To think no one is testing for Covid anymore?

How classy to post this right after a post pointing out that people with relatives who have cancer are still testing.

I don't because it makes no difference to me.

I've been feeling crappy for a week now, I've taken one day off work but I can't take anymore off because I don't get paid. I've been off once this year with one of the kids when they were sick so it's bad for my workplace because they are short staffed and more money lost.

I still have to take the kids to school too and I haven't been upto anything else so I don't need to test to tell me to stay away from people.

I'm not wasting money by testing either when I have symptoms or "just incase" when it makes no difference to my choices.

I would love to hibernate all week but I can't even take holiday because I need to save my days to cover half of the school holidays so we aren't paying childcare.

We don't even struggle for money, we aren't loaded but we don't worry about paying the bills or food so if we struggle with having unpaid time off imagine if you were already having difficulties putting food on the table.

Nobody purposely goes out trying to spread whatever virus they have, it's just a fact of life.

So you’ll happily spread your cold because it’s not called covid?

It amazes me that people still believe it is nothing worse than a common cold. I have had plenty of colds with no lasting effects.
I had covid twice, one time I barely noticed I was sick and had no lasting effects. The other time resulted in a flare up of my arthritis, being in terrible pain and hardly able to function and increased meds.

Edited to add that I had 3 vaccines at that stage.

The effects of Covid are unpredictable, thats what makes it different. Just because it may have been nothing worse than a cold to you, doesnt mean its like that for everyone - surely people can see that?

A lot of people dont act with comment sense when they are ill. I was away with a friend recently and she brought her very ill daughter with us. Her daughter had a sore throat, unable to speak, high temps for days, no appetite, fatigue and cough. She insisted she wouldnt test her for covid as "covid is no longer a thing". I spent the time trying to avoid her daughter as I am on immuno suppressants and was afraid of getting sick potentially resulting in another painful flare up.

I test as I like to know if I have it or not. Also means I can avoid any vulnerable people I know.

Do you have a source for that?

Lots of people can't be vaccinated or because of drug interactions the vaccines aren't as effective for them.

It's lovely you think it shouldn't be more than a cold but that's not my experience at all,I was ill for a month, properly ill and 2 weeks of that in bed,it floored me. I lost my taste/smell and it has never fully returned ,a cold has never done that to me . I am fully vaccinated. I dread getting it again. My father ended up in hospital,he's CEV but has never been in hospital with a cold. I have a friend who has been off work for a year with Long Covid and a friend's teenage daughter now has a heart issue triggered by Covid.

I don't test. Everyone should be Vaccinated now and it's nothing worse than a common cold these days

The colleague with the cold however shouldn't have gone in even if it was just a cold

Unless you meet criteria for anti viral what is the point of testing? You should be avoiding close contact with others if you have ANY respiratory illness.

Or people who have no option but to go to work even with covid ,so what's the point in testing when you can't stay at home and isolate even if you wanted to?

If I interacted with vulnerable people I would test, and have done when my wife was working with a vulnerable client, just in case. But otherwise no. I haven't actually been ill in ages, come to think of it, and had covid 3.5 years ago.

One third of people with flu are asymptomatic.

But if they're unwell and it isn't covid, is that then just fine for them to visit? What if it's flu (which can be mild, you don't always have to be bedbound with it).

That's what I don't understand about testing before visiting someone vulnerable. My gran was shielding and is CEV, she's just got out of a long stay in hospital. I wouldn't visit her if I was ill, whatever it was. A covid test wouldn't change it because I wouldn't want to pass on any virus.

What is the advice for CEV people now? The ones I know (including DH) don't do anything different any more.
My CEV niece did all the shielding the first time around, among all the furore. She did get covid later, and it wasn't bad at all.
I am really surprised that people are still actively shielding.

I only ever test if we are going to see one of our family members who has terminal cancer or GMIL who has very complex health issues and qualifies for antivirals. GMIL is one of the poor souls who during COVID wasn't even supposed to be opening her windows. I haven't bought any, I'm just using up the packs we have. GMIL got lots of free ones due to her health issues and MIL was regularly popping down to get the free test boxes when they were available to the public for using for hospital appointments for terminal family member and GMIL.

Day to day I don't test.

I had covid recently that I picked up at work on a rare office day, I tested because I had also seen a friend who works with vulnerable people so wanted to ensure she was aware if It was covid. It doesn't hurt to be conscientious in certain circumstances

Unless you have been living under a rock surely you know that not everyone has the luxury of working from home and are expected to go towork even with covid?
What's the point in testing if you can't isolate anyway?

The only time I've tested is becuasee PILs had some tests in the drawer and we're very worried about how ill I was and my strange array of symptoms and wanted to rule it out... glad their mind jumped to that and not a pregnancy test 🤣

So what she has covid? I've got a chest infection right now, had a stomach bug last month, had that 4 month cough shit last year, flu over Christmas. None of it was covid, but I still felt like death so what exactly is still so special about covid?

No, it’s not selfish not to test. It’s selfish to think that everyone else should be spending money (which lots don’t have), on tests and then stay inside and cancel plans when covid won’t affect them much if at all. People vulnerable to covid should be the ones taking precautions themselves if they want.

It's really tedious when people trot out the oh, people who don't test are SO selfish/are covid deniers/don't care if the KILL someone lines. It simply isn't true.

If I'm ill I stay away from people, just like before.
If I see someone in a mask in shops etc I'll give them extra space.
if I was visiting someone vulnerable I would test.

Like it or not, covid is now "just another virus." It has a different risk to other viruses (just as they differ to each other) but it does not require the testing regime that was prevalent when tests were free. All it requires is common sense when dealing with illness.

Yes, that's a very privileged take.

In answer to the OP, some people are still testing if they have a particular reason. But clearly not the norm now. Especially as the free stashes that got built up have probably expired by now, if not used up.

I don't have access to free tests, so certainly wouldn't be paying for any because a colleague told me I had to. I think not!

That's just such a blac and white answer. Real life, though, isn't black and white.

Not everyone can wfh (including some office workers)
Not all employers have a great sick pay package, meaning people will go to work ill as they can't afford to be off.
Some might be worried about facing disciplinary meetings if been off sick previously.

And that's just a few reasons as to why people go into work when they are under the weather. It's such a luxury to be able to view it as antisocial.

People are struggling financially, buying tests is way down the list of priorities for many especially given the cost of them.

I don't test normally, however if I'm under the weather and due to meet someone that I know has a suppressed immune system (best friend does) I would just cancel until I'm feeling better rather than risk it. I wouldn't steer clear of daily life now though but would be more mindful of keeping a distance from people as much as possible if I'm coughing and sneezing etc in shops just in case someone around me is in high risk category. It's definitely not the norm to test now.

I tested asymptomatically before visiting a friends newborn last week.

Also test if have a cold that feels Covid-y (have had it 4x and know the difference!) as ex DP is clinically vulnerable so need to know to isolate from him if he comes over to see DS. Test DS on the same basis.

would definitely use tests for suspected flu etc if they existed. It’s not that I think Covid is the only important illness - but it’s the only one tests are easily available for.