Is anyone vulnerable still isolating? Covid

[KindredPoodle]

My father was told to isolate years ago during the first wave of covid, because some immune suppressant medication he had to take every few years made him temporarily clinically vulnerable.

Years later, he is still following this advice and claims that he still had to isolate for safety . He sees nobody, insists on washing the food delivery in bleach solution, quarantines the post and doesn’t allow my mum to go into anyone’s houses or get close to them. It suits him because he’s naturally antisocial and quite controlling, but it’s destroying her life.

So my question is, is ANYONE else who was told to isolate (back when covid was a big scary unknown threat, and we had no vaccines or knowledge of how to treat it) still isolating? My sense is that very few are, and my dad is doing it out of some combination of fear, mental health and habit

True. There's no way of knowing.

I guess the assumption is that if it's recent you're more likely to remember the date. If it's longer, you may remember e.g. the month - I don't know how question was worded or whether answers that just specified month were counted or discarded.

I think in the latest study, only RATs were used which might account for some of why these figures are so much lower than other studies.

I can see that if people said they didn't remember, that would be a reasonable assumption. It's just there are other reasons. Good point about whether anything was discarded. I'm not sure either. I did have I suppose lingering covid for a while, such that I'd have met their definition for a while. But I never participated.

I just think the government try and doctor it to keep it as low as possible.

"Number of people with long COVID symptoms in the United Kingdom (UK) as of April 2022, by region and country"

Defining people as having long covid if they still report symptoms 29 days after first infection would seem to be counterproductive, then. If one were trying to massage the numbers downwards, that is not the definition to use!

Post viral coughs, for example, can last weeks and weeks.

Does long covid include the likes of me having stronger and additional asthma medication?

Some definitions would, at least. The ONS one we've been talking about asks people if they've currently got symptoms not explicable any other way, at least 4 weeks since the infection began.

If you were to report worsened asthma and attribute it to a covid infection, provided it was for 29 days or more then I can't see how they could exclude you.

The compromise it to go sick and claim sick pay. If you have flu or measles or a really bad cold you stay off work. The same should apply with Covid, even if you don't feel that ill. It's what sick pay is for.

Not affordable, especially for the self-employed who aren't eligible anyway. It's a derisory amount.

It also only applies when someone is actually ill, as opposed to well but infectious. There's nothing whatsoever in the SSP provisions to cover an employee who isn't actually unwell. SSP doesn't function as a compromise option here, because it isn't supposed to be.

And on the subject of flu, in fact people go in whilst positive with it but not feeling ill, all the time. Asymptomatic flu is very much a thing, as is flu with minor symptoms.

OP I think your question should have been ‘Is anyone vulnerable still isolating because they’ve found the perfect solution for not wanting to engage with the world’.

I was classed as vulnerable because of a few co-morbidities which still exist now and I have a recent cancer diagnosis on top of them. I’m taking sensible precautions - testing when I need to, a lot of handwashing and just generally being aware that Covid is still with us. But nothing beyond that. I’ve had Covid three times - the first time was before the vaccines and it was horrible and scary. The last two occasions have only resulted in mild cold like symptoms

I feel incredibly sad for your parents - your dad clearly has a MH problem and is carrying your mum along in his wake. If it’s so difficult to get access to him I’m not sure what you can do about it. The only thing I can suggest is that you pass along your concerns to his GP surgery. They won’t share any of his details with you but at least you’ll know that they’re alerted to what’s going on and will hopefully take some action to help him.

So reckon my lungs are scarred from two bouts of Covid. Pre Covid I had only one course of oral steroids and since - 5 or 6 and have a steroids user card.

Never had lungs x-rayed

You can ask your GP for an x-Ray but a CT scan is better to look for soft tissue scarring.

Numbers on the rise

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/health/uk-covid-cases-rise-once-32788172

"If you have symptoms of COVID-19 or flu try to stay at home as it helps protect others, especially those who are more vulnerable to these viruses. If you are unable to stay at home when unwell, consider wearing a mask.

My son and I were told to shield. We both did until I think the July of the first wave, and then again from Oct to Jan of the second??? Or was that the third.

I spent hours obsessing over death rates and hygiene....then one day I looked at the leaflet that came in one of my medications and realised I was more likely to die from taking it than covid......and I stopped being afraid of covid.

I know I few people personally or through groups for my or my sons illness who are insisting they have been told to shield. They haven't. It is a mental health condition at this stage. But it's one where its hard to call someone out on.
But if people on organ rejection meds, immunosuppressants and chemo aren't shielding and have been told there is no need to, I don't see why anyone else would be.....though I'm not ignorant enough to say there isn't an exception to the rule, but I'd believe them to be the outliers.

He is either using it as a way to control her or he's deluded. No one cares about covid anymore. It's just a cold

Plainly there are still people who still care about covid. You don't and nor do most young, healthy people. There's nothing wrong with that but you should at least acknowledge that there are some people who, due to extreme age or health conditions, can become very ill with covid.

He is either using it as a way to control her or he's deluded. No one cares about covid anymore. It's just a cold

And yet the World Economic Fkrum has just issued a warning about Long Covid and its affect on workforce across the world.

…as they can with flu, chest infections, gastroenteritis, heavy colds, any exacerbation of existing illnesses etc

@tuvamoodyson
as they can with flu, chest infections, gastroenteritis, heavy colds, any exacerbation of existing illnesses etc.
**
Of course. I did not say otherwise. I was simply saying that it's not true as the pp said that "no-one cares about covid". The vast majority of people do not care and nor should they, but some people do.

Never sure if the 'it's just a cold' people actually believe it, say it to minimise all the deaths and disability or also say it about every virus that can initially present as a cold.

It is a type of cold virus.
Like RSV it's a bit more common for it to cause complications than rhinovirus, but even rhinovirus can put people on a ventilator in extremely unlucky cases.
The vast majority of covid cases aren't distinguishable from other colds now. Remember the virus also mutates over time so it's not exactly like it was 4 years back.

"Colds are minor infections of the nose and throat caused by more than 200 different viruses. Rhinovirus is the most common cause, accounting for 10 to 40 percent of colds. Other common cold viruses include coronavirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)."

The reality is that the Covid situation is just about as good as its going to be. One day, they might come out with an every variant sterilizing vaccine that will make me eat my words, but I'm not holding my breath. There will be the odd wave here and there, but the virus has been blunted by mutation, vaccination and population exposure. I'm not saying there is zero risk, but even CEV people have a low risk against Covid now.

I would make the point that the current risk profile of Covid is as good as it will get, and that they both need to decide whether this is how they want to live for the literal rest of their lives. My calculation would be that if he is that CEV something will have his name on it eventually and would prefer to enjoy life as far as I can to that point. But that is their call as sentient adult humans. That doesn't mean that its not stupid, but ultimately its up to them.

Maybe not visiting when you have cold symptoms would be sensible. Maybe preferring to dodge public transport might be sensible, but anything more than that is a waste of what remains of a life.

@SplitFountainPen

"Colds are minor infections of the nose and throat caused by more than 200 different viruses. Rhinovirus is the most common cause, accounting for 10 to 40 percent of colds. Other common cold viruses include coronavirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)."

This quote, while accurate, doesn't tell the whole story. Coronaviruses have always existed. Rhinoviruses are a type of coronavirus. COVID-19 is distinct from a common coronavirus, however. It is a multi-system virus - respiratory, vascular and possibly neurological.