SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — When I was planning a ski vacation to France for my wife and I in early March, the coronavirus was not a pandemic.
When we returned on March 11, the World Health Organization had declared a pandemic, and the president announced a travel ban from Europe
We were in Chatel, a village in the French Alps about two hours out of Geneva, Switzerland.
Italy was two hours away, and we were monitoring the situation. All was well as we started our return home on March 11.
It was literally while we were in flight that everything changed.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had listed France and Switzerland as countries that upon returning from travelers needed to stay at home and self-monitor for 14 days.
My wife and I did just that.
If you follow me on social media you would have seen my posts with updates, "all is well and my temp is 97.4."
All was good but on day 14, I started having minor lower intestine problems, and a slight fever. I thought it was a flare-up of my diverticulitis.
I called my doctor and they agreed, but because I had just returned from Europe they had me come in for a COVID-19 test which was done outside the office in my car.
By late the next day I got the call: I had tested positive for COVID-19.
That's what's so scary about the virus. It can go undetected, or show almost no symptoms. You can spread it without knowing.
For me, it lasted all of two days, but instead of monitoring, I quarantined for the next 14 days, but still was able to work.
I was doing the weather over the weekend.
A month later, I was asked to be part of some research with the Perlman Clinic.
The Perlman clinic is working with Phamatech on how the body develops antibodies, and how that might help the fight against COVID-19.
Dr. Perlman explains the acronyms IGG and IGM to help: "Those are immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin M they give you different types of protection and different amount of time."
The test looks very simple, but can see if antibodies exist in my blood.
It starts with a drop of blood. As the blood works its way up the cassette, red marker lines will appear showing IGM and IGG antibodies that fought off COVID-19.
Here's how the antibodies work: You start making the IGM immunoglobulin m antibodies. It's the IGM that fights the COVID-19 virus and kills it and it's the long term IGG antibodies that get produced and linger and that's the one that came positive in you.
The 30 test samples that were collected by Perlman for the Phamatech research were not to develop a vaccine but to better understand how the body produces antibodies against COVID-19.
"I think this virus is so new that I really don't. I can't even answer what kind of immune response you get how long it's good for and that's the purpose of the test," said Dr. Perlman.
At this point, the jury is out on whether or not antibodies can protect you from another bout with COVID-19 so the best way to prevent that is wash your hands, wear a mask and social distance.