To ask if you are still avoiding covid?

[Sleepyinnewyork]

I know it’s everywhere but are people still avoiding seeing friends / family if they know it’s definitely covid? Or is no one worried anymore?
I feel like I wouldn’t want to put myself in the line of fire knowingly as it’s made me bed bound twice - not seriously ill or anything but like a flu - but I don’t know if I’m over the top about it given that it’s now just everywhere in the community anyway.

@Growlybear83 I'm sorry but when it costs so much to stay home, I'm going in to work.

Good for you. I would rather lose a few days earnings and be able to sleep at night knowing that I had done all I could to avoid passing on a virus that could kill someone else's mum.

I've had it 3 times, I've always had bad flu symptoms with it so it's not been pleasant. I don't actively avoid it which would be hard anyway as I work in an office however, I wouldn't come and visit you if you had it either.

@Growlybear83 you're very privileged to be in that position. I simply cannot afford to lose £240 in a month for the sake of a cold.

I'm not at all privileged and I'm already coping with a huge loss in earnings from having to take time off recently for back surgery. But I would rather scrimp and go short of money than knowingly infect someone vulnerable who might die or be severely compromised because of me.

I have covid and am isolating - most of my friends are old like me and I don't want to put them at risk. I know lots of people with covid at present. When I am back in the world I will be masking again for a while.

Losing £240 for me with the cold I currently have would mean I dropped down to £1150 this month. I then have a non working day, so the week id have to take off to be symptom free would leave me at £1030 for the next month. Not everyone is able to just "scrimp" and I'm sick of the narrative that those of us who can't afford to take multiple unpaid days off work are killers. Blame the companies with poor sick leave policies and the poor statutory sick pay from the government.

Fairly selfishly I might take precautions like masking on the tube (yes, I know it's not 100% effective) if I have something coming up I really wouldn't want to miss by getting ill if I got Covid badly. And I'll test if I'm feeling ill and going to something crowded or where there are people I know are vulnerable or cautious. In terms of protecting myself from experiencing it generally? No, I'm not worried about it in itself.

I've had in at least 4 times, 3 of those were barely symptomatic (had a slightly sore tickly throat for 3-4 days) and I only tested because someone close had it, the last was like a mediumly but not very bad cold and I know I have been lucky.

At the end of the day, societally we have mitigations that are reasonable and will hopefully only improve and we have to live with that. I saw post online saying 'Covid is rising but the economy is more important than people's lives' and I was a bit 'Oh come on' The economy is also important to people's lives as well and we can't lock down or something for a virus that we can reasonably manage the worst of now on a day to day basis.

I avoid it in the same way that I'd steer clear of someone who has a cold or stomach bug. I cared a lot less but I've had covid twice this year and it absolutely knocked me sideways each time. I felt so horrendous that I'll avoid it if I can, as I really don't fancy it again. Thankfully at work we have good sick pay and people are told to work from home if they're unwell. I appreciate that a lot of people aren't in that position though.

There's no such thing as proper flu. There's just flu, which you can have with severe, minor or no symptoms. Can be fatal, can leave you entirely unaware.

While I'm not a big fan of the covid and flu comparisons, not least because of the way people wrongly use flu to describe severity of symptoms, in that way they are the same. Any one of us could've transmitted flu to any number of vulnerable people, and been completely oblivious.

@itwasnevermine But if you've just got a mild cold and have tested to make sure it's not Covid and still go into work, that's a little different to potentially infecting people with Covid. I understand about losing money if you're off sick - I'm self employed and I get absolutely nothing if I'm ill and can't work. If I'm not well enough to attend my evening meetings, then I don't get paid, or I have to pay someone else to go on my behalf, so whatever happens, I'm still out of pocket. But I would still rather not knowingly infect people with a virus such as Covid if I had tested positive , and would do as I've done for the last 50 years when I've run out of money and use my credit card if I couldn't make ends meet.

My comments were more aimed at your attitude in your previous post than anything.

It doesn't bother me really. I don't actively avoid people or places and if I think I have it I do my best to avoid people. That said my work doesn't care if we have it or not.

If I'm ill, I don't go out. Just like I did before Covid.

I don't test any more (although I would if visiting someone vulnerable)

Not everyone is lucky to get it mildly. OH caught it off our son in January this year, became confused and lot use of his legs. His oxygen levels were low and temperature 39. long story short he had covid pneumonia. was treated in hospital and came home same evening with high dose antibiotics. All our tests were negative. Hospital one down the throat picked it up. He's entitled to ylthe vaccine as he's 69. I'm not so having privately to try and protect him. I had it too and got pleurisy. He still can't remember having a brain scan or chest x Ray. pleased one mock people who take precautions as not everyone has it mildly.

I have only tested once in the last two years. I'm sorry but that's just how it goes now.

Yes. Not for myself so much, but if I've tested positive (and yes, I check) then I don't visit vulnerable people. I also expect friends and family to do the same. They mostly do.

I only wish more people would care too. I was on a coach trip with my 95 yr old mum last year, and several people began to cough and sneeze. Did anyone wear a mask? Not a d**m one of them. My Mum wore one and still went down with Covid immediately afterwards, which at 95 is not fun.

You should do what you feel comfortable doing and are able to do.
It doesn't matter if others regard you as over the top, unless it impacts them directly.

You'll get people sneering at you and you'll get others who appreciate you isolating yourself.

My mum died in traumatic circumstances after catching covid, knowing someone it killed gives you a different perspective, and having never had it myself until recently I was concerned if I would also be someone who had severe or longer term symptoms so I did test when ill as I wanted to know when I eventually had it. I tested positive for the first time a few weeks ago, I was laid up in bed for a full week and felt shit for 2-3 weeks after.

Testing helped confirm I had it and now I am less worried about it for my own health but would still take sensible precautions to not only avoid anyone who was ill as I don't want to catch any virus that might put me in bed for a week again if I can easily avoid it, but to also practice good hygiene if I am unwell with any virus to reduce the risk of others catching it.

I still have several family member who have never knowingly had it. I wouldn't minimise the genuine feelings of anyone who is still concerned about catching it or want to take sensible precautions.

I currently have a bad virus which feels similar to when I had covid in 2022. It’s a cold plus flu symptoms. I was on a work from home day yesterday and by 1.30pm I couldn’t work. My temp was over 38 and I couldn’t read my screen. I’ve been bed bound with no appetite. I feel totally floored by it. This might not be covid but whatever it is, I won’t be spreading the germs in the same way I’d be cautious with a sickness bug. Totally understand some people don’t get sick pay but I genuinely cannot work, I can barely walk to the en-suite for the loo and even with the ability to wfh, I’ve got no ability to focus enough to be effective.

Flu tests are £12 on the shelf next to Covid ones in Tesco.

I was shocked to read this article yesterday. Clearly negligent. I have avoided Covid so far. My sister got a mild stroke a week after getting Covid and despite making a good recovery, I think her personality has changed.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0m044xlmxwo

Well I've been ill with Covid for 4+ weeks now. Mostly confined to bed/sofa. Third infection and I've had all the vaccs. Praying this isn't the start of Long Covid. I will absolutely be avoiding it in the future. I'm self employed so financially this is a mightmare, but I'm way too ill to work still.

What's your point?

@TeenLifeMum careful there, your privilege is showing. £12 is a big amount to some (a lot of) people, especially those who might need to take unpaid days off if they're sick.

Erm… it’s quite clear surely? The previous poster in the thread commented flu tests aren’t as available as covid and I was stating that’s not the case as that was false information. Covid and flu are very similar protocols in a hospital setting. Just felt that was useful information for people rather than looking for an argument.