Covid in 2025

[zoeb92]

Hi all,

Long story short, my parents got back from holiday on Monday and both have Covid. Mum’s been unwell since Tuesday, Dad started feeling rough on Friday. Mum is better now.

They’re both retired, in their 60s, and usually look after my toddler two days a week while I’m at work.

They’re meant to be going to a funeral 150 miles away on Friday and, while there, also planning to visit elderly relatives.

I dropped tests over yesterday evening – Mum’s came back negative, Dad’s positive. I’d spent Saturday with Mum and, after feeling off last night, I tested again (negative the day before) and now I’m positive too.

I’ll be working from home until it clears – luckily that’s not an issue as my boss is lovely and very understanding.

Here’s the problem: Mum is determined to go to this funeral on Friday (it’s her friend’s partner who has passed, not a close relative). I’ve told Dad he needs to stay well away since he’s still testing positive. I’ve said he can travel down with Mum if he really wants, but he should let her attend alone, avoid staying overnight with Mum’s friend, and absolutely not go near my grandparents, who are in their 80s.

Mum insists I’m being dramatic – she says Covid is just like a cold now, and everyone’s vaccinated. I’m angry because I think she’s being selfish. Dad is listening to me (secretly relieved, I suspect, that he doesn’t have to go). What frustrates me most is that Mum is normally straight-laced, she never breaks rules or takes risks. She isn’t technically breaking any rules here, but in my opinion her attitude is irresponsible.

I’m 5 months pregnant and can’t take anything for the symptoms. Not only am I annoyed that I caught it from her in the first place, but I’m also worried she or Dad could spread it around like jam on toast and make a lot of people poorly.

AIBU? Thanks.

I tell you what does a number on your mental health - Long Covid.

And I was firmly in the ‘lockdown was an overreaction’ ‘it’s not even as bad a cold’ ‘long Covid is not a thing’ camp…

Maybe it’s payback. Anyway, for lots of healthy people it can actually be quite serious and cause lots of issues. People may start to rethink their views soon. Especially as instead of mutating to become more mild like we thought- this latest strain is pretty awful.

I have damage to my nervous system. As per the post above. It can affect multiple systems of the body.

GP survey puts it between 4% - 5% of patients with long covid and an additional 9% of patients who are unsure. I know this is lower than a lot of research shows, but that makes sense to me too - how many patients are scanned for organ damage or microclots or even consider the possibility that their breathlessness/fatigue/behavioural changes etc may go back to that mild infection they had a few weeks ago?

Exactly. The tests for organ damage are very expensive and you can’t scan your nervous system. I think it’s a big scale from mild to severe Long Covid. Mild being you can do lots but you can’t exercise or do what you used to do (still has an impact) and severe is bed bound. Lots of people won’t have been officially diagnosed and therefore count in the figures.

I don’t think we’ll ever know the true figures. But I expect we’ll just hear of more and more people suffering (and then hopefully there will be treatments and research).

Recent studies show that 30% of NHS HCP show symptoms associated with LC (whether or not they’ve been diagnosed - many wont have made the link between their symotoms and the weird virus they had 2 months ago).

My experience with GPs is that theyre not keen on using the LC label tbh.

Was my birthday this week. My son came down with COVID or flu at the weekend. I'm going into hospital for a replacement hip, which would be cancelled if I was unwell. Son and wife are staying away until they're both in the clear.

My BIL has come down with similar his cough is awful, all because a friend visited and coughed all over him last week.

I wouldn't go to a funeral full of older people.

I think they are renaming Long Covid Post Covid Syndrome. They can call it what they want but lots are going to be affected if it’s as indiscriminate as it seems to be (fitness and good health is no protection).

Its vascular!!!!

Hilarious ! Well done.

www.heart.org/en/news/2024/01/16/how-covid-19-affects-your-heart-brain-and-other-organs

I'm mid 50s. Had it for 10 days now, awful. 2 weeks,off work.
Your mum can do what she likes but she is is thick as well as Rude if she goes. Distance yourself, she's nit your responsibility

Tbh if someone has any contagious illness whether it’s the cold or a stomach virus, it’s pretty crap to go places to pass it on. It’s like the folk who come into work being hero’s when sneezing and spluttering when they can work from home or won’t get sacked being off sick. It’s just inconsiderate at best. I wouldn’t test nowadays but if someone else I knew me did and had a positive result… and then I got similar symptoms then I’d avoid my elderly mother. It’s just common sense. All these folk saying it’s just a cold … well you would be a bit considerate with that too wouldn’t you? Plus some folk are more vulnerable. You being pregnant for one!

Just wanted make sure I got there first before all the catastrophisers and doomsters.

The doomsters who believe if they recognise the harms that covid can do, the country will be put into lockdown or another type?

I treat COVID like the flu. If I knew I had the flu, I wouldn’t go spreading it around to everyone. I’m immunocompromised (cancer treatment). I’m not bothered by getting COVID (dd has it now and I’ve likely been exposed, but rarely get ill so it’s likely passed me over).

But the reality is that things like my oncology appointments or surgery (I’m waiting on 2 of them) will be cancelled if I have COVID or the flu or d&v. Those things are life saving for me. It’s just common courtesy to not make other people ill.

Dh though is one of these COVID is just a cold everyone needs to keep going to work and school sorts. Until dd tested positive this week. And now he’s been freaking out for 5 days that he might get it. And he has so much work to do and a cycling event to go to. I keep reminding him to simmer down because remember it’s “just a cold.” 🙄😂

@Katheclepto "IMO COVID is the same as any virus".

Your expert opinion?

The people that follow the science (in your opinion, "doomsters", I guess) aren't looking for lockdowns, they're looking for mitigation measures to be applied. As is the WHO.

Unfortunately denial of the harms isn't one of those measures that can help control rampant spread, escalating mutations (mutations of the virus severely compromise the effectiveness of current vaccines and the ability to control COVID-19 infection) and the resultant morbidity and mortality.

UPDATE: Dad has now tested negative, so they are heading over as Planned. Thanks everyone

A PP had referenced “doomsters” so I was seeking clarity on what they meant. It’s not a term I use. Some seem unwilling to recognise any impacts of covid in case it leads to a lockdown (exaggerating the potential outcome of acknowledging impacts) - I was asking if PP was referring to those as doomsters.

No I said in my opinion.. can you not read?

I work in a hospital and many of our patients have had said breathing and heart issues SINCE the COVID vaccination.. as in a few days after…. So who knows…..

All viruses are the same, Ebola is just like measles, which is just like covid, which is just like rotavirus. 🙄

I can read. I was pointing out that your opinion is has no scientific based validity.

You are not being unreasonable at all. We are all vulnerable to covid and its long term effects. I have no known vulnerabilities and want to keep it that way. Everyone should avoid catching and spreading covid, and any known nasty bug. Messaging from government poor and some people only follow government messaging :(

Ooohhh OP phew phew phew!

There's been a study about long lasting effects of COVID, but also flu. They're about the same but complications from flu doesn't get the attention it deserves.

Salmonella can also cause long term issues, again they don't join up the dots in many cases.

I think it’s also because most people only get flu a couple of times in their life? I do remember it taking a good few months of being weak and not being able to exercise after some awful flu around 10 years ago.

I think once every ten years is average for flu (as we do get some immunity). Covid will be much more frequent for many people. It’s constantly circulating there is no ‘Covid season’ we don’t get immunity or if we do it all wears off after about 6 months.

Many people are on their 4th/5th infection in 5 years… so the maths just adds up that long Covid will be more of a problem in terms of numbers affected. Also it seems to affect women aged 45-55 more. I am not sure flu complications do but I could be wrong.