The symptoms Began 4 days before my 48th birthday. Like so many, at first, I thought it was a reaction to pollen, arriving with the volatile weather and fragile greens trumpeting winter’s end. When the sore throat began and breathing became more and more difficult without any other sign of allergic reaction, I began to fear my isolation had come too late. Somehow I had caught the virus before it was even supposed to be in my area. Coronavirus, COVID-19.