PAPILLION, Neb. (KETV) – A Nebraska family thought they were safe from COVID-19 after warding it off, but months later they all faced the virus again.
Chuck Conboy Sr., 67, says he had a terrifying moment walking to a Christmas lights festival in November. He, his wife, and sons then tested positive for COVID-19.
‘I walked about 60 yards and 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 to feel very tired and tested positive for COVID-19 again.
‘I woke up … and had a fever. It jumped up to about 102 degrees, which is high for me. I thought, ‘Oh my God, not again,’ he said.
Conboy says the second infection is much worse than the first.
“It just hit me like a truck, and this time it hit me. In fact, this is the first day – day nine – that I’m back to normal halfway through. If you asked me yesterday, I didn’t even know where I was, ”he said.
Conboy’s wife and children are sick again, and he says their symptoms are more likely to come on too.
“As for the symptoms, they were much more severe and subsided quickly. Taste and smell immediately disappeared. The temperature just shot higher immediately, and this wasn’t just me. This was the whole family, ”said Conboy.
With Nebraska’s lifting restrictions, Conboy fears the virus will grow again.
Dr. Nebraska Medicine’s Mark Rupp says repeated infections like the Conboys are rare, but not unheard of. Some people who get COVID-19 can develop natural immunity that lasts for several months, but there is no concrete evidence that this is the case for everyone.
“That may be one of the explanations: that people with very mild disease don’t develop such a potent immune response and don’t have such a long-lasting response,” Rupp said.
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