Isolation time cut. Good or bad? *MNHQ editing to say 'only England so far!'*

[AD80]

We've just had covid.

Dp and Ds have had it and both out of isolation. Dp finished isolating last week and still had a line on the test for days afterwards - doing it out curiosity. He had barely any symptoms either.

My last day of isolation today and Dd on Friday.

I'm negative on lft today.

But Dd still has a strong positive despite that she's had no symptoms whatsoever!

Is this really going to work?!

Whilst it's welcome in many instances like people going back to work sooner etc.

But they say you can test positive for weeks after so it's not going to work this way for many people!

For instance. I've been quite ill, still don't feel 100 percent and now my lft's are negative on day 10 despite being more affected than everyone else in the house.

Dd has had no symptoms and still positive on day 9 after testing positive

Dp had barely any symptoms but had a line for days after covid.

We haven't lft tested ds. we just isolated him.

It’s a good thing as it’s only with a negative lateral flow. And from what I can see omicron stops being infectious after three or four days. As the vast majority of folks are getting omicron now it makes sense to reduce the isolation period.

I also think this policy highlights the problem of policy over reach if there are not enough dissenting voices and people to say “no!”
Seems to afflict smaller countries more than larger ones I presume as just fewer people and do harder to disagree.
Thank god in England at least we have other voices in government as a check and balance if government tries to go too far. That a labour government can’t see this is an authoritarian move is worrying.

Good. I am allegedly positive but this doesn’t feel like a bad cold. It feels like lm drained, have been overdoing it a bit lately (moving house and busy at work will make you feel like that!) and that’s it really. I do acknowledge it’s the 2nd time l have it and l am double jabbed -l would have had the booster but the covid diagnosis kiboshed that!

I do think it's a good thing, although in some ways kind of pointless as those who just want to get out of isolation will just lie and say lft was negative regardless

It's a great thing

Also a bit concerning re what will be happening in schools and the potential for transmission there.

But kids and teachers don't need to be locked away for 10 days it the virus is so mild?

Perhaps they'll soon not have to isolate at all when getting covid? Like when a child has a mild cold?

But the virus is more transmissible.

So if 1 person comes back to the classroom still potentially mildly infectious, and is in an enclosed space for 6 hours or so with 30 people, is there not a risk of transmission? Affecting potentially many people in that class?

I wonder whether the Nervtag research was done with delta patients or with omicron patients. Have they even had time to look at omicron patients?

Came in to contact with positive person on Saturday. I tested positive on Monday and had 3 negative tests (all 12 hours between them) on Sunday morning and evening and Monday morning. I felt the worst on Wednesday (slight headache and tired), but normal from Thursday. I only did a Lat as I didnt want phone calls from doing a PCR.

I can see it is handy for businesses if both staff and customers don't have to isolate for so long, but how does the science work?

I suspect it’s along the lines of infectiousness declining by day 7 to such an extent that it wasn’t providing benefit enough to justify the isolation.

There will always be exceptions (such as the ten days and still positive example on this thread), but if the majority end up non-infectious by day 7 then that’s all that is needed.

@herecomesthsun

But the virus is more transmissible.

So if 1 person comes back to the classroom still potentially mildly infectious, and is in an enclosed space for 6 hours or so with 30 people, is there not a risk of transmission? Affecting potentially many people in that class?

I wonder whether the Nervtag research was done with delta patients or with omicron patients. Have they even had time to look at omicron patients?

It said when you go back to wfh or avoid indoor spaces that are crowded. Awful for schools.

So if 1 person comes back to the classroom still potentially mildly infectious, and is in an enclosed space for 6 hours or so with 30 people, is there not a risk of transmission? Affecting potentially many people in that class?

But it might be a good thing to get as much of the population exposed to omicron if it's a relatively mild virus? It boosts our overall immunity against coronavirus. And the wave would be over quickly?

Awful because it has everywhere to spread. Esp primary. No vaccination.

For kids

Staff will still be off. More so!

But hopefully the omicron wave will plateau and decline much quicker?

@VanCleefArpels

You can still have some symptoms (cough especially) after the 10 days. The gov guidance has always said this. The point is the cough droplets at that point are not carrying virus. If a test shows no virus at day 6/7 then that’s fine. People will hopefully take their own precautions in any event (re Grannies and unventilated crowded spaces).

The new guidance clearly says to continue isolating if you have symptoms. You only LFT on days 6 and 7 if you have no symptoms.

@Blubells I don't think we want to accelerate the speed of this particular wave spreading. One of the big problems is the potentially large number of people who could all need hospitalisation at once.

I'll never get out of isolation if my current pcr comes bsxm positive, I've been coughing for 7 weeks!

I'm still not mixing with the rather insistent relatives until its been 10 days since their test.

@Blubells I don't think we want to accelerate the speed of this particular wave spreading. One of the big problems is the potentially large number of people who could all need hospitalisation at once.

Yes, but so far hospitalisations remain relatively low. I also read that 2/3 of covid patients in hospitals actually picked up covid while there... So they're less likely to die of it.

@DumplingsAndStew that is not right. The guidance says you can do the early release as long as you don’t have a temperature and you test negative twice with 24 hours between each test after day 6. The guidance has always recognised the fact that other symptoms including a cough may linger for some time afterwards

www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection#SymptomsPositiveTest

It sounds like a good idea in principle but how many of us know how many days it's been since we were exposed to the virus?

Because by day 8 after exposure LFDs don't detect virus any more.

So if you caught it from someone you live or work with, would you know precisely which day you caught it on?

It could your day 6 and 7 actually be day 8 and 9?

You count either from date of first symptoms or from date of positive test if asymptotic - not from date of exposure.

[quote VanCleefArpels]**@DumplingsAndStew* that is not right. The guidance says you can do the early release as long as you don’t have a temperature* and you test negative twice with 24 hours between each test after day 6. The guidance has always recognised the fact that other symptoms including a cough may linger for some time afterwards

www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection#SymptomsPositiveTest[/quote]
That's a relief, I didn't realise that, thank you.

@VanCleefArpels

I'm not sure that had been published when I read about it this morning, so I was basing my post on what had been reported in the press

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-59749447