The coronavirus tried to kill me, but my body returned the favor. When the virus entered my body, it invaded cells, hijacking the control centers. It seized the factory and replicated to create more assailants. The virus swarmed, infecting new cells. My violated cells became zombies, forced to create viral clones, some escaping to wreak havoc elsewhere, in another human.

My body used an array of weapons in battle. The correct antibody eventually found the virus, breaking the enemy’s code. My defenders responded to the initial skirmish by duplicating the antibody, a weapon perfectly matching its foe. Antibodies, also called immunoglobulin, marked the virus for destruction. My temperature increased, the fever creating an inhospitable environment for the clone army. White blood cells hunted down the virus and destroyed infected cells faster than the virus could replicate, eventually vanquishing the enemy.

I was probably infected by an asymptomatic person. Up to half of people with the virus have no symptoms. People with COVID-19 have an enormous amount of viral shedding in the first few days of the infection, before developing significant symptoms. This coronavirus is different that way, a sneaky foe.

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