Fed up of hearing about the flu

It’s really not just Covid, it’s early surge in a particularly clinically bad flu, which started with a mutated virus last summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Plus seasonal respiratory virus, colds and norovirus, all of which peak in the winter.
A&Es are seeing a large amount of people with flu. They can use rapid tests to distinguish between covid and flu on admission.

The problem is the vaccination schedule - DS got vaccinated today. Today when he told me he finally was feeling 100% recovered from the flu that took him out of school for 8 days!

it hit before the vaccinations were given

and it is contagious it is the first time that all 6 of us (me DH 2 kids and my parents) all were ill with the same thing (various levels of seriousness but still all ill) and that includes COVID and the number of friends who have it is also the highest I have seen it.

When they’ve been vaccinated against it as well. It’s a real head scratcher…

I'm kicking myself because I got so far along with booking DH and DS1 (who misses the flu spray at school by one year!) for jabs in a local Boots, several weeks ago now. I let it slide (and DH wasn't at all proactive in booking himself in though he agreed it was a good idea). That was back when news reports were already stating that the flu season was starting really early and looked nasty.

Off the back of this evening's news, I went back to the bookings and after a few tries with closer branches that didn't have anything until late January/Feb, I got them a joint appointment fairly close to us for NY day! Yay, Happy New Year, streamers, etc!

(I got one weeks ago as I'm DS2's official carer. Unfortunately, DS2 refused the spray at school ...)

If you can get one, take it. I've had flu as a healthy young students and it laid me low for weeks. I knew someone who died from a strain of bird flu a couple of decades ago. I'm now older than she was then.

Well... there are lots of small things we could have been doing to at least get covid less often and more mildly.

It might have been better for everyone's health if the government had still stopped all the restrictions, but had kept suggesting people be careful, ventilate rooms well and so on. We're all adults, we could have coped with that.

What do you mean, “make of that what you will”? Can you explain

How does this work in your mind, given that vaccines work by exposing your immune system to viruses? If that wasn't how it worked, vaccines would not work.

There are downsides associated with lack of exposure to germs, notably allergies, and also leukaemia. But there are tons of viruses with no vaccines - flue, covid, rsv are only a few of many.

Unfortunately following on from the Covid pandemic this flu has wound quite a lot of people up the wrong way. I was on a YT channel that shall remain nameless today and they were talking about the flu as if it was some kind of government plot to put us all in lockdown, make us comply and wear masks again, followed by a lot of absolute scientific rubbish about the influenza virus that made no sense. Loads of people in the comments made all sorts of totally crazy assertions and some called themselves 'pure bloods' (horrible term), saying all jabs are bad, they'd never get another, the government is trying to kill us, etc. You get the picture. They've no concept of people actually getting sick and dying or seriously ill with the flu, especially children. They think their own immune system can deal with anything an everything thrown at it by simply 'eating healthily' despite plenty of evidence thoughout history to the contrary. It's mind-boggling!

Covid vaccine too. My husband qualifies. I did too a couple of years ago because if I became ill, he’d be in trouble. I don’t now because I’m 6 years younger than he is.
It’s very shortsighted.

It's the most expensive month of the year and we're in a cost of living crisis.
£20 is a lot of money for some people, and they're the ones most likely to be on zero hour contracts or vulnerable.

If you've been offered it for free on the NHS I highly recommend getting it though.

Funny how they are not covering cuts to the vaccination programme earlier in the year. Yes that’s right, fewer people now elegible for the free vaccine.

You can’t argue with stupid.

Wtf! 🤦‍♀️

It’s far worse this year than it has been for a long time. That’s news.

I’ve been trying to book a jab for 3 weeks, ever increasing circle of pharmacies up to 50 miles from home now and can’t find one. My disabled husband has had his but if I become ill with it and can’t look after him, that’s a problem,

The issue is, with A&E departments in the state that they are, this epidemic is going to make the situation even worse. Throw the strike into the mix and it could be disastrous.

Something else to bear in mind: I think most people believe that older people are most at risk. Flu is awful for children too. If your child is offered a jab at school, please take it. It’s not a jab, it’s drops, not at all painful.

No government is doing anything other than giving it free rein because there isn't any way to contain it. Any more than you could contain the common cold.

Sorry to possibly derail the thread but does it seem demographic as in places hit badly? As in we are sw, lots of people having a very mild flu type bug as in no temperature just a bit off, cough, tired and lack of appetite for about 3 days? Nurse said staff off but all with different symptoms but only for a couple of days, schools all fine, hospitals running as usual. We are still getting alot of tourists so thought we would have been hit by now? Perhaps we are just getting the tail end of the bugs? 🤷

I always have my flu vaccine every year (NHS worker, healthy mid thirties) and I've currently got what feels like a chest infection plus GI issues and I'm fucking exhausted and headachey. I've had the week off work and it's not getting any better!
I have noticed this is much worse than the usual colds that go around, half my work team have been off with it, loads of my patients have been cancelling, it does seem pretty rife. My friend works in a school and told me they are at 50% staffing!!
I do wonder if it's a strain of covid - it's the first year (I think) that I haven't had the COVID booster as part of the NHS worker vaccines. Either way, it's definitely hitting hard. I didn't know it had been in the news and it's actually reassuring to hear it's not just me and it's actually a particularly nasty strain! Can't imagine how more vulnerable people are managing if they catch it. I've been in bed for days and I don't even have a fever. Usually I'm a paracetamol up and get on with it kind of person too, but I really can't!

It’s not THE flu. It’s just flu.

It isn’t THE diabetes, or THE arthritis or THE cancer.

I’m fed up of hearing about THE flu too.

It doesn’t help so many people are anti vaccine now. Just look at the comments on social media under any NHS posts or flu articles

Oh dear...

I don’t know anyone who has the flu where I am in North London. Or even in my bit of the NHS. I wonder when it will head our way. I do think part of the reporting is to discourage the doctors strike. And I have to say, I think that the strike can’t go ahead now.

I’m very anxious about getting flu as I’ve recently finished cancer treatment . Due to my 15 year old being the one that usually brings an awful bug home just before Christmas 🙈 mind you I went away with my 24 year old to London rwo weeks ago he fell ill in the car on the way home with vomiting .. I assumed a sickness bug but he then spent a week in bed , with more flu like symptoms said his head as pounding and he ached all over so did sound more like flu ..I didn’t get what ever it was ..
flu should always be taken seriously .. my dads best friend at school a healthy 12 year old back in the fifties died of flu and I fell ill with it Christmas 2005 at 33 , no health problems and I ended up in hospital with pneumonia .
my hospital is one of the ones that’s been on the news and has allegedly reintroduced face masks , I had to go to a hospital appointment today and saw barely anyone with a mask on

and apparently the mild damp weather is one of the reasons it is so rife because the cold can kill the virus, but please don't quote me, it was just something i heard or read

We're in Wales not badly hit yet.

I’m in NI - it seems to have really hit us this week…!