“The death toll from our ship is 11,” said Carl Goldman, 67, who spent 29 days in a Nebraska biocontainment unit after being evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship,
which in mid-February was home to the highest concentration of coronavirus cases outside of China. “That could have been any one of us.”
In Italy, some public officials have proposed issuing “immunity certificates” that would allow those with antibodies to the virus to move freely and return to work — an ethically fraught concept also under discussion by the White House’s coronavirus task force. Even in the absence of public policy, people who have recuperated from Covid-19 say they are wondering about the responsibilities that come with the powers of probable immunity.
“I am acutely aware of the privilege I have in not being afraid,” wrote Ms. Karras, a writer and editor in her mid-40s, in a recent Seattle Times column.
But uncertainties abound. While Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases, has said he is “really confident” that people who recover are protected against re-infection, there is no perfect test for immunity, and it is not clear yet how long it may last. Guidance from health officials as to the precise moment people who had been infected can no longer infect others is often conflicting, and testing is often not available to confirm when a person is virus-free. Some Covid-19 survivors face stigma from neighbors who know they had been sick.
On the night of their outing, Ms. Karras and her husband brought good wine they had been saving for a special occasion. Their friends ordered out from a local barbecue place. Everyone talked loudly, the couple recalled, and often at the same time. They agreed not to post any photos of the reunion on social media. As much as they wanted to send a message of hope, they were at pains to avoid giving off the impression they were gloating.
“There aren’t that many people yet who had it and are well,” said Ms. Karras. “It’s like it’s up to us to figure out how to be.”
A Daughter Boards a Flight
Elizabeth Schneider hated to appear to be violating rules that were meant to protect others, and that she knew relied on collective determination to enforce.