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Original poster

Anyone else who can't help feeling like it's just a bit daft?

102 replies

HotelRotel · 14/12/2021 13:00

Before I go on I should say I know logically it's not daft and I understand the reasoning.

But I'm sat here, half way through isolation with positive DS and I can't help thinking it's all a bit ridiculous. He has not had a single symptom other than a very slightly raised temp the first day when I took him for a PCR. After that nothing, not a single cough, not a sniffle, no sore throat, no further temp, absolutely zilch.

I appreciate he's lucky but I have multiple friends who have either tested positive themselves or who's children have and they have felt perfectly fine.

Again, as I say above I do understand it, but the other half of me can't help but laugh at how crazy it is that I'm isolating my child who's perfectly well and doesn't understand why he can't just go about his normal life!

OP posts:
Blabla81 · 14/12/2021 13:07

Yes I get what you mean. My 10 year old was positive and then I caught it 7 days later so lots of isolating in our house. Neither of us really ill though - a bunged up nose for a few days at worst (and a bit of deafness for me). Felt really surreal to be ill but not ill. I rather enjoyed not being allowed out. Obviously I understand the reasoning but yes, it felt weird to me too. Even now, a week since my isolation ended, I’m still going about my business trying to be cautious not to catch this virus that’s in the news but my brain is not quite comprehending that it’s the virus I’ve just had. If that makes sense?

slaybell · 14/12/2021 13:08

I agree OP but you will be flamed on here.

The point is obviously that he doesn't go and spread it to people who will suffer more severe symptoms. We all know that.

But..... it has to end at some point. Society cannot continue to sustain continuous isolation.

FuzzyPuffling · 14/12/2021 13:09

But it's not about you, is it? it's about other people who might not be so lucky if infected by your child. Have a little empathy.

AlaskaThunderfuckHiiiiiiiii · 14/12/2021 13:10

@slaybell agree with what you’ve said and thought this for a while now

Original poster
HotelRotel · 14/12/2021 13:11

@FuzzyPuffling

But it's not about you, is it? it's about other people who might not be so lucky if infected by your child. Have a little empathy.
I know that, which is exactly why I'm going along with it and which I explained at the top of my post.

It just seems surreal though when you see how well my son is, that he needs isolating. That's all I'm saying. I am perfectly aware of the why.

OP posts:
HermioneWeasley · 14/12/2021 13:11

Agree. We don’t do this for flu or noro virus

WheelieBinPrincess · 14/12/2021 13:12

I agree but now you’ll get a load of hysteria about how he’ll kill a granny if he doesn’t isolate.

ILookAtTheFloor · 14/12/2021 13:13

Yeah it's bonkers.

Completely agree.

Lifeispassingby · 14/12/2021 13:15

@HermioneWeasley but we do don’t we? With D&V you stay at home off work/school whilst infectious and the same with Flu. If you’re ill and/or might infect others you don’t go spreading it about do you?

Original poster
HotelRotel · 14/12/2021 13:15

Felt really surreal to be ill but not ill

Yes, this really.

In previous years I'd have had no idea he had any sort of virus right now and we'd just be going on with life. It just seems odd that I know he has this virus we're all talking about and yet he is absolutely fine. Explaining to him why he can't to and do X or Y or see this person because he's got a virus but he's not actually poorly. Crazy.

OP posts:
brogued · 14/12/2021 13:16

I agree but then I also think about that end bit of chicken pox when they're better and climbing the walls but still contagious and a risk to the vulnerable so I guess it's just similar to that.

minipie · 14/12/2021 13:17

Agree

Last week, DD was isolating for covid (zero symptoms after a mild headache/sore throat the first day). DH had covid in the summer and was similar.

Meanwhile I had a different bug (pcr negative twice), which was really nasty, put me in bed for three days and still not fully better. And yet - no restrictions on me going out and about.

It feels very illogical.

CrumpledCrumpet · 14/12/2021 13:18

Given what we now know about transmission (particularly in it often occurring when people are presymptomatic) I do think we need to start thing seriously about the costs/benefits of 10 day isolation periods.

If Omicron is spreading like wildfire, mostly (?) while people are pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic, is keeping all those people off work and school for 10 days just shutting the door after the horse has bolted?

Maybe rules need to change to ‘while symptoms persist’ or 5 days from a positive test, whichever is the longer?

thewhatsit · 14/12/2021 13:19

@slaybell

I agree OP but you will be flamed on here.

The point is obviously that he doesn't go and spread it to people who will suffer more severe symptoms. We all know that.

But..... it has to end at some point. Society cannot continue to sustain continuous isolation.

Yes I agree with this too.

I returned to normal life as soon as I could in almost all ways but one which is that I just can’t bring myself to go to a local community shop / charity area that is mainly run for and by older people. They NEED younger people like me and my family to go and buy their coffees and spend time with the people there I know but still it’s the idea that at any point I could be harbouring a virus that could kill them. Of course Covid, but also flu or a sickness bug or anything else. We really can’t live like this forever but it’s a hard idea to get rid of from your head once it’s there.

The next stage of living with Covid was always going to be reducing testing to actually ill people but I suppose that’s delayed now because of omicron. At some point it’s coming though and we’re going to have to get over the “don’t kill Granny”ness of it all.

InCahootswithOrwell · 14/12/2021 13:19

@slaybell

I agree OP but you will be flamed on here.

The point is obviously that he doesn't go and spread it to people who will suffer more severe symptoms. We all know that.

But..... it has to end at some point. Society cannot continue to sustain continuous isolation.

It can’t really afford to not sustain isolation for the moment either.

Have you considered what would happen if the entire healthcare service or other key sectors had to shut down because covid was running rampant through their staff, many of whom might not be well enough to work or there were so many people in hospital at one time that we just wouldn’t be able to deal with emergency care at all.

At some point in the future, we will probably get there, but we haven’t got to that stage yet.

Brigittebidet · 14/12/2021 13:21

Yep - I hear you. My DD (aged 11) is on day 8 of an isolation after testing positive having had a mild headache. I'm delighted she's got no symptoms but it seems utterly crazy to keep her indoors.

DH sent a video of her on the indoor bike trainer to one of our friends saying "She tested positive yesterday" and got the response back "what for? EPO?"

emmaluggs · 14/12/2021 13:23

But it’s like D&V or chicken pox you shouldn’t be out and about whilst suffering with those viruses. It’s not crazy though is it? We are in a pandemic, that’s the crazy part. Life won’t always be like this, but the pandemic isn’t over so 🤷🏼‍♀️

Original poster
HotelRotel · 14/12/2021 13:26

@brogued

I agree but then I also think about that end bit of chicken pox when they're better and climbing the walls but still contagious and a risk to the vulnerable so I guess it's just similar to that.
I guess so, although I don't really feel like he's been through ANY stage of this where he's actually been unwell. He had a very slightly elevated temp once which came down within half an hour and never came back and he didn't even seem bothered about that at the time.
OP posts:
Beebopawhop · 14/12/2021 13:30

Same here he's absolutely fine and raging to go to school he's climbing the walls and he's perfectly fine but I see it how it is and also we are all isolating just in case even though our PCR are negative!!!

CrumpledCrumpet · 14/12/2021 13:37

Have you considered what would happen if the entire healthcare service or other key sectors had to shut down because covid was running rampant through their staff, many of whom might not be well enough to work or there were so many people in hospital at one time that we just wouldn’t be able to deal with emergency care at all.

In the situation you describe a large part of the impact on service delivery is the impact of isolation itself.

With Omicron being so transmissible you’ve got the very real risk that one presymptomatic person can infect dozens of others, then they are all out of action for 10 days irrespective of how unwell they are.

How likely is it that this people will infect others on day 7,8,9,10 of isolation if they’ve had no symptoms or very mild symptoms?

We’ve already cut the isolation period from 14 days to 10 and (depending on the evidence) there might well be a case for bringing it down further still in the case of mild illness.

RobinPenguins · 14/12/2021 13:40

Yes. I think we’ll look back in future years and wonder wtf we were doing. It already seems madness to me that my 3 year old repeatedly had to stay at home with just DH & I for 10 days at a time this year because she didn’t even have covid but someone else had.

Most of the people most vulnerable to covid are, unfortunately, those who are most vulnerable to other infections children could have but don’t have to isolate for like influenza, RSV etc. I’m actually quite terrified that covid might normalise isolating people for other things in the name of protecting the vulnerable, or the NHS or whatever.

TheKeatingFive · 14/12/2021 13:45

We are in a pandemic, that’s the crazy part. Life won’t always be like this, but the pandemic isn’t over so

What kind of timeframe are you envisaging? What does the pandemic being 'over' mean to you?

I totally hear you OP

LifeIsWhat · 14/12/2021 14:01

Absolutely agree with you Op. It is important to do our own critical thinking and ask questions!

Coronachristmas21 · 14/12/2021 14:04

I agree. Ds tested positive last week. He was mildly ill for one day. I get that you could be contagious for 10 days but are we? Doesn't make sense.

Ds got ill for one day and has to isolate for 9 days when feeling perfectly well.

Yet you could have someone who feels very ill for the whole 10 days and are allowed out on day 11 despite that they were ill for much longer and more likely to be contagious still.

We can't do this forever surely.

Delatron · 14/12/2021 14:04

I think soon we’ll stop testing so much. And the obsession with cases will end. Refocus on admissions (and admissions because of Covid not incidental - big difference) and deaths.

Then hopefully no more disruption for kids.

Critical thinking in this pandemic went MIA for most quite some time ago.