The Lemon Fool

Mrs RS and I seem to be the only people we know who have not had covid.

It must be time for another poll.

Just for clarification I realise that it is nearly impossible for anyone to say for certain they have not had covid but let say to the best of your knowledge.

John

"Maybe but not confirmed" - in my case it's beyond reasonable doubt, bad flu just before first lockdown and no sense of smell ever since. But there was no real testing for it at that time.

But the majority of infections in my circle have come in the last three months despite all adults being triple-vaxxed - a combination of letting guard down (the ongoing mess in schools, and "we've earnt a party after all this time") plus the high infectivity of omicron and derivatives. One with preconditions was really badly hit (probably should have been in hospital but wouldn't on principle), some otherwise healthy 40-somethings were poleaxed in bed for a couple of days, others got away pretty lightly. All since Christmas.

The pandemic is very much not at an end, we're still in the middle of it. These new variants are incredibly infectious, the protection of vaccines does fade, and our genius government is taking away the tools we need to keep on top of it.

Looks like we are doing pretty well at avoiding it as a bunch!

Perhaps due to lack of contact with school children?

John

Hallucigenia wrote:"Maybe but not confirmed" - in my case it's beyond reasonable doubt, bad flu just before first lockdown and no sense of smell ever since. But there was no real testing for it at that time.

But the majority of infections in my circle have come in the last three months despite all adults being triple-vaxxed - a combination of letting guard down (the ongoing mess in schools, and "we've earnt a party after all this time") plus the high infectivity of omicron and derivatives. One with preconditions was really badly hit (probably should have been in hospital but wouldn't on principle), some otherwise healthy 40-somethings were poleaxed in bed for a couple of days, others got away pretty lightly. All since Christmas.

The pandemic is very much not at an end, we're still in the middle of it. These new variants are incredibly infectious, the protection of vaccines does fade, and our genius government is taking away the tools we need to keep on top of it.

I hear that people like me are about to be offered a fourth jab and we now have a very high vaccination rate across the board so I think that your adjective 'genius', unless you mean it, is unnecessarily pejorative. What would you have the government do?

Dod

Hi John.

I have literally this morning just been diagnosed a second time (by PCR test, provided by my employer - just took it as routine yesterday).

First had it Dec 2020, presumably Delta, reasonably bad for a week and half (though not hospitalised or anything like that). Now have it March 2022, presumably Omicron, and at present, the only symptom is the threat of a sore throat developing.

Clearly, the first time I hadn't been vaccinated, whereas this time, I've been triple vaccinated and also likely have some form of partial natural immunity.

Regards, Newroad

PS And yes, the route for me would have been through my school age daughter.

Until last week I had one friend who has had it (last October)
This week 3 more have it (Sunday 1 and Monday 2)

I'd like to think the unconfirmed count will be low
Until recently it has been easy to do a LFT test

redsturgeon wrote:Looks like we are doing pretty well at avoiding it as a bunch!

Perhaps due to lack of contact with school children?

John

There is still time. The couple my wife and I socialise with the most just came down with Covid, after successfully avoiding it for 2 years.

We were with them last week for a birthday, so am wondering if we will now succumb. Neither my wife nor I have have had it yet, at least as far as we can tell.

Hi again, all.

As an aside, anecdotal evidence (both personal and from others) suggest to me that currently it's ...

• 3-5 days from exposure to symptoms
  36-48 hours from early symptoms to a positive lateral flow test

The former is fairly consistent with Delta, I'm less sure about the latter.

Regards, Newroad

The thing about vaccination AIUI, is it doesn't stop one catching it at all, but it almost guarantees one won't end up in hospital or dead from it.

I'm suspect I've had it given my strong reaction to my first vaccine. Also at xmas I had the worst most evil cold of my life, three days in bed, lungs bubbling with mucus and hardly able to raise enough breath to speak. Negative LFTs and one negative PCR though, all the way through that illness.

So I ticked "Maybe but not confirmed".

Mike4 wrote: I'm suspect I've had it given my strong reaction to my first vaccine. Also at xmas I had the worst most evil cold of my life, three days in bed, lungs bubbling with mucus and hardly able to raise enough breath to speak. Negative LFTs and one negative PCR though, all the way through that illness.

Sorry to hear about that
I have had 2 colds since being triple vaxed
all the usual symptoms but on both occasions felt 100% fine in myself
none of my usual wimping off to go and lie in bed

Good timing, got it today! Extremely faint T line with a nose-only swab, much clearer with a nose and throat one. No surprise, my wife's had it for 5 days - she tested negative today.

Minimal symptoms for both of us.

Scott.

pje16 wrote:

Mike4 wrote: I'm suspect I've had it given my strong reaction to my first vaccine. Also at xmas I had the worst most evil cold of my life, three days in bed, lungs bubbling with mucus and hardly able to raise enough breath to speak. Negative LFTs and one negative PCR though, all the way through that illness.

Sorry to hear about that
I have had 2 colds since being triple vaxed
all the usual symptoms but on both occasions felt 100% fine in myself
none of my usual wimping off to go and lie in bed

Given I suspect my xmas illness was actually covid, I wonder how much worse I would have been had I not been vaccinated. Almost certainly would have been hospitalised I reckon. I think that nice Mr Occam would say it was covid not a cold or conventional 'flu.

I don't think I've had it, colleagues were in Washington for a Scientific Conference before first lockdown and brought a cold/flu back with them and I caught that, but for me that was just a cough and a bit of a snotty nose, so it may or may not have been covid (one of my colleagues symptoms were a bit more covid like). Interestingly that's the last time I have had a respiratory infection, so over 2 years without a cold. I've been at work throughout since the end of 1st lockdown, so masks etc seem to be working for reducing infection as pre covid I would have at least one cold a year.

Dunno. Never taken a test.
Felt ill once or twice over the last few years. So probably.

absolutezero wrote:Dunno. Never taken a test.

How irresponsible.

Mike4 wrote:

absolutezero wrote:Dunno. Never taken a test.

How irresponsible.

I have never taken a test I did not need to except for some reason. Maybe AbsoluteZero has never had a reason to?

Mike4 wrote:

absolutezero wrote:Dunno. Never taken a test.

How irresponsible.

Why?

Because if you did have it, you were spreading it (obvs)

pje16 wrote:Because if you did have it, you were spreading it (obvs)

Not 'obvs'. Do you know what the transmission probabilities are? Lower than you expect.

And what if I didn't have it? Then there is nothing to spread.
(My circumstances are such that it is highly unlikely I have had it anyway)

Call me old fashioned, but medical tests should be taken if (and only if) a positive diagnosis would lead to some form of medical treatment.
In the case of Covid, no treatment is given but you are told to stay at home instead. A pointless test. Though I never did get embroiled in Covid hysteria anyway.

If you thought there was a chance you had Covid then surely you would be staying home anyway.
Staying at home when ill has been something I have been doing for years.
Have you been "irresponsible" for the last 20 years by going out and about when ill and infecting people?