Covid - isolation now

[Explainitplease]

Without looking it up, what do you think the guidance is presently if you test positive in England (not sure if same for rest of UK)?

My daughter tested positive yesterday and I was surprised by the guidance and I don’t know if was being unreasonable to be surprised.

You really are trying to be difficult, aren't you? Surely flu like symptoms are most common. I certainly wouldn't suspect I had Covid if I had a toothache.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html

Personally, I had the sniffles and tiredness for a couple of days and thought it was probably just a cold. It was when I developed a low grade fever that I wondered if it was Covid so took a test.

I am immunocompromised. I've been feeling very unwell with covid for almost two weeks now - it's not always mild.

There's no legal requirement to isolate for other illnesses, is there? You could theoretically go out coughing tuberculosis etc on people. Maybe exotic type illnesses that weren't widely spread like ebola would be different

Whole heartedly agree, but I bet you'd also be very unwell if it was flu, or another respiratory illness that we can't access tests for.

It would be more dangerous for you if your friend was under the weather, tested negative for covid so decided to come over anyway saying 'don't worry it's not covid' and actually gave you whatever else they had and that made you very unwell, gave you chest infections etc rather than thinking 'I'm ill, I don't know what this is, so I need to stay away from this vunerable person'.

Covid is not king and is not more dangerous than the other illnesses out there. I think the tests lull people into a false sense of security. If you're ill stay home! Covid or not, doesn't matter!

It's not great that you think asking you to explain what you mean when you use an incredibly broad term is being difficult. If you just mean you think people should test when they have sniffles or fever, say that.

It really shouldn't come as a surprise, three years and multiple strains into this, that covid isn't simply about respiratory symptoms and fever. Even that brief list you link to cites more than that, and surely you realise that lots of people get headaches and tiredness for a wide variety of reasons?

I’d not test because it’s ridiculous. The whole thing was a bloody joke and effected people’s lives far more than it should have. I would stay home if I felt too unwell to work and wouldn’t socialise with any virus, but other than that I’d carry on as normal. Coming from someone who used to wipe my individual food items down with antibacterial wipes!! CRAZINESS!!

I honestly did not know that, I thought you had to send off for them from the Government website (or wherever we did during Covid)

My sons school states that he should still attend school unless too unwell, but it would be unauthorised leave. (Secondary school), yet my daughters school states the same, albeit sickness is authorised leave.

I have a cold right now, an absolutely awful cold which is kicking my ass. I'm not going to go about spreading it, no idea if it's covid or not but I'll just follow usual process. If I'm too unwell, I stay home. I'm currently too unwell, so I'm staying home. If I was just feeling a bit under the weather I'd dose up and go to work..

Legal requirements, no.
Advise and guidance, yes.
There are various illnesses you cannot attend school with for periods of time. Covid isn't unique in that.

Why does your son's school record illness as unauthorised? Is that for all illness/, or just covid?

Who is going to pay my wages for those few days?

@Lcb123 ''I cannot see the point. Id like to enjoy my life''

So would I. But my life is severely impacted due to long Covid, and a lot of the time there's nothing enjoyable about it. I'd like to avoid inflicting that on anyone else!

Those saying there are no tests for flu, yes there are https://www.flowflexrapidtest.com/flowflex-influenza-rapid-test-kits/

All illness unless we have a doctors note. The school literally says if they have a cold, school expects them to go in with paracetamol.

Luckily my son is rarely unwell, but it seems strict to me.

I thought I was being very clear. I think that people should test (if they have the means to do so) whenever they might suspect they have Covid. That's obviously not an exact science, and there can be some strange symptoms, but for myself and everyone else I know who's had Covid, the symptoms have been pretty consistent.
Basically, if you're experiencing symptoms that might be Covid, why not take a test to be sure?

Essentially because for many of us that would mean testing multiple times a week. Even if you want to limit it only to the symptoms listed in the article you cited, say the top 5 ish, it's pretty normal for adults with busy lives to feel frequent tiredness. And being sniffly, well I know I'm not the only one who's usually at least a tad snotty in the damp winters we get in this climate!

This matters because it's a huge part of the explanation for why people don't and can't test every time they have a common symptom that might easily be covid. It's not at all realistic.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

As are most people, to be fair.

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

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.