How are people still catching the virus?

[Baileysforchristmas]

Numbers are still so high, are people catching it from supermarkets? Does 2 metres apart still stop you catching it? Are you still pretty safe outside if you stay at least 2 metres apart?

Agree - fomites very low vector transmission - it's aerosols that are problem indoors with large plume spread

Took my dog for a walk today and the park was absolutely rammed, far more so than in the first or second lockdown (so I left pretty much straight away). Loads of people walking back from town on my way back (generally without masks), so people passing each other on pavements and nobody stepping into the road. I just went home to keep out of the way.

My next door neighbours have people coming over all the time, for example they had a sleep over for their kids over New Year (we were in tier 4). They are always heading out and about. They clearly don't care about the rules at all.

I know somebody who has caught it who swears that the only time they have left the house since before Christmas is to walk their dog in open spaces, so they must have caught it from touching something or from somebody else out walking at the same time, and we know that this strain is far more contagious than before.

Loads of reasons why people are still catching it, just three examples of why above.

@rememberselfcompassion i toll teemage dc he was only one in shop at time not sure of thats practice or luck , but all had masks on.
Didn't go in with him for test as he is 17 , he tried glasses on but had ti put them to one side so they could be disenfected , then ordered and sent in post.
Felt as safe as possible but nothing is risk free so upto you ,or can they send you a pair in post the same ?

School.

I know MN posters don't like this to be mentioned and will do anything to try and discredit anyone who suggests as such, but I'm afraid it is really the case in lots of schools, both primary and secondary.

3 of my neighbours have been out for hours today in the car, and that’s just 5he ones I can see from the lounge window.

@Baileysforchristmas

I thought all schools are closed accept for key workers?

Many schools still have a lot of children in. The DfE and Gavin's list of children who qualify is huge. Our parents, in the whole, are really considerate and only use the service if they need to. We allow part time attendance but even so we have 40-50% of children in most classes each day.

@MiddleClassMother I live in West Yorkshire, not London. Schools closed here on 17th December. Aside from keyworkers for the last five days, schools have been closed since then.

I think a huge population are required to work in contact with the public still even in lockdown. His drivers, DIY shop staff, supermarket staff, NHS, etc. From what I've seen, colleagues forget they need to social distance from one another and not just customers.

My office remained open as long as possible for those tho needed to come in but I've now forced closure/ furlough as the staff just weren't distancing properly despite our best efforts.

Also the NHS app is ineffective. I got a notice telling me to isolate 5 days after the contact. My friend had one 9 days after a contact and was positive with no symptoms and had been working in a food prep environment all along.

Schools are open still to key workers, vulnerable and a few extras- we have over half a class of kids in each class still so all staff still in full time.

People not following the rules"

I caught covid in October.
I had not broken any of the laws or guidelines,
Based in the information we had I - and my hospital doctors - determined I most likely caught it at school.
3/4 of our staff have caught covid over a 6-8 week period. They were, on the whole, abiding by the guidelines afaik.

I detest the blame game when it comes to catching covid.

@Abraxan

School.

I know MN posters don't like this to be mentioned and will do anything to try and discredit anyone who suggests as such, but I'm afraid it is really the case in lots of schools, both primary and secondary.

Absolutely. School, followed by family transmission. Anyone remember Boris saying, ‘Schools are safe’? As if anyone can possibly be safe in a small room, with limited ventilation and children sitting cheek by jowl, without masks. Doesn’t matter that cleaning measures have improved and we don’t call them classes anymore, we call them, ‘bubbles’ - they are NOT safe in a pandemic, unfortunately, as we know.

I have been convinced for months it’s the bloody masks. No one washes them , they cough and sneeze into them and then touch stuff.

My neighbours over Christmas had their son and two daughters visiting. We are tier 4. Now here comes the shocking bit: our opposit neighbours had their children and partners visit on Christmas day and boxing day. They are all HCPs - a consultant surgeon amongst them.

Having worked in a restaurant in my very late teens and having seen what happens in kitchens the takeaway stance concerns me. Just a sneeze or cough, face wipe on a sleeve, drop of sweat in a hot kitchen, fingers on foil cartons and lids and wrappings. There is no way I would go within 100 yards of a take away at present.

On the whole people here are very compliant with the above exception but rates are very very high now.

I wouldn't ever blame schools as institutions, as in the staff and management not doing everything absolutely necessary - why wouldn't they. I blame private households. People are behaving entirely as normal, if not more so in and out of each others houses/socialising - nowhere else for them to do so. Ergo, infections and kids carrying it into schools. Schools are a huge spreading/transmission opportunity for infected kids and families who have categorically not been following any kind of distancing rules.

@Gwenhwyfar

You are cherry picking what I am saying and you know that. But feel free. People are not doing what they are asked and the figures prove that. Enjoy

In the first wave people took lockdown more seriously and were frightened. Then everyone got really fed up and gradually eased off on following the advice. Now we have the new super duper infectious variant and whereas people might have got away with minor breaks in the rules about mixing, now those same breaks are resulting in more infections.

@perditaplum

I am amazed I've not caught it yet given that I spend 6 hours a day less than 2m from at least 20 people.

Same here, in a factory. No cases on my shift at all yet.

My MIL’s just tested positive and we think she picked it up at the hospital, she had to go for another reason and hadn’t really been anywhere else

I know five people who have tested positive in the past six weeks.

One caught it in hospital (negative test on admission, positive test after time as an inpatient).
Two think they caught it from their kids (very rule abiding, even where masks outdoors).
Two think they caught it in a restaurant when they were able to visit in December. They went as a family group but said the tables were close together and the table next to them seemed to be a mixed household group.

So all within the rules as they were at the time.

My 22yr old nephew has just tests positive, no symptoms other than a lingering headache. I know he's been round his mates and generally not taking it seriously - I expect It's rife in his age group but any mild symptoms are being ignored and they are carrying on as usual

The BBC news article I've just read states that analysis of transmission suggests that is really quite low in primary schools and teachers are more likely to catch it from each other/other adults. Up until October teachers weren't significantly more affected than the general population. New variant thought to be the causation of the sudden spike.... However no more dangerous than the first incarnation. Majority of those hospitalised are still over 65. However the media and certain health professionals ramp up the click bait stories about outliers under 40s and the like.
I know a few very very careful people who've caught it. It's a virus and that's what viruses do. Fomite transmission thought to be negligible so no need to freak at the card machine. It's aerolised particles that hang round for ages indoors in poorly ventilated environments being inhaled over extended periods. It's cold, so people are socialising in the covid risky way in their houses. I drive to exercise etc and sure as hell won't be lectured by some busy body on "breaking rules". I've been meticulously careful about now knowingly being in close contact with anyone vulnerable, and all the grandparents in our family have been meticulous about not being in contact, indoors with any of us or anyone else!

I know two women who have contracted it recently (in different countries) - they tested positive whilst their husbands and kids all tested negative. Only place the women had both been to recently was supermarket. Kids had gone to school but all tested negative so either there was a whole bunch of false negatives or the women both caught it at the supermarket.

I currently have it as do my Dh and Dd
I have been to work (NHS) and the supermarket once a week and haven’t seen any other family or friends since the week before Christmas.We spent Christmas and the New Year by ourselves and I first had symptoms last Monday of a headache and loss of taste and smell
My Dd only had a headache and Dh felt achy
Dd hasn’t been to school since before Christmas and Dh has been wfh and the only place he had been going to before this lockdown was the gym

There's up to a 2 week delay between exposure and symptoms so expect cases to hopefully drop later this week - severe restrictions kicked in by Boxing Day for most of us and takes into account Christmas mixing.