn't Covid). They took Doxy.

Started with a sore throat last Thursday. I wouldn’t say “razor” but it was pretty close to feeling like strep….lost my voice completely and have felt really sick since Sunday, coughing and blowing yellow mucus…but tested negative for COVID…this is the sickest I’ve ever felt at this time of year.

DH started symptoms last Wednesday and is still feeling quite sick almost a week later. Definitely still tired and congested. Doesn't have the razor throat anymore, though, thankfully.

OP here. I've been in the DC area! No travel. I've been at swim meets with the kids, but the recent ones have all been outside. No one else in the family is sick.

I'm not so much interested in how I got this. I included that fact because in my (addled) mind it was a short way to say "I don't know anyone with covid who might have reasonably been the source of my infection, so I can't call them and ask how it progressed."

Where have you been?

I started feeling low on Saturday night and bad on Sunday afternoon. Tested positive right away on a home test on Sunday evening. The razor throat only lasted about 48 hours, but i just generally feel like junk. No energy. Mild congestion.

Is there anyone else out there who has had this recently and can give me an idea of the trajectory? I'm really hoping to be all better by Friday....

No idea where I got this.