Recovery from COVID-19: Two Doctors Share Their Experience

As we move into our second month of the pandemic, many of us know someone who has contracted the SARS-CoV2 virus. This is especially probable for healthcare workers, who have many colleagues caring for COVID-positive and exposed patients.

We have previously covered numerous topics related to the COVID-19 pandemic on Charting Pediatrics. You can go back and listen to our previous coverage on the COVID-19 pandemic on season 3, episodes 31, 36, 38, 41, 42, 43 and 44.

Listen to two doctors share their experience with COVID-19

In this episode, we talk to Sean O’Leary, MD, and Robin Larabee, MD, who had COVID-19 and are now recovered. We will discuss their symptoms and disease course in depth in hopes that it provides greater education and context for how different people have experienced COVID-19.

Dr. O’Leary has joined us several times on the podcast to discuss vaccines and vaccine hesitancy. He is a pediatric infectious disease physician at Children’s Hospital Colorado and Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. O’Leary is also an active spokesperson with the American Academy of Pediatrics on the topic of vaccines and serves as the Director of the Colorado Children’s Outcome Network, a practice-based research network.

We are also pleased to have Dr. Robin Larabee join us today, as well. Robin is a pediatrician in Denver and partners with Sapphire Pediatrics.

In this episode, our experts discuss:

• The symptoms they had during the first 24 hours of illness
• How their symptoms differed from the typical COVID-19 symptoms
• How the severity and course of their illnesses differed from each other
• How they handled quarantine at home with their families after being diagnosed
• How they are approaching the use of PPE after having had COVID-19
• Thoughts on what the next 18 months will look like in terms of likelihood of vaccine availability and likelihood of getting the disease
• The importance of testing, identifying cases and contact tracing
• What testing will look like in another month or two in terms of what pediatricians will be ordering and who they will be testing
• The importance of active surveillance for COVID-19 cases so we know where the virus is and where it’s spreading

Treatment of infectious diseases at Children’s Colorado

Our pediatric experts in the Infectious Disease Program at Children's Colorado provide a breadth of expertise ranging from laboratory-based research to the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases. Pediatricians can treat many infectious diseases, but when unique or different symptoms are present, it’s important to refer to a pediatric specialist. We are prepared and ready to treat patients with suspected or confirmed 2019 novel coronavirus. Our clinical staff has been specially trained on how to identify, isolate and treat patients with this and other contagious illnesses.