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Original poster

To actively want to be infected and get Covid out of the way...

247 replies

treeflowercat · 15/01/2022 05:34

This might sound crazy but I'd actually quite like to get Covid over the next few weeks.

I'm triple jabbed and have never had it (even though everyone in my house has) but I hate the anxiety of planning events and holidays knowing that an infection could ruin them (a colleague recently had to postpone their long planned trip abroad due to a positive Covid test.

I also hate the feeling that I may be infected (without knowing it even after a negative LFT) when visiting my elderly parents, especially when staying with them for a few days.

I know that getting infected won't give me immunity forever, but I'd likely be at extremely low risk of infection over the spring and summer if I got Omicron now... That would be a massive relief to me.

I know I could get it severely but that's extremely unlikely, and I could get long Covid, but all in all, i'm very unlikely never to get Covid so it seems far better for me to get now and to isolate with what will probably just be a cold now in January when I've got little planned, than run the gauntlet over the spring/summer with all the anxiety this will cause.

All things considered it seems a rational weighing up of the risks, but I'm sure not everyone will see it that way.... Am I crazy?

OP posts:
hamstersarse · 15/01/2022 08:51

I was relieved to get omicron too for the reasons you point out.

Skiing next week and nit worried about another covid cancellation.

Yumperwumpee · 15/01/2022 08:51

My extremely clinically vulnerable mum who has avoided it like, well, the plague for the last 2 years caught it just before Christmas. Barely a sniffle. I think she was hugely relieved.

Thievesoil · 15/01/2022 08:53

My story is an odd one. I think I had covid in 2020 (before I could be tested). So that’s nearly two years ago.

I just looked after a sick granny and two covid kids - didn’t get anything.

So I think whatever I have had has protected me down the line. I tested negative - numerous LFT and a PCR. But I had an awful headache for a day (don’t get awful headaches usually). In this that was my immune system doing its job again

I have heard of re infections though. We don’t know how much immunity omicron will confer so it will be interesting to see what happens with future variants

HeidiHaus · 15/01/2022 08:53

I get where you are coming from...a bit....but not sure I'd deliberately try and catch it! In fact over the past few weeks I've been to a concert, two pantomimes, kids' parties, travelled on packed buses, tubes and trains (live in London) and still somehow not caught it, not has any of my household so Confused
It feels inevitable but catching it once doesn't mean you wouldn't get it again over the summer anyway.

middleager · 15/01/2022 08:53

@hamstersarse

I was relieved to get omicron too for the reasons you point out.

Skiing next week and nit worried about another covid cancellation.

My son's scho ski trip for Feb was cancelled. Events are still being cancelled wven if you've had Covid....
luckylavender · 15/01/2022 08:53

@treeflowercat

The reason some people have had it twice in quick succession is that Omicron was more significantly different to prior variants. Prior to that rapid re-infection was very, very rare indeed, even with Delta.

There may be another evading variant come along over the next few months, but omicron was the first such one to gain traction in two years, so it's unlikely.

Are you an epidemiologist? Because actually there are no certainties.
WhoWants2Know · 15/01/2022 08:55

I'm not sure why you feel that another variant is unlikely.

Mistlewoeandwhine · 15/01/2022 08:55

Everyone in our house had alpha then delta plus. My delta plus was worse and took me three months to feel normal again. Don’t wish anything like that on yourself.

nordica · 15/01/2022 08:56

I understand the thinking as I've not had it before and almost just want to get it over with too... But I also know quite a few people who've had it in recent weeks and two in particular say it's far from mild and have both had to take over 10 days off. Both women in their 30s and 40s, had their boosters and low risk otherwise, and incidentally both self employed and struggling with the loss of income so definitely not making it up. One tested positive Xmas day and still struggling with brain fog and extreme fatigue now.

So given it's easy to get reinfected and there's no guarantee you won't get a bad case of it, it would be pretty pointless to get it if you can avoid it. And actually even if not, you could end up with a different virus that ruins your plans in the future, noro on holiday or flu when you want to see elderly relatives.

BonnesVacances · 15/01/2022 08:57

Eh? Why don't you just try not to get it? Good mask, good ventilation and social distancing.

userxx · 15/01/2022 08:57

I was happy to get it out of the way in mid October, Xmas plans went ahead.

girasol · 15/01/2022 09:00

I’m 100% with you OP, I was so pleased to make it to Xmas without catching it and having family plans ruined. Since then I’ve just wanted to get it over with, it’s inevitable we will all catch it unless you can shield.

And now I do have Covid and it’s a massive relief! Smile I reckon we have at least a few months of not having to worry at all. And it means our February holiday plans are now much more likely to go ahead.
Yes, we don’t know how long Omicron immunity will last but those mentioning Kier Starmer - his last infection was Oct so that would have been Delta, and it’s well known that Delta gives limited protection from Omicron.

BonnesVacances · 15/01/2022 09:01

This batshit attitude reminds me of an email from my DM that hasn't aged well. DD is CEV and we were worried about her catching Covid. She did get it in the spring of 2020 from DS who was going to school. When my DM found out, she sent me an email saying it was excellent news and at least we didn't have to worry about her catching it now. Confused More than 20 months later, DD is still bedbound and we've installed a stairlift as she spent over a year stuck upstairs. And that's only scratching the surface of the ongoing problems! Excellent news it was not! Hmm

ZenNudist · 15/01/2022 09:04

But you can get it again. Quickly. Totally pointless trying to get it out the way.

yellowtotebag · 15/01/2022 09:06

None of you have yet put forward a good enough reason for me not to go and get Covid over the coming weeks....

Confused
Doidontimmm · 15/01/2022 09:07

I feel exactly the same as you OP! I’m getting married this year and really really want to catch it beforehand!

blackcurrantjam · 15/01/2022 09:12

I understand. I'm the last in my family to get it and it's a relief. It's been weeks of disruption.

WakeUpLockie · 15/01/2022 09:13

This exact same thread came up a couple of weeks ago.

Original poster
treeflowercat · 15/01/2022 09:14

@ZenNudist

But you can get it again. Quickly. Totally pointless trying to get it out the way.
But the rapid re-infection was only due to Omicron having some very different characteristics to other variants. There was no rapid reinfection for the original, Alpha or Delta. So unless Omicron type variant over the coming months, then reinfection should be extremely unlikely.

Yes, another such variant could emerge, and probably will emerge at some point, but given Omicron was the first such variant to gain traction in two years, the odds are that one won't over the coming months.

OP posts:
Original poster
treeflowercat · 15/01/2022 09:14

@WakeUpLockie

This exact same thread came up a couple of weeks ago.
Did it? I must have missed it... would have been doing other things over New Year period than check every thread!
OP posts:
WakeUpLockie · 15/01/2022 09:15

Omg @BonnesVacances what does DM say about that??? Does she take it back? What an awful situation Flowers

bringmelaughter · 15/01/2022 09:22

I don’t understand your argument about reinfection. Omicron is the dominant circulating strain. If you ‘purposefully’ catch Covid now, you could still be reinfected again and again. It doesn’t get it out of the way at all.

If you have a holiday booked in say 8 weeks time, getting Covid now doesn’t get it out of the way. You could get infected again prior to the holiday and not be able to go.

Mumdiva99 · 15/01/2022 09:24

So we all had covid for first time beginning of Dec. Youngest son has woken up with symptoms this morning and just had a positive LFT. So.....not sure your certainty about reinfection stacks up.....

Blubells · 15/01/2022 09:24

I have read that your immunity is raised a lot by getting infected with Omicron, especially after having had at least one vaccine.

Original poster
treeflowercat · 15/01/2022 09:26

@BonnesVacances

Eh? Why don't you just try not to get it? Good mask, good ventilation and social distancing.
I'm really sorry to hear what happened with your DD, and I can understand why you think I'm being irresponsible as a result, but if I got it now, I'd be less of a risk to my elderly parents as I'm not planning to see them until early March (we are 150 miles away).

Also, we can't mask and socially distance forever...well,'we could, but that wouldn't be acceptable to the vast majority of people.

OP posts: