Sóley is sporty, loves skiing and yes, she tested positive for COVID-19 almost two weeks ago. Who would have thought that you could catch the COVID virus on a remote skiing trip in the deserted mountains of Iceland? Well, turns out the virus is everywhere, but luckily for most, its feisty little characteristics don’t harm that much and soon wear off.
For the last couple of years Soley’s looks have just kept getting better and better. “Damn, girl,” I blurted out last time I visited her office, “you look amazing, what's your secret?” She explained, she's been very active in outdoor sports, skiing, swimming in the ocean, hiking, you name it!
Approximately three weeks ago, Sóley went on a skiing trip with a group of friends (24 sporty pals) to Mývatn, the Krafla area along the volcanic rift in the northern part of the country. This was the beginning of March and there were fewer than a hundred COVID-19 infections in the country and no traveling restrictions. This was before the term “social distancing” meant what it does today.
After the trip, one skier after another fell ill. Some had flu-like symptoms, some not. One after the other got tested for COVID-19 and low and behold, within a few days, 17 skiers out of 24 were positive for the dreaded virus.
Sóley didn’t really have any major symptoms but decided to stay home until she could get tested. She recalls that she was very tired after the trip, had sore muscles and a headache, and oblivious to what was really wrong with her, was surprised that she would react this way to strenuous skiing, being in good shape and used to the activity. She had felt this way for 1-2 days and remembers that she had taken a mild pain reliever for the headache one evening and gone early to bed.
I asked her what her reaction was when she got the positive results from her test. “Well, I kinda thought that it was quite likely, that I would be positive, so I was prepared,” she said. “But, I wasn’t that scared because I didn’t really have any symptoms.” After getting the news, she went into a two week isolation in her summer home. “I was allowed to go there because I didn't have a fever,” she said, “and I wanted to be away from the other people in my household, so they wouldn’t get sick.”
Sóley has spent almost two weeks infected with COVID-19 and is now ready to graduate from confinement. She has gone for short walks into the snowy wilderness, watched some “true story” series on Netflix like Unorthodox and The English Game and was able to work most days from her laptop.
Seems like her COVID-19 ordeal is over and now she’s one of the “lucky” individuals, - not bad indeed. It has been encouraging for me to hear how few symptoms she has had and it reminds me not to give into fear, the fear of getting infected. It also reminds me to invest in my overall health, stay sporty, and yes, to stay positive!
By Maria Ericsdottir Panduro
