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Covid

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Original poster

Is anyone considering a chicken pox approach?

54 replies

Al1Langdownthecleghole · 14/03/2020 14:04

I’ve not read anything about this and am curious to know if anyone is considering it?

I have a very frail, poorly relative so I’m being very careful as I wish to continue to visit them and so this is very much a hypothetical question.

But the reality is, if I didn’t have a poorly relative, in some ways it would be more convenient to be Ill sooner rather than later. I already have leave booked over Easter (and no plans) so a period of illness followed by leave to recover in the garden would suit me better than waiting to become ill and messing up the plans I do have in the summer.

I’m sure I don’t need to add that I’m not in anyway trivialising the disease, but I work with the public, have a child in school and an adult child in the house who is a Teacher. The likelihood of contracting the disease is high. Is it totally insane to want to get it over with?

OP posts:

inselfisolationnow · 14/03/2020 14:21

@DettolsYourFriend do you know it jumping by 10 today makes me think my statement was even more correct. It'a jumped by 10 today as they've changed the testing criteria.

BadCatDirtyCat · 14/03/2020 14:22

The thing is that even if you think you've had it, unless you actually get hospitalised and tested you won't actually know. It could have been the flu and then you think you're "safe" but go on to catch the actual coronavirus...

Also, PaddyF0dder has a point.. better to try to help flatten the curve if you can..

Original poster

Al1Langdownthecleghole · 14/03/2020 14:24

I must admit fear of mutation concerns me because. I’ve no wish for several rounds of the thing.

Paddy as I said this is hypothetical, and yes, it would be more convenient for me personally, to be the early side of the curve than the late side.

OP posts:

MoltonSilver · 14/03/2020 14:29

If you knew for sure that you could only get it once.....
Thats the problem with the heard immunity approach. What if you take the hit now and just keep passing it back and forth to each other?

Purplewhitelie · 14/03/2020 14:31

Please look up what SARS does to the lungs before considering this.

I would say don’t try this at home!

coronade · 14/03/2020 14:33

They are testing everyone in hospital now I think which is probably why the deaths have jumped up.

mylulab · 14/03/2020 14:36

There are too many unknowns about the virus.

MsJaneAusten · 14/03/2020 14:36

I was thinking about this earlier. If I need to have it, I’d rather have it now, when hospitals are fully staffed and ventilators available. But as a single mum with an ill father? Not a risk I can take. (Plus, how would you know how to catch it?)

Magpiefeather · 14/03/2020 14:38

Well the peak of the outbreak is supposed to be right around the time I will be giving birth, so I am really really keen not to get it at that point, especially given a mother in the U.K. has just been separated from her newborn baby as they both have COVID19. So if I had a choice I would much rather have it now than close to birthing my baby. I won’t go licking handrails or anything drastic because

There’s no proof that I would recover and not get it again anyway
I wouldn’t want to infect vulnerable people before I realised I had the virus
I could even just never get the virus which sounds like the nicest option of all personally!
The horrific flu and cough I had before Christmas could have been it??!

Anyway I have concluded that sadly, i just have to keep being sensible but wait and see what happens.

Exochord · 14/03/2020 14:38

If you had caught it two weeks ago then maybe. Any medical treatment you may require would be happening about now. But if you catch it now then the point where you might need medical treatment is about two weeks time, and it won’t be available.

Evenquieterlife33 · 14/03/2020 14:38

Except for the fact that the fewer people get this overall the better. Less people getting it sooner OR later. You have no idea how to ur body will react. You could be unlucky. You need to rethink, you are trivialising this disease. U.K death rate just doubled, 10 people died today.

Original poster

Al1Langdownthecleghole · 14/03/2020 14:40

Purple please don’t think I’m underestimating the seriousness of the disease, especially for those with pre-existing disease. The reality is that to achieve herd immunity around 60% of the population will have to have the disease. For most of us it is a case of when, not if.

No one is making any recommendations, but it’s a valid discussion.

OP posts:

EggysMom · 14/03/2020 14:40

I feel it might be easier for all of us in the house to have CV-19 at the same time; as opposed to one of us, two weeks later the second, two weeks later the third ...

SuperMumTum · 14/03/2020 14:45

I feel like I'm waiting to catch it. Like I'm on hold, unable to visit family, until I've had it and got better again. I feel like getting it would be a relief because I'd stop feeling like everything is paused. I'm continuing to follow advice, handwashing etc because I know that's not for the best overall but its actually becoming a bit of an obsession.

Original poster

Al1Langdownthecleghole · 14/03/2020 14:50

That’s a good point Eggysmom. Eight weeks would be far worse than 2 - 3.

OP posts:

Oakmaiden · 14/03/2020 14:55

Don't be so fucking stupid.

Omashu · 14/03/2020 14:56

I don’t think it works like that. There are reports of People who got over it in China tested positive again so I wouldn’t risk it!

Twasbambam · 14/03/2020 14:56

Given the current concern around potential long term damage to survivors...no I wouldn't.

To date only a third of cases (globally) have been resolved.

There are increasing reports of decreased lung function and other life limiting conditions in a certain percentage of survivors. Including thise who have had a 'mild' case.

No peer reviewed research yet, obviously impossible at this point. But until more is learned about the long term implications, anyone purposely hetting infected would be a...fucking idiot.

Twasbambam · 14/03/2020 14:58

The reality is that to achieve herd immunity around 60% of the population

The science is incredibly iffy on this. Potentially there is no herd immunity to this virus without a vaccine. It certainly isn't how many other viruses work.

Purplewhitelie · 14/03/2020 14:59

This is why Gov needs to lock this down further.

It has been reported allegedly that it has protein spikes similar to HIV and Ebola not good at all.

Please don’t try and catch it and pass it on to the sick and vulnerable - that is just sick.

Jobseeker19 · 14/03/2020 15:01

On mumsnet it used to be advised against chicken pox parties and that you should vaccinate.
Followed on by a story of someone they knew that died from chickenpox and anyone who went anywhere with it was irresponsible.
Now people are considering "pox parties" for an illness that is way worse.

Thelaughinggnome123 · 14/03/2020 15:01

OP where have you read that you definitely can't catch it twice?

Rhubarbpeony · 14/03/2020 15:02

It would be mental because we’re trying to flatten the curve and relieve pressure on the nhs. Everyone going our and deliberately getting infected now would have the exact opposite effect.

Deux · 14/03/2020 15:03

DH and I were discussing this though not seeking out deliberate infection.

On looking at the self isolation recommendations we thought it likely that if one of us in the household had it then we’d all get it. We thought It would be easier to isolate if only the 2 of us but I couldn’t realistically leave my 11 year old on her own behind a closed door.

ThereWillBeAdequateFood · 14/03/2020 15:07

I get where you are coming from on this (although my approach to chickenpox was to vaccinate my kids).

I’d never actively seek to catch Covid. But if I caught it I’d be optimistic - the kids and I would most likely get a mild illness. And hopefully we would be immune and we could start seeing my elderly mum and dad again.

That would be my hope. Might not pan out that way though.

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