Covid - isolation now

Of course I know nasal congestion can be a covid symptom. For me it's more often a symptom of a pollen allergy, which is what I assumed it was until I developed more severe symptoms. It was only then that the possibility of covid crossed my mind. And that's when I decided to take a test. So I guess my personal barometer is about severity of symptoms. Very mild symptoms (a sniffle or slight sore throat or headache or tiredness or diarrhea) are - from past experience- unlikely in my case to mean I have covid and I wouldn't bother testing even if it crossed my mind. I will take a test if I suspect I have covid, not just if I have one of the many possible symptoms of covid.

The reasons I will take a test in those cases is firstly that it's an easy way of knowing for sure, and I like to know what's wrong with me if I'm ill. That's not always possible of course, but it is possible with covid.

The other reason is that while I may not want to leave the house when I have the more severe symptoms, if I know I have covid I will stay isolated for the recommended amount of time. This past time, after a couple of days of feeling miserable I felt a lot better. I could and probably would have left the house if I had tested negative for covid. But because I knew it was covid I isolated for the full 5 days to try and avoid passing it on. I realize that I'm in a fortunate position where I'm able to do that and not everyone is, but if you can surely it's the right thing to do?

I'd infinitely rather a covid positive and asymptomatic clinician than none at all. Given the state of the NHS and lack of staffing at present, there's a good chance those would be my choices. If I'd been waiting months or even years for an appointment and either the clinic was getting cancelled or I could have a positive but asymptomatic doctor, it'd be Option B every single time.

Why is it sensible? Unless you need the anti viral medication, for the vast majority of people knowing or not knowing what bug you have makes zero difference.

And that's not taking into account the accuracy (or lack of) of the tests.

I have never known, when poorly, whether it was a bad cold or the flu. And don't see how knowing (if the test is even right) whether you have covid or not. If poorly, stay home, if possible.

Are you going to pay people's wages if they can't afford to take time off? If not, then stop calling people selfish.

There is a cost of living crisis. Not all workplaces pay sick pay, and SSP isn't always enough to live on. Some people literally can't afford food if they aren't going to work. I don't judge anyone in the current situation for going into work sick, many are just trying to survive at the moment. Campaign for full sick pay if you think people shouldn't go in.

Testing for Covid is a sensible, because then you have a better idea of what you're dealing with so you pay appropriate attention. While you may get away with a mild case, you could very ill indeed/develop long Covid/die.

In addition, all these consequences could be visited on others by your not isolating.

This is not "living in fear", it's a reasonable way to behave in the face of a disease whose full extent is still unfolding.

Even you must be able to see that always going to work when you're sick is just going to result in making your colleagues sick, who will then pass it on to their families who'll take it to work with them, etc.

Illness affects everyone differently and some people aren't going to be well enough to keep working when they're sick, so essentially saying "stop isolating and just get on with work" is more likely to cause less work to be done and lower productivity in the long run. That seems like a huge own goal to me.

This isn't a state of fear, it's basic biology. We're human and we can contract illnesses, some of which are quite debilitating. It's not a badge of honour to keep working all the time even when you're sick. It's also entirely selfish to pass illnesses on to people when it's avoidable.

Some people don't get paid when they take time off work sick, and we are in a cost of living crisis..

Very short sighted of you to not be able to even consider why someone wouldn't isolate if they feel well enough to work.

I have covid, I haven't purposefully isolated but I have felt too unwell to go anywhere anyway 😅

DH has covid last week and he still feels rotten with it, he has asthma and his chest is a mess as a result.
He tested because DD started her GCSEs last week and we wanted to keep her safe.
Thankfully she didn’t catch it but DH isolated in our room and kept away from the family for 5 days.
Luckily he works from home and was able to stay home and recover and keep others safe because he’s not a selfish arsehole unlike the dickhead who gave it to him at a training conference and admitted he was ill but went anyway.

Big lol at all the hard nuts who refuse the tests and look down on those still taking precautions.
Bet there’s not much tinfoil going spare in your houses! 😅

So, out of interest - if we're all doing this "don't test get on with your life - if you're asymptomatic and spread it so what" business...

How would you feel if your Dr or your nurse took the same attitude?
I'll pre-empt the inevitable "Ah but there are sick people in hospital" by saying that there are another bunch of sick people who are not in hospital - but clearly they don't matter.

Selfish country this has become.

As opposed to this type of Covid obsession. Being this obsessed with Covid is a different type of illness.

Won’t someone think of the selfless ones. Please.

Looks like some people are still living in 2020, struggling to shake off the Covid obsession of testing and isolating. All they need is a daily tv briefing at 5PM and lecturing mask zealots in supermarkets to round things off.

I agree. People have become awful now.

How selfish as a society we are. Because we don't "have to isolate" we (some) don't. The selfish are prepared to spread their viruses amongst others not knowing their medical history or the greater family situation.
How we have fallen.
Hardly anyone gives a shit about anyone nowadays.
What's coming next. Won't be good whatever.

Well guidance for NHS staff is not to test, just stay home if you don't feel well enough to go to work. So no, those doctors and nurses shouldn't bother testing.

Our schools policy is to come in unless they are too poorly same as normal cold/flu bug

As are most people, to be fair.

I’ve tested positive today. I felt pretty ill so yes could just avoid people anyway for 5 days but I recognised the cough which is pretty distinctive and wanted to confirm it was Covid. I sadly experienced in my own family during the first and second waves that it is more harmful than a common cold virus.

I’m glad for people who haven’t been affected and I recognise that the strain may be weaker but it’s worth it for me and the people around me to know. I also am told to avoid work for 5 days and need to evidence this still which is my organisation’s policy to get sick pay.

I didn't say you did test when you had the sniffles, I said you clearly knew they could be a covid symptom.

In terms of what you mean, you're saying you think people should test when 'actually ill'. So your personal barometer is about the severity of symptoms? If that's so, I think a lot of the time when people are really rough they're less likely to be bothered about what it is, if they're not fit to go out anyway. I had a stomach bug in December, pretty nasty one in fact. It could've been covid, plenty of people get diarrhoea and/or vomiting with it. I also got a headache, what with being dehydrated, and was exhausted too. All totally mainstream symptoms of covid. I saw no reason to test, since I wasn't going to be leaving the house regardless or I'd have shat myself on the street.

If you'd paid more attention to what I had written, you'd know that I said I didn't test when I had the sniffles and felt a bit under the weather. I only tested a couple of days later after I developed a fever and it was obvious that I was actually sick with some sort of illness, rather than just not feeling 100%. I didn't know if I had Covid or the flu or something else, but I knew I definitely had some sort of infection at that point.

I, like most people, often have a sniffle, or a headache, or feel a bit achy, or more tired than usual. I don't take a Covid test in those cases. But if I'm actually ill, with the type of symptoms commonly associated with Covid, then I see no reason not to take a test.

Of course it's possible that I have had or will have Covid at some point and only had very minor symptoms so not realized. To be honest, I think it's unlikely for me, because the three times that I have had Covid (that I've known about) I've felt very unwell.

You said people should test when they had symptoms, and most recently when they had symptoms that might be covid in order to be sure. Sniffles and tiredness both clearly fit into this category, and you even mentioned sniffles as one you'd had.

The difficulty you're having pinning this down is a good explanation of why it's unrealistic. Even if we limit ourselves to people who show some of the half dozen commonest symptoms, acting on that would mean lots of us testing most days. It's not workable.

If you're essentially going on vibes, and you don't think people should test when they have headaches, it's quite conceivable that you've had or will have covid unknowingly with only a headache at some point.

I thought the government was now doing the fingers in ears and la,la,la we are not listening, when it comes to Covid 19.

I never said I thought someone should test every time they had a bit of a sniffle or felt tired!