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

@x2boys

You are so blinkered and making this all about your situation that you cannot see that others will be affected by not going to work.

I can see it. Which is why I suggested sick pay.

But you seem devoid of sympathy for those in my position? Why is that? It doesn't reflect well on you - and you say I'm blinkered. Look in the mirror.

@DivergentTris, what do you see as the middle ground?

Statutory sick pay is £116.75 a week. You are.asking strangers to take a pay cut to lower your risk of COVID. That's unrealistic, and not very sympathetic to people with less financial resources than you

Self employed don't get sick pay or benefits. No staff to share the load. Going sick to protect you means highbimpact to business, income, bills. This was the position i was in during covid, it was that that nearly destroyed me. But OK despite multiple other situations where just going on the sick wouldn't work for some, which i can forsee the wider issues with this, it is clear that some unfortunately will never consider the impact their expectations of others will actually have on other people, as long as they are OK.

I'm not wasting my time on this anymore, your simplistic view and the impact it can have on others and your inability to consider an alternative view is sucking the life out of me now.

Another way of looking at this: if your dad caught covid would he be need or even be eligible for active antiviral/antibody treatment ? This is the current guidance
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/covid-19/treatments-for-covid-19/

If you need further info to try and persuade him to relax his rigid thinking then you could also look up the national guidance relating to is his underlying health condition and what medication he is on

I have sympathy but I'm.not going to put my own family at risk for a random stranger ,that would be weird ,and talking of sympathy ,where's your sympathy ?
Why do you expect people to put their livelihoods at risk for you
I'm sure some people would be delighted to go off work if they got full pay and didn't have to worry about losing their jobs e, every time they felt a bit off colour but that's bot going ti happen in the real world. .

This is a risk calculator used in research. It has evolved through the pandemic and since but is not in general use.

https://qcovid.org/

As far as I can tell consultants are no longer especially worried about covid compared to other viruses.
CEV people due to no significanr immune response will be susceptible to every virus and infection.
Those who were more vulnerable due to other underlying health issues but who have an immune system will respond well to vaccination.

I think more people should do more to stay away from people when I'll...but understand why they can't. It shouldn't be limited to covid.

This is so sad. She might as well have died from Covid, as she certainly isn't living now.

My PIL underwent chemotherapy in 2021 and we continued being cautious until they were 3months clear of chemotherapy. My partner still went to work but we avoid ill relatives and busy places, wore masks in shops, hospitals and doctors surgeries.
It probably took 6 months from this point to gradual role back our precautions and readjust to life.
Now I wear a mask on busy commuter trains. Covid highlighted something I have known for a long time. When I get ill I get more unwell than others and it also has a serious impact on my mental health - studies showed that those with serious mental health conditions faired worse with covid. I now try to reduce the number of coughs and colds I pick up and given I have a child in nursery they can be frequent so avoiding other sources on the train helps a little. My mum also has a fractured back and coughing sneezing and being sick puts her into a lot of pain so I try to avoid passing any bugs on to her. I'm not fearful of getting ill it's just a preference to reduce the frequency of being ill in a way that has minimal impacts on my life. I had bronchitis last year and I was ill for 3 months and it made life difficult for that time, it's just something I would rather not repeat too frequently!

I have a relative with advanced muscular dystrophy and he will probably be shielding to a degree for the rest of his life, however long or short that might be so i think there are a very small minority that will be but this group of people would probably be having to do this with without covid ever happening. My uncle had leukemia twice once in the late 90s and a relapse in the early noughties during both periods of treatment he had to isolate and even though I was only 9 and 16 I recall having to avoid him and my cousins if we had colds etc.

What gets me is all these people wearing masks, as if the mask protects them. The idea is that the mask protects everyone else from the wearer's bugs.

I am CEV but have long since given up all the isolation rigmarole. I want to enjoy life, not endure it.

What gets me is all these people wearing masks, as if the mask protects them. The idea is that the mask protects everyone else from the wearer's bugs.

University of Cambridge scientists don’t agree with you

https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/upgrading-ppe-for-staff-working-on-covid-19-wards-cut-hospital-acquired-infections-dramatically

I assume in some circumstances people wearing masks have covid so are protecting others.

This is a good idea.
The distribution of antivirals is centralised and very efficient. All that's needed is a phone call within 5 days of symptoms. I did this recently. Rang the covid triage helpline for my area. Got a call back from a nurse within an hour and a doctor an hour later. Prescription sent to pharmacy of my choice.

When I see someone in a mask in a shop I assume they have covid, especially if staff.

I wear masks when I've got a cold sore. More for vanity than infection control.

Autistic relatives wear them when they think the crowds require symbolic distancing.

Some people wear them when they don't fancy CCTV scrutiny.

@CwmYoy so you want a waitress probably on zero hours and minimum wage to test and take unpaid leave if she has what is now a mild illness so you feel safe? You want self employed workers not to get paid or for people to suffer financial hardship on sick pay?

You are the selfish one! I am sorry you have health issues but you can’t expect society to shut down for you. I have asked you this before and you have never answered, did you isolate for seasonal colds and flu pre covid?

I'd rather they got paid to isolate. We have 2 million with long covid now, likely an undercount. I understand some may differ. I have an issue with people claiming it's mild or seasonal though.

Where is the money going to come from to fund this? The country is skint and our grandchildren will still be picking up the pieces from covid.

Same place the money is coming from from not doing it.

I know of someone who used covid to control his wife even more. Unfortunately she died last year. Sadly she had a life limiting condition but he wouldn't let her attend all the medical appointments she needed in case she caught covid. Everyone was surprised she was still doing housework and cooking his tea ect right up until she was admitted into the hospice. Poor lady, closed doors and all that.

I’m not CV, but I’ve got severe long covid. So l am hiding away, because l really don’t want Covid again on top of this.

l’d like to enjoy my life but walking ten steps to the toilet wipes me out.

Long Covid is an increasing public health problem. The chances of it increase after each infection. 1.9 million have it. Do we just sit here and let it increase and increase?

If you'd like people who have Covid to stay off work tell me how anyone would know they have it. I don't know anyone who tests for it anymore. I've never had it so don't even have past experience to help me diagnose it.

I think most people know that for some it's not mild and it will always be around, but the fact remains people don't get paid to test and isolate ,and the guidance is that if people are well enough they come in ,into work ,none of this is the individuals fault