Works Christmas night out

[Kaylasmum49]

I have my works night out this Saturday, I have been looking forward to it but with the new variant and rising cases I am worried about going. I have very severe health anxiety and due to covid my anxiety has worsened. I am 55, double vaccinated, should be getting my booster very soon. Am I overreacting or is the risk of catching covid from the night out very high?

@Bobholll

What a rediculous comment *@Cariah* - you’ve had it now & have protection for a good while. Also, you got it & you were fine. Poorly but fine. Just like any other nasty illnesses that go around. If you take that attitude, you’ll never leave the house again in case you catch a nasty illness .. may as well not be alive. How boring & lonely.

I can’t wait for all the parties & meals I have in December. I’m so excited after nothing last year! But I don’t have health anxiety & I'm not scared of covid. I’ve had it twice & while I was quite ill the second time, it’s not gona stop me from living life. We all get ill. You feel miserable & then recover. Life is for living. Not hiding. Wear a mask, get vaccinated, lateral flow & carry on.

Same here. You would go insane thinking like this. That's no life.

Gov say they aren’t changing the guidance but Health chief says avoid unnecessary socialising

news.sky.com/story/covid-19-dont-socialise-unless-necessary-to-help-slow-omicron-variant-spread-says-uk-health-chief-12483022

What’s unnecessary socialising though? The plans I have for December have been a huge boost for my MH. The Christmas activities in school have been a huge boost to DDs wellbeing. Unnecessary socialising basically means stay at home & don’t see anyone. No thanks.

God I must be the exception here, I’ve had covid (recently) and actually feel liberated now. I’m going to Panto etc through December - doing all the things I was nervous to do before.

Having literally done nothing through this bloody pandemic, I mean no cafes, bars, restaurants or events - I still caught it. I’d rather have been living my best life tbh.

[quote Paddingtonthebear]Gov say they aren’t changing the guidance but Health chief says avoid unnecessary socialising

news.sky.com/story/covid-19-dont-socialise-unless-necessary-to-help-slow-omicron-variant-spread-says-uk-health-chief-12483022[/quote]
I’m going to a show on the 21st. I consider it very necessary :)

@Bobholll - yes, you're 100% right, I will get better, but it's just more that I wouldn't want to feel this way over Christmas as it will ruin it. Im glad I've had it, as I think my body will now be better equipped next time, but it has def. put me off going out for a bit.

The only reason we’ve postponed ours is because of the 10 day quarantine requirement if you are a close contact of someone testing positive with the new variant. It’s too big a risk that people will have to miss seeing family over Christmas.

Jenny Harris - the Health Chief mentioned above - is the epitome of a clueless clever person. Warning people off unnecessary socialising in the run up to Xmas - a time that is the actual definition of unnecessary socialising, is so ivory Tower and out of touch it's unreal. No wonder she's been met with an embarrassed silence by the Govt!

@Puppylucky

Jenny Harris - the Health Chief mentioned above - is the epitome of a clueless clever person. Warning people off unnecessary socialising in the run up to Xmas - a time that is the actual definition of unnecessary socialising, is so ivory Tower and out of touch it's unreal. No wonder she's been met with an embarrassed silence by the Govt!

I think it's more likely that is what the experts are advising and that government (who do have to consider public opinion) are resisting.

@Puppylucky

Jenny Harris - the Health Chief mentioned above - is the epitome of a clueless clever person. Warning people off unnecessary socialising in the run up to Xmas - a time that is the actual definition of unnecessary socialising, is so ivory Tower and out of touch it's unreal. No wonder she's been met with an embarrassed silence by the Govt!

Well put.

OP it's fair enough if you don't want to go, understandable to feel that way, but there are lots of people who do want to go on Xmas dos, and it annoys me at work that some people not only want to not go themselves, but also want to get Xmas do's cancelled for colleagues. Should be down to personal choice now.

@girlmom21

The new variant doesn't have severe effects as far as they know at the moment. Nobody, even in Africa, has been hospitalised.

I'd go.

You have no possible way of knowing that. Every person who goes into hospital doesn't have genetic sequencing to check variant type.

What we do know is that in the South African provinces with high Omicron rates, hospitalisations have increased over 300% in two weeks.

OP I'm pretty relaxed and would go. But my vaccine is only a couple of months old. If you are due a booster then its because your efficacy is low, so if you're concerned you're not unreasonable to sit it out.

[quote PlinkPlankPlunk]I am increasingly feeling the same way, and I don’t usually get anxious about these things. I’m secretly hoping ours will be cancelled (but was really looking forward to it)

BTW Jenny Harries had the following to say today:
www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/30/omicron-variant-festive-socialising-uk-health-official-caution[/quote]
Jenny Harries generally says what she is told to say by the government, so for her to say anything that enrages the self-styled "covid recovery group" MPs strikes me as a little significant.

DH was meant to be going out for a meal with his team. They've chosen to cancel the meal but will still go for a drink outside, sitting at two different tables and staying there. He's just checked weather forecast and it's meant to be 5c and raining, so I suspect it'll get cancelled.

We had an outdoor work do in the summer because we all agreed that the usual
Christmas party during covid was unwise, and likely to end up being cancelled anyway. We plan to do the same next summer. It was a lovely day.

People love an excuse not to go to a work party
🤣🤣🤣so true.

@Polmuggle those are literally the reports coming from South Africa and the UK tests are specifically being tested for omnicron...

@Cariah

I hadn’t been on a night out since 2019. Went out ONE time a couple of weeks ago. Caught Covid despite being double vaccinated! The vaccine probably stopped me becoming seriously ill but it was still nasty. I won’t be going out again.

I'm sorry you were ill but that's ridiculous. To put it into perspective, I've worked all the way through the pandemic (NHS frontline), to uni, pubs, night outs, university. Double jabbed and I haven't had covid once! Realise I have been fortunate but at this point by taking sensible precautions we need to start living as it doesn't look like covid is going anywhere!

@girlmom21 could you link to one that says there have been no hospitalisations?

All that I have read says it's too soon to tell due to lack of genetic sequencing but that early data suggests omicron is connected to rising hospital rates in those countries badly effected.

Since starting new RA drugs in the summer, I'm considered 'vulnerable' (which is bonkers for me to get my head around - I'm the least vulnerable looking person you could imagine!). My consultant told me that 'until all this is over' I have to avoid crowded places, despite being double jabbed and soon to be boostered. I was specifically told no busy bars, parties or gigs. Live music used to be my life - I would go to a couple of gigs a week, pre-covid. I loved going to bustling cocktail bars with DH, too. I had a couple of evenings out in the summer before I started the meds and they were bittersweet, because I knew it would be a very long time until I'd see a band again or go for post-gig drinks with DH again.

I miss that part of my life so much. I genuinely feel as if I've lost a part of my identity - music was so much a part of my life. I don't get to go anywhere really now - we don't drive and I've been told not to use public transport if it's busy, which in a city it always is. I'm back to lockdown life, essentially.

Please, OP (and anyone else) - if you're not vulnerable, and you're double jabbed, and you really want to do a thing, do it. Experiences are so precious and while I know you may be worried, being stuck at home not participating in life is shit and soul destroying. I know because I'm doing it.

See if everyone will do LFTs first, to put your mind at rest, but go @Kaylasmum49 and have a lovely time (and have a drink for me ).

[quote Polmuggle]@girlmom21 could you link to one that says there have been no hospitalisations?

All that I have read says it's too soon to tell due to lack of genetic sequencing but that early data suggests omicron is connected to rising hospital rates in those countries badly effected. [/quote]
It was a few days ago but I heard it on the news and radio. I've found a link from 19 hours ago that says hospitalisations are low and there have been no omnicron related deaths there yet indianexpress.com/article/india/omicron-news-from-south-africa-high-fatigue-low-hospitalisation-7648142/lite/

Ok but 'low hospitalisation' is different from 'nobody hospitalised, even in Africa'.

Not trying to start a fight! It was just that statement I was arguing against.

I’m not sure what to do!

DH’s Christmas do is in a couple of weeks, huge event where lots of people will be in one room!

Feels like I’ll be mixing in an Omicron soup!

I think it’s the fact that it’s so close to Christmas! One night out, mixing with lots of people you don’t really know could result in a 10 day isolation and ruining Christmas plans!

@Cariah Sorry you went through that. It’s very kind of you to share your experience to help other people avoid going through the same thing when faced with a similar situation.

@TheVampiresWife That is so sad to hear. Live music is a big part of my life as well and I can only imagine how sad it must be to be cut off from the things you love. Wishing you all the best and hope things get better for you soon

@Polmuggle

Ok but 'low hospitalisation' is different from 'nobody hospitalised, even in Africa'.

Not trying to start a fight! It was just that statement I was arguing against.

At the time they were reporting no hospitalisations from that variant. Obviously that can change drastically in the course of a few days, or maybe they were mis-reporting.