Help reassure me I’m doing the right thing

[Enlightenme1]

Haven’t LFTed yet but am pretty sure I have the dreaded Omicron. Presenting over the two days as an extremely mild cold with slight running nose and occasional sneezing.

Of course once I’ve tested positive it means I’m locked down until 2022 and my family’s post Christmas and NYE plans cancelled. That’s if we’re not all locked down shortly anyway.

We have not left the house since Christmas Eve which is why I have not seen the point in ruining Christmas and testing until now.

For of you that are more pragmatic about these things, please help reassure me that it is worth sacrificing what my family has left of the end of an otherwise shitty year for what is essentially a mild cold.

Of course I will abide by all the rules to protect the clinically vulnerable, the NHS and the unvaccinated, but I also can’t be alone in really starting to question who and what we should really be putting first, and how much more any of us can realistically take if we end up in this same situation next year.

That’s my whole point. I am not unique. There are many, many people classed as vulnerable who are contributing to society. Doctors, dentists, teachers, social workers, shop workers … basically every job you can think of. These people and their families cannot realistically lock themselves away or lock themselves away from each other indefinitely. To be honest, I don’t follow much of your argument so I can’t be bothered to engage any more. Enjoy your Boxing Day.

@SergeiL exactly so.

Given age is the biggest risk factor, we'd lose every experienced NHS consultant overnight.

Plus all the Asians.

@vickyc90's idea is personally offensive to me. I'm clinically vulnerable and have been in treating Covid patients throughout. But that isn't what matters. What matters is it's daft. The vulnerable aren't some discreete group who can be shoved into caravans for 6 months and ignored without impacting on mainstream society. Plenty are keyworkers. NHS staff. Shop staff. Teachers. Keeping the lights on. And plenty of the others rely on regular contact from carers and clinicians so as not to topple over.

Thank you @Motorina Despite trying to walk away, and rise above it, I was left feeling angry, upset and offended by some of these comments. The good news is my anger spurred me on to do some tidying up and cleaning which were long overdue! I appreciate your solidarity. It has cheered me up a bit, although I do despair of these attitudes.

One of my kids had odd symptoms last week - headache, fatigue. Two negative LFT and I sent her back to school. Oldest had headaches a few days later and a positive LFT so I got them PCRs - both positive

It has ruined Xmas and will ruin new year. If I hadn’t tested I would have been in ignorant bliss but we still don’t know the risk of this variant to elderly people. I had to do the right thing.

If Boris decides no restrictions for NYE, I wonder how many people will bother to test or ignore mild symptoms before going out to pubs, clubs or parties in peoples homes because they don't want to ruin their plans?

@vickyc90 do you will be happy for schools, Public Services etc etc to be disrupted for a few months whilst the vulnerable stay home for a bit.

@vickyc90 do you include anyone in the original vaccination groups in your 'lock 'em up' plans? DH is 67, should I be isolating from him in once of these mythical caravans (not sure where I should pitch it, the garden's too small for a caravan) or should I just isolate in the house with him and we never venture out again.

A few days ago I suggested sending the army door to door for mandatory vaccination. Low and behold sadly it's not mandatory but vaccine teams are set to go door to door. I would imagine by this time next year we will be paying for PCRs and LF if we want them.

And you can shove your mandatory vaccines. What's going to happen when I don't answer the door?

I can't decide if you're mad or being deliberately provocative for the hell of it.

@SergeiL. Yeah the shield the vulnerable is totally ridiculous. I guess they all could be sent away to some hotel and looked after by cv staff members etc etc.
I guess they can make all the sacrifice to enable those higher human beings without vulnerabilities to do as they please.
As if they haven't already done their share to protect the NHS by shielding.

@PinkSparklyPussyCat considering the size of some of the military lads around here I wouldn't be saying no and even tho my husband is a well built lad who I say no to!

I'm not on about everyone over 60 etc, but the 3.8million originally told to shield should be shielding still in my opinion. If you look at what the ITU consultants keep posting it's the CEV with vaccine failure and unvaccinated taking up ITU beds so they should be who we are targeting with restrictions not the well. At the end of the day ours kids and grand kids will be paying for all of this not even us, I would like to keep that bill as small as possible even if it's unpopular.

@vickyc90 are you really saying they should be able to force their way into peoples' homes to make them have vaccinations? Just because they are bigger than me they can inject me against my will?

I'm not an anti vaxxer, I've had my 3 vaccines but that's it for now. I may consider having another one in a years time but I don't have any other vaccines regularly so chances are I might not have this one, as is my right.

@vickyc90 my dh is CEV he runs his own business that employs over 70 people who all rely on him being at work, maybe he should tell them and their families that he has to shut down for 2-3 months over the winter !
There are clinically vulnerable people an all walks of life... NHS staff, supermarket staff who all have families and bills to pay if they all shut themselves away every winter the economy would collapse, but hey as long as you get to carry on as normal that's all that matters.

FYI. Worth getting pcr. I've no symptoms and having negative LFT over and over but had a positive pcr test when I did one with my little girl as she wanted me to do one with her.

Back to the OP. Do a test. I heard that depending on where you are in the country, the chances of cold symptoms being omicron are about 50%.

I have stuck by the rules from the start and was one of the first to pull my kids out of school in the lead-up to lockdown in 2021. I'm starting to relax when it comes to omicron in terms of severity of illness (no-one CEV in this household), but the people I know who have had it still needed a few days off work to recover - so by spreading it, you may not put anyone in hospital but you might ensure that a nurse, teacher, doctor, isn't able to go to work next week.