
By Andrea Sachs
They’re called Novids or super-dodgers or COVID virgins. They’re the lucky people who have never had COVID. I am not one of them. I took my turn coughing and wheezing two years ago, in what was blessedly a mild case.
After one of my Upper West Side friends marveled over her Novid status at a recent lunch, I decided to do an unscientific anecdotal survey of UWS Novids to find out why some of these fortunates feel they have thus far been able to dodge the viral bullet.
My first order of business was to find out what percentage of people in NYC have never had COVID. Well, good luck with that. There’s not even a current national figure. According to the CDC in December, by the end of 2023, about 12.8% of Americans hadn’t had COVID.
Dr. Jessica Justman, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, explained to the Rag why current numbers are so hard to come by: “It’s difficult to study this because both symptom histories and antibody profiles are unreliable. As many as half of all people who have had COVID-19 had an asymptomatic infection.”
At that point, I put out the word through friends and neighbors on the UWS that I was looking for self-identified Novids, to ask them to what they attributed their good fortune. I discovered that most of the folks were as mystified as I was.
Martin Johnson, 64, who has plenty of public contact in what he described as a “public-facing position” in retail, says that he is surprised at his luck. “Some of my friends regard me as some sort of freak of nature because I haven’t had it,” he jokes. His personal theory? “I’m from a very resilient family, so I was able to resist.”
Andrea Kwok, 33, is also surprised and puzzled by her Novid status. “Either I am lucky, or the tests were giving me negative results when I did have COVID. My best guess is a strong immune system. I didn’t get sick a lot as a child. And even now I don’t get sick very often.”
Ty Howell, 60, leans towards what I would call the lottery-winner view: “I’ve just been one of those people that’s been lucky, I guess. I don’t know. I try to do everything right and it just kind of worked out for me.” Howell wonders whether it might also be a matter of genetics. “My dad’s 92 and my mom is 89. They’ve never had a COVID shot, and they haven’t gotten COVID.”
“It’s partly luck,” declares Pamela Bayless, who is in her late 70s. “Most of my friends have had it at least once, and most were more cautious than I was. And it’s possibly genetics. My closest family members haven’t had it either.”
Only one of the Novids I spoke with was certain that his own caution was responsible for his disease-free history. Victor Berlin, 68, told me “I’ve been exceedingly careful because I take care of an older relative who’s very vulnerable and I just can’t take that risk because this person would die if she got COVID.” Berlin, a pseudonym to protect his family member’s privacy, describes a strenuously careful lifestyle: masking, avoiding restaurants and crowded places, not traveling, and the like. “It’s my choice,” he says.” It would never occur to me not to do it.”
The bottom line? Every one of the Novids I spoke with was up to date with his or her vaccines. Dr. Sabrina Assoumou, a professor at Boston University School of Medicine and a COVID researcher, is adamant that vaccines are “the number-one reason” that Novids prevail. In addition, she told BU Today that “cautious behavior is big. Wearing masks on public transportation and other crowded settings matters.” She also points to socioeconomic status. “If you can work from home as opposed to working on the front line, that matters.”
There you have it. If like me, your viral train has already left the station, we must puzzle together how careful one needs to be, post-Pandemic. We may be done with COVID, but it’s obviously not entirely done with us.
On the other hand, if you are a still a COVID virgin, the medical world has an esteemed place for you. The following projects are eager to enlist healthy Novids:
Meanwhile, the number of Novids on the UWS dwindles every day. Pretty soon, the fortunate few will be giving out autographs in front of Fairway. Bonne santé!
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Interesting!
How could you know that you’ve never had Covid unless you’ve been tested every week for 4 years? I’ve never had the symptoms, but could easily have been one of the 50% (?!) with an asymptomatic case. If people don’t have symptoms, they’re most likely not getting tested, and many who do have symptoms probably don’t bother. I don’t see how there could be reliable statistics on this.
I’m with ya on this. And, the only way I can think of getting these stats will be if there is a valid test that can differentiate antibodies post-illness from antibodies post-vaccine-only, and to test for serum in large populations of people who never had symptoms and/or never tested positive for Covid, and see whether, and how many of them, do not have post-illness-antibodies.
I’ve never had it!! Have had 8 vaccinations, but wasn’t nearly as careful as some of my friends were and have been exposed to positive-tested people (unknowingly) and still didn’t get it. Good genes??
Odds are they had been exposed without knowing it before and had already developed what is known as herd immunity. It goes back to an old farming analogy that when enough people has had the infection, the majority has immunity and it losses its ability to do damage
Sadly that appears not to be true in this case. Those illnesses, like mumps, measles, chickenpox were one-off kinds of illnesses. (with the exception of chickenpox where the virus lays dormant and can re-emerge as shingles during periods of stress). But covid is not a one-off event. As it continues to mutate, there is no immunity granted to the recipient and can be caught over and over again. Each time it returns in a slightly different form which can damage different parts of our immune system.
NOVID (as far as I know) here. Fully vaccinated. Live alone. Mask on public transit and in theatres and in stores.
Can’t help but think THIS is the lesson: above is a great recipe for staying healthy and free of flu, RSV and other upper respiratory bugs, whether you live alone or just don’t want to bring anything home to someone you care about!
That’s great to have never gotten Covid. The only way to avoid Long Covid and the other dangerous affects of Covid (increased risk of dementia, diabetes, heart attacks, etc) is to avoid getting Covid all together. Getting boosters (in particular, the Novavax booster, which is shown to have stronger, longer lasting affects with fewer side effects than the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines) and wearing masks in crowded indoor settings (WHO and NYC Public Health Dept recommendations, as of December 2024!) are great ways to avoid it. I’ve had Covid and had severe Long Covid that lasted several years. My clinician at the Long Covid clinic at NYU recommends always staying up to date with boosters, masking in crowded indoor settings, and taking Paxlovid as soon as you find out you test positive, to try to mitigate the risks of Long Covid. I hope we can all keep each other healthy and well.
I’m a Novid. On 3/9/2020, I put on a mask, bought a dozen bottles of rubbing alcohol and whatever Purell-type hand disinfectant was still available, rubber gloves, and moved my business to remote. I eventually took off the rubber gloves, but with a brief exception for important family events in 2021, I stayed in personal quarantine for over 3 years. Now, I occasionally socialize in small groups but still do not eat indoors in restaurants and usually wear an N95 mask in enclosed public spaces. I’ve had all the shots. I’ve had a couple of colds in the past 4 years, probably caught while walking outside, where I have been less stringent about masking. If family or work had required me to go out in enclosed public space, however, I presume I would have caught Covid like most everyone else. Covid deeply impacted my lifestyle and outlook on life and society, certainly, dovetailing with our national chaos.
My wife and I are Novids. We are cautious, masking up when we go inside public places or take public transit, and using hand disinfectants after being in places. We do occasionally dine in restaurants, but scope out how much space there is around tables and how busy they are. Afterwards, we use a saline nasal spray—this inhibits virus replication. Most important, we stay up to date with vaccines as they become available.
I did hear a fascinating report about one in-depth study that noted that people exposed to SARS COV 2 (the virus) can be mildly infected (they can deduce this maybe from an immune response indicator?) but only develop what they termed either “transient” or “abortive” infections. I forget the nuances but in either case, the infection doesn’t take hold and cause further symptoms or disease. You don’t “get COVID” with fevers and cough or other symptoms, and I think in one case, you may not even produce antibodies. Biology and virology are complex. (Source: an episode of the truly nerdy TWIV – This Week in Virology podcast with the very reliable Dr. Daniel Griffen, MD PhD from Columbia).
I recall these details because I am one of those annoying people who can seem to start to get sick but then don’t develop a full case. This happened to me in March 2020 – I felt miserable one evening, achy, slight sore throat, sneezing through half a box of tissues. Terrified for my family. Then, the next day – fine. And in the next two months, two negative antibody tests – no sign of a viral infection. So officially I am a “Novid” . I will also say, I was in NyC throughout, took a course that had me on buses and subways (pretty empty) through 2020 and 2021, and in mid 2021some in person classes, and, post-vaccine a 40 hour “clinical” class with patients and health care workers in a long-term care setting. I was vaccinated and observing infection control but likely exposed. I also have a vulnerable person at home, so I am one of the few who still mask on buses, subways, and in shops. I’m less careful than I used to be in elevators and have been to a few indoor restaurants. Interesting subject – for a few of us, maybe! Sorry so long.
I’ve never tested positive for COVID. That said, I’ve had 3-4 colds in the past 5 years, so maybe I didn’t have serious symptoms.
My spouse and I are NOVIDs – no symptoms, no nothing since it all began. Like the others – eight vaccines, mask in tight quarters or at the first cough or sneeze anywhere, mask in movies, subways, etc., limited indoor dining, etc. Wash hands after being out. We’re both pretty healthy to begin with, too. We’re in our 70s…
This would typically be considered severe mental illness, but I am happy if they are happy!
Since when is taking basic precautions against viral infections severe mental illness? It’s actually the other way around – the delusion of believing people can get sick over and over with various viruses known to cause autoimmune disease and increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots, plus dementia. The research is clear if you actually the research itself instead of the news reports – covid has long term effects on the body. I protect myself but still have a nice social life in smarter ways. And like other people taking intelligent, science-based precautions, I haven’t had colds, norovirus, RSV, or the flu in years. I did get covid once, but that was after my spouse had a business meal and got it.
I don’t know how anyone can say for sure they didn’t have it, though what I can say is that unless I had an asymptomatic infection at a time when no one else around me had any symptoms, then as far as we know, I never had it. I work with vulnerable populations, so whenever I – or someone around me – was symptomatic in any way whatsoever, I tested, often repeatedly. My tests were always negative. Even when I was quite sick with some virus and was very certain I had it, the tests – both rapid and not – were negative. So, either my body had it in secret when no one knew, or my body doesn’t ‘do’ Covid. And, yes, I’m up to date on vaccines and I’ve followed precaution recommendations when they were needed, but I didn’t do anything special, and I was around lots of people, and cared for people who had Covid. I don’t see it as a moral high ground or something to not get it – just the way my body is.
Never had it but literally everyone else I know has had it. It is possible that I had false negatives though. But if I ever had it , I wasn’t sick since I haven’t been really sick since pre COVIF
NOVID. Up to date on vaccines. Still wear a mask in theaters, Fairway, subway, and other crowded places, still wash my hands when I come home, etc. Hopefully, my luck will hold out. Research has shown getting it repeated times can result in serious medical issues down the road. The mask likely has also been helpful in preventing colds as I haven’t gotten one since the pandemic. Just a personal thing re the mask, I found it also helped keep me warmer during this brutal cold.
Keeping warm is one of the better tricks, especially in the polar vortex!
I think I’m a Novid, definite westsider. I also have not been sick often, I was once very sick a few years ago in the prime Covid years and took about 9 Covid tests at those vans, I eventually went to a walk-in clinic and got tested and it was not Covid! I do consider myself lucky.. Is there a way to tell or test if you never had it? I contribute it to my love of NY pizza, maybe there is something to that?
Andrea, really enjoying your articles for the Rag.
I was a Novid until end of August 2024 🙁 I was SO SEVERELY SICK, didn’t test negative until Day 12, my doc wanted me to go to the hospital (I didn’t) and months later I’m still suffering from massive fatigue, brain fog, and residual heart issues. (I also chose not to take Paxlovid for myriad reasons).
And yes I am fully vaccinated.
I was always EXTREMELY CAREFUL for years, wearing a mask everywhere (literally everywhere including putting one on in my apartment when answering the door for deliveries). And I’d always have my friends and family test whenever we hung out inside.
I never dined indoors, either. Not since Feb 2020.
But in 2024, I started to allow myself to become a bit lax. Less mask wearing. And there you have it, folks! I finally got Covid because I let my guard down and, in turn my mask. 🙁
Rough story! For the rest of us, however, a reminder how bad it can be even if one is vaccinated. Sorry to hear about the extent of your fatigue, etc – such a gnarly virus. For those who qualify and have access (and choose it) I believe Paxlovid before day 5 is supposed to help with severity (although not knowing your case – and especially after day 12 – I’m not remotely suggesting you could have done anything differently).
I am one of those too!!! Had all vaccines, had two family members sick at home,,, still standing as a Novid. Do take care in public transportation and crises solaces to use a good mask.. lucky or genes?
G-d bless vaccines. Terrific article.
I enjoyed reading this! Very informative.
I was a novid until 2 weeks ago. Moving to a new apartment, under stress, keeping bad hours. Hubby caught a cold while packing and moving – I tried to distance but we both assumed it was just a cold. 7 days later I caught something I KNEW was not a cold. Thought it was flu the first 24 hrs but it was different than any flu I’d ever had. More fluid in my chest, sinuses, coughing, aching and then covid-brain struck. I could remember stuff from minute to minute. So I tested. And it took all of 4 minutes before I saw the 2 bars of color. I waited the full 15 minutes but there was no doubt. Within 2 days I asked my doctor for Paxlovid – which did cause an terrible strong metalic taste, but I persisted. Glad I took it. I think I’d have been hospitalized without it. It’s 2 weeks later and I’ve been negative for 9 days but I’m not well yet.
I had been so proud to be a novid. Now I’m just another statistic.
Would have thought I was a NOVID. But 2+ years ago my husband had Covid and though I was completely asymptomatic I tested just to be safe and tested positive. Did not develop symptoms. Have never tested positive again.
If it hadn’t been for my husband’s positive covid test I never would have tested at that time and would be walking around today probably bragging about how I’d never had it. Have received every available Covid vaccine booster but otherwise have lived a normal existence since May 2020 with an in-person job. Only wore masks during the years it was required to go into certain places. Don’t think it means much to say “I’ve never had it”. Many cases are asymptomatic. But perhaps it’s comforting to believe we have control over this or are immune in some larger way.
Interesting and informative article!
Only one way to never have had Covid – never test for it!
I have not had COVID. I got the first vaccine that had two shots, and I got the booster vaccine. I did stay home the first 3 months because my job had required that people stay home. I went back to work in June 2020. I wore a mask on the subway, only because if I didn’t, other riders would stare and glare at me. I was not into the mask system. I also used handmade cloth masks, which I read were pretty useless, but for me, they were comfortable, and it looked like I was following the mask rule. My point is, for me I did not look at masks as a way to protect me. So, as others have said, I was lucky that I did not get COVID. I suppose my protection actions were that I got the vaccine, I did not go to places like movie theaters, restaurants, and social situations where people were together in groups, plus my genetic make-up, my age, and my “gut biome” from the foods I eat. Maybe these were factors that protected me. Also, it might simply be based on luck. Plus maybe I did get COVID, but my version of it was such that I did not feel anything. I heard that situation can happen too.
I never had it. I am elderly and at risk. I wear my mask and use gloves faithfully. I get asked why am I wearing gloves during the summer.I answer COVID and get looks like I am health nut. I don’t care.They can have brain fog and I won’t.
I am a Novid. I got the first 3 vaccines but have not gotten one since 2021. I dine out, attend social situations. Have been exposed multiple times (as recently as last summer) and PCRs always came back negative. I don’t mask but if someone else has one on, I politely ask if they prefer I mask and accommodate if needed, but this is rare. The things I always do which may help is 1) I take vitamin day every day (and have been doing so since before the pandemic) and 2) don’t stand too close to people in social situations. Although dining out puts me in close proximity.
I am assuredly a Novid who has suffered no respirtory illness of any kind in more than five years. I have kept up Covid vaccinations (also for RSV and a follow-up pneumonia vaccine) and still wear an N95 mask in theaters, crowded stores, and public transit. I go to bars, restaurants, and parties without a mask, but these exposures have not infected me. I have certainly been exposed to people who informed me after they discovered they had been infected. (I have no children, however.) So I’ve been pretty careful for five years and will continue to be. Why not? I am presently preparing for H5N1 bird flu, which will be much worse than Covid has been for people who scorn masks and vaccines. Take care.
Novid here. I only had the first two Moderna shots, tested weekly for work, only wore my mask when told. My wife and daughter had it multiple times. One time the wife and I had sex the night before she tested positive, I still tested negative and never got sick.
I am one of those people that rarely get sick and when I do its short lived and mild so maybe I’m just a freak.
My mother and brother, as far as they know, never had covid.