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Covid

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Original poster

How do you assess your risk?

45 replies

FeelingJittery1 · 04/09/2021 19:32

Since delta is twice as transmissible as the previous variants and everything open with no safety measures how does one asses the risk?
For example I took my daughter to the library- 2 more ladies were there with two children each..all masked and did not get close. But one lady had to keep shouting to get little one to stop him running off..she was masked but does this create more droplets? I wasn’t close to her but was I/daughter possibly infected?

How do I know? I’m not trained to think like this…

OP posts:

ConsulTremas · 04/09/2021 20:49

To be honest, it’s not something I think about. I just get on with my normal day to day life and if I get it, I get it.

user1471543683 · 04/09/2021 20:50

I don't give it a thought. I work in education surrounded by children sneezing and coughing all over me (which has given me a great immune system) I'm not vaccinated by choice and I'm living my life as much as I can. I attended a funeral yesterday and sat round a table with 10 other people. I do wear a mask (in Scotland) and have to follow certain hygiene rules in work. If Sturgeon said we could remove masks I would do immediately. I will take the risk like I do with everything else - going on a plane, driving a car etc

HermioneWeasley · 04/09/2021 20:54

Distancing and good ventilation are your biggest protections.

Outdoor transmission is responsible for 1 in 10,000 infections.

If you are in a sealed unit with poor ventilation with an infected person, even if you’re more than 2 m away, you’re pretty likely to catch it.

FfrothiCoffi · 04/09/2021 20:58

I don’t really. I know chances are I’ll get it some time, and I try and keep my risk of serious outcomes (from any illness) low by maintaining a healthy weight, exercising and eating well. Otherwise I’m just living my life.

Youmeanyouvelostyourkey · 04/09/2021 21:15

We currently have it. I'm CEV and have low immunity and have hardly left the house since Mar 20. My DS went to a party , caught it there and passed it on. So far, it's not so bad largely thanks to the jabs I'm sure.

Hopefully it doesn't get any worse and I'm very glad it's now rather than last year. We shall see

Chessie678 · 04/09/2021 22:44

It’s not a risk I’m concerned about and I wouldn’t take any action to avoid covid for my own benefit. At the start of the first lockdown I looked at the stats for someone my age without pre-existing conditions and realised the risk to me was lower than an elective operation I’d had and than giving birth and all sorts of other risks I take without much thought. My risk now is lower than it was then because I’m now vaccinated. For my son the risks of flu or RSV are significantly higher.

Even if there was a high risk if I caught it I don’t think it’s possible to live a life worth living and to avoid it indefinitely so I wouldn’t see any point in mitigations which slightly reduce the risk.

Rabblesthecat · 04/09/2021 22:55

I’m 45
Bmi 52
Probably diabetic given family history
Have high BP that I ignore

I had covid and to be honest the worst is I now hate onions and garlic once my taste and smell came back - the actual illness was a bad cold

That was pre being jabbed

According to people here I should be dead.

Risk is overstated by most

Notdoingthis · 05/09/2021 08:07

I am 38 and in good health. I am also now double jabbed. From the outset I have understood that the risk of me suffering badly were I to catch Covid is very low.
My dd tested positive when I was single jabbed. Either I didn't get it or was symptomless.
I don't worry at all if I am outside, or inside with masks, or anywhere really. I do higher risk activities, like getting in a car, daily.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 05/09/2021 11:18

I don't. I live normally, I don't wear a mask. I've had Covid recently and it was no worse than a cold.

OliveTree75 · 05/09/2021 11:31

I don't think about it. I am a primary teacher. Have 2 kids in school and one in nursery. My dp works in a factory. We have no way or avoid the risk so just get in with life and living normally now. Cinema,days out,nights out etc. My dp caught covid at work in March and I caught it off him in the last week of my maternity leave. It was so incredibly mild. I have a bug now that's much worse.

OliveTree75 · 05/09/2021 11:31

to avoid*

QueenofKattegat · 05/09/2021 11:37

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

Eating out or visiting a library are non essentials so if you’re thinking in terms of risk then was the activity worth the risk is how I would look at it.

Non essentials? What are you on about? You know it's not April 2020 anymore, right?

Unicornshorn · 05/09/2021 12:01

I'm not worried about getting Covid and figure with kids at school it's going to happen at some point, but I'm really struggling with the idea of passing it onto others. I can't seem to get my head around it and it's stopping me from seeing people as I don't want to be the cause. I think that's the hardest part for me and Government messaging hasn't helped! I know most are vaccinated now but it's just hard getting it out of my head.

Choconuttolata · 05/09/2021 12:30

Sorry to hear about your father 💐. It is no wonder you are anxious.

Risk assessment comprises several layers.

Your age, you are not in the highest risk age groups.
Your general state of health such as comorbities or conditions that may put you more at risk of more serious illness, other factors that impact your immune system such as stress, nutrition etc...
Where you are in the vaccination stages.

I personally would wear a mask generally indoors in public places or on public transport until you are 14 days post your 2nd vaccine because your protection is not yet as good as it will be when you have finished the course. Using mouth wash regularly (there are studies on this) and saline nasal spray after being in a public place might help to wash away or neutralise any virus particles which may reduce viral load if exposed. Outdoors is less of a risk and you shouldn't need a mask unless it is crowded i.e. an outdoor market, festival etc...

Environment, inside/outside, concentration of people inside, behaviour of people inside without masks on (singing in a choir for example), time of year, likelihood of people being unwell possibly with Covid in the vicinity (in a hospital for example). Shops, library etc.. are not higher risk areas. Pubs during a football match, hospitals etc.. maybe.
Case prevalence in the community (likelihood of coming into contact with someone who has Covid). This may be something you consider with visitors to your home for example, not to have people over who have cold symptoms even if they aren't the main symptoms on the gov website just as a temporary precaution until you are post 2nd vaccine.
whether you have previously had Covid (and therefore have possibly some natural immunity)

And many other factors.

I work with sick people who may have Covid and other viruses, I have had Covid (and have long Covid) and am double vaccinated. I still wear masks indoors, on public transport and at work, practice hand hygiene etc.. I don't think too much about it other than than that as worrying about what I can't control is not good for me.

Please think about getting some support for what you have been through, there are bereavement services who can help you process your loss xx

nordica · 05/09/2021 13:54

It partly depends on what you mean by risk. Risk of death is very, very low unless you're very old or have pre-existing health conditions. But there are other risks too - for example someone who is self-employed or wouldn't get sick pay may be more cautious because getting covid could mean no income for a week or two. Long covid is also a realistic possibility (although still rare) and could drastically change someone's life.

On the other hand, life is full of risks.

For me personally it comes down to risk vs benefit, as with most things in life. So I'm doing everything I can to avoid catching covid, for example by wearing a better type of a mask that actually protects me (FFP2 grade) and avoiding crowded situations like pubs and concerts for now. But I do other things that may be "risky" but are also beneficial, for example I recently had an eye test even though it obviously involves having the optician an inch away from my face at some points. I use public transport but if possible, try to stay a bit away from others there even if it means standing instead of sitting in the middle of a row of seats for example. Obviously I will probably catch covid at some point anyway just like any other virus.

GoldFrankensteinAndGrrr · 05/09/2021 19:02

I'm so sorry for your loss @FeelingJittery1

I know you've been struggling horribly for a while now and losing your dad to covid must be doubly awful for you - in addition to your grief, your anxiety must be worse than ever and even harder to cope with/see things rationally.

Do you have any 'real life' support? Friends/family/GP? It may be worth having a word with your GP with a view to getting some support/counselling. Some areas have services you can refer yourself to. If you can, try to look into these.

If it helps put your mind at rest - I'm 49, have underlying conditions, am on steroid medication for rheumatoid arthritis (so both the disease and the treatment put me at high risk), am obese (size 18) due to my lack of mobility and meds - but I've had covid twice (once pre-jabs, once after) and I was fine. The infection I had after my second jab barely registered it was so mild - a headache and some sneezing, felt a bit tired, that's it.

Try to look after yourself OP and I don't mean in a 'stay safe from covid' way - I mean, access help if you feel able, try to get plenty of sleep, eat regularly, stuff like that. Very unMN-y hugs

GoldFrankensteinAndGrrr · 05/09/2021 19:04

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

Eating out or visiting a library are non essentials so if you’re thinking in terms of risk then was the activity worth the risk is how I would look at it.

What an unhelpful, anxiety-feeding post.

delilahbucket · 05/09/2021 19:06

I don't assess anything, I just go about my normal daily life while I can. Life is too short to be worrying about these things. We've had fear instilled in us for so long (and I get it, it was for good reason) but it is hard to undo that fear. You are only a bit older than me OP, why do you think there is such a huge risk to you, even partially vaccinated? Unless you are CEV, there really is no need to go on the way you are. Imagine what you are teaching your child.

BogRollBOGOF · 05/09/2021 20:46

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

Eating out or visiting a library are non essentials so if you’re thinking in terms of risk then was the activity worth the risk is how I would look at it.

If we reduce life to essentials only, we could make do with living off gruel and living in tents and it would be very shit indeed. Stripping life down like that has done so much harm to so many millions of people in the past 18m.

Life is precious and can be fragile and it's important to enrich it and fill it with pleasures. Libraries enrich life, they are worth doing. Eating out turns food into a pleasure and makes a break from it being a domestic slog, it is worth doing.

Cream cakes, chippie chips and alcohol all contributed to my dad's sudden and premature death, but consumed sensibly they are pleasures that I find worth indulging in.

OP, I'm sorry that you've experienced this with your dad on top of the difficult anxiety that you were already facing. At 40 and partially vaccinated, if you catch Covid at some point, your odds are extremely high that it is a mild illness causing little more poor health than the normal range of a cold. Between anxiety and grief, it's important to gradually work at filling your life with the usual range of things that you normally do to enrich it. I hope you have access to appropriate support to help you through this.

Pootle40 · 05/09/2021 20:58

I don't think about it at all. Out and about constantly

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