Family of 4 says second time with COVID-19, symptoms worse

PAPILLION, Neb. (KETV) – A family in Nebraska believed they were safe from COVID-19 after battling it, but months later they were all facing the virus again.

Chuck Conboy Sr., 67, says he had a scary time going to a Christmas lights festival in November. He, his wife and his sons then tested positive for COVID-19.

“I walked about 200 feet and couldn’t breathe. And I mean, it was a feeling of panic. I’ve never had anything like this in my life, ”said Conboy.

The family has fully recovered from the virus. But then, nine weeks later, Conboy says he started to feel very tired and tested positive for COVID-19 again.

“I woke up… and I had a fever. He jumped up to about 102 degrees, which to me is high. I thought, ‘Oh, my God, not yet’, ”he said.

Conboy says the second infection is much worse than the first.

“He hit me like a truck, and this time he hit me. In fact, it’s the first day – the ninth day – that I get back to half normal. If you had asked me yesterday, I didn’t even know where I was, ”he said.

Conboy’s wife and children are also sick again and he says their symptoms have worsened faster as well.

“As for the symptoms, they were much more severe, fixing quickly. The taste and smell disappeared immediately. The temperature rose higher just immediately, and it wasn’t just me. It was the whole family, ”Conboy said.

With the restrictions in Nebraska lifted, Conboy fears the virus could reappear.

Dr Mark Rupp of Nebraska Medicine says repeat infections like Conboys are rare but not unheard of. Some people who contract COVID-19 can develop a 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 don’t develop such a vigorous immunological response and don’t have such a long-lasting response,” Rupp said.

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