First day on holiday...tested positive for COVID

[PrueHal]

Unbelievable but on my first day in a European country I've tested positive for COVID.

I feel unwell and very tired but still well enough to go out and explore a bit with breaks. I bought meds and a mask.

Would you isolate if you were me? Or would you continue as normal.

We did at least have lunch outside today which hopefully helped.

I think you can’t always know exactly what you’d do until you know the result. Telling people you feel a little unwell doesn’t give them a fair opportunity to assess the risks of hanging out with you but letting them know you have covid is only right.

My sympathies @PrueHal

We got Covid too very recently, the second week if our holidays (in the UK). Unfortunately, we were contacted by someone who was at the same (small event) to say they had tested positive same morning as we woke up feeling unwell. Turned out 7 out of 12 people had all got it. The person who reported it to us has an OH who is extremely Clinically Vulnerable, so that is why they tested. The rest of us tested because we had been told.

We did not feel well enough for 3-4 days to be going out and about, but we felt really guilty about possibly spreading it to someone for the last 3 days of our holiday, so we stayed away from people and places with people. It absolutely spoilt the rest of our holiday.

I think we had no choice but to test, given the circumstances - but I wouldn't test in future if I just happened to get flu or cold symptoms because there are no restrictions now ( at least in the UK) and I would just get back to living my normal life, which we are supposed to do, as long as I was actually feeling better. If I knew, I would feel really guilty at the thought of passing it on, when there will be plenty of other people going about with it, unknowingly, so the guilt would be misplaced.

If you are not 100% going to isolate then why go to the bother of finding a pharmacy and testing in the first place?

Would i have tested - 100% no
Do i think someone who has been silly enough to test and knows they have covid should isolate - 100% yes.

Maybe next time you will just treat it like a bad cold in future, keep yourself to yourself, sanitise and maybe even a mask if needed. Thats what the majority are doing these days unless they are vulnerable.

I wouldn't have tested ...but would have been considerate regardless if I didn't feel well among others.

Exactly. Going out of your way to access testing in a foreign country while on holiday, with no intention of taking any actions regardless of results.

Im not even someone who thinks people should isolate but if you’re not going to change any behaviour then why test in the first place?

Oh FFS, why on earth did you test? It's just completely unnecessary.
Throw all the other tests away and carry on as normal. If you feel a bit ropey, have an early night.
Sorted.

Just be mindful of your interaction with people. Im mid cancer treatment and catching anything infectious including covid severely affects my treatment. I would still go out if you feel well enough but take reasonable precautions. Antibac hands after blowing nose etc

Use a mask on public transport etc

If you are not 100% going to isolate then why go to the bother of finding a pharmacy and testing in the first place?
Because you might want to do something else:
Tell vulnerable friends and family you've seen recently.
Attend outdoor but not indoor events.
Wear masks in crowded places.
Take into account that the symptoms can be more severe than a cold (mine certainly were) and that you might need to stock up on remedies (I found Olbas oil helpful, and needed cough drops).

Keep calm and crack on
no way would I be spending even a second of my long awaited holiday stuck inside.

What a shitty world we now live in where people have a go at people for testing. So what if people want to test, that's a personal choice. Get over it.

But why test and then ask “should I continue as normal?”

Unfortunately the stats as quoted are misleading and have been the whole way through pandemic and onwards till now.
220 people died with covid but not necessarily because of covid. The stats do not allow for removing no.s of people who have significant co-morbidity that were dying from their illness, or from old age, same for sudden mortality such as MI etc. that may or may not be related to covid infection.

I don’t think it’s weird to test because I like to know what I have.

I wouldn’t isolate but I’d stick to outdoor activities

I agree with this.

If you’re thinking about not isolating, why on earth test? The ethical dilemma comes too late.

If you don’t know what you are going to do with the information, why are you asking for the information?

It’s not just about fatalities, but the long term consequences of even mild infections are a huge burden not just to the individuals but to the entire state. Linking again:

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(23)00239-4/fulltext#:~:text=The%20post%2Dacute%20sequelae%20of,levels%2C%20on%20an%20unprecedented%20scale.

Colds can be dangerous to a minority of people but they don’t carry the same risk to otherwise healthy individuals that Covid does. It seems like these facts are inconvenient or uncomfortable for some people to accept.

Another one here who absolutely wouldn't have tested. We're on holiday right now, I had a cold in the days running up to it. It might be Covid. I feel fine now and will not be changing my behaviour on holiday. There are potentially loads of people with untested Covid in every public space so testing and spoiling your holiday because of it is just being a marytr, you're not even protecting anyone.

Isolate, keep an eye out and test anyone you're with to make sure they isolate too. Going out even with a mask isn't a good idea.

Ah yes, the selfish "I'm alright, Jack" approach. Lovely

It’s good of you to wear a mask, I wish others did, despite it not being mandatory.
Eating outside sounds wise too.

Because they wanted to know if they had covid. So what, personal preference.

Personal preference doesn’t make something less stupid.

Perfect response. My kind of person!

@Cinocino @otravezempezamos you both prove my point exactly. I dont test, but I couldn't imagine a time where I bother coming on to a forum calling people stupid because they wanted to test to know if they have covid.

I wouldn't have tested so wouldn't have known. Stay in if you feel ill, if not go an enjoy yourself.

I know so many people with it and dh is just recovering from something that was probably covid. Didn’t test as it didn’t change anything. We’re now on holiday and I’m feeling tired and headachy but might just be run down. No plans to test. Last summer pil had covid on holiday in Florida. Fairly sure half the plane had it judging by all the coughing. It’s not killing people now.