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

[treeflowercat]

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?

I’m not actively trying to get it but not avoiding it either, if I haven’t yet had it

I currently am post booster which will wear off at some point

But you can get it more than once so how would you be getting it out of the way?

I agree. I didn't want it before Christmas because I didn't want to spoil the festivities for everyone - but now we're all back at work and school, and DD's mocks are out the way, and we have no holidays booked, it would be as good a time as any.

There are variants of omicron already because that's what viruses do they mutate and change, trends are reported upon, the data thread commented upon this yesterday. There are reports starting to come out of SA of reinfections, I saw this on Twitter this week.

@Lelivre Could you please provide links to such evidence?

Avoiding infection: Upgraded masks for the whole family.

It is well documented that immunity for Coronaviruses is not long lasting. As for SARS-COV-19 there are studies on how short lived immunity can be and how many especially children do not serocovert at all.

Also a high level of circulating AB's is required to resist infection. This wanes FAST. The jury is out regarding T cells. These are after all killer cells. There are theories that naive T cells are required and exhausting with succession of infection them is unwise. High circulating AB's are for sure needed, vaccination is the safest way to raise these.

I'd be massively shocked if you weren't part of the able-bodied community who take their health for granted

Yes I'm fortunate enough to be able-bodied. That's not my fault.

Over December I was very careful as a result of infections in the house. I pulled out of a choir concert having put in months of practice as I didn't want to risk passing Covid to the many older members at risk by being a contact. I didn't go to my works Christmas party for the same reason and as I didn't want to catch before I saw my parents over Christmas. I remember the nagging anxiety that I'd get it before i went to a concert and waste £hundreds sat at home (concert got cancelled due to omicron cases in band in the end!). I've had colds and the flu, and I'd prefer to have that now than having to repeat this over the summer ahead.

So the OP is just talking about living her life normally and not avoiding activities she likes. Rather than actively going out and seeking infected people to mix with. Sounds sensible to me.

Nobody will have had omicron twice (if that’s a possibility) as it’s too early

www.prevention.com/health/a38758270/omicron-reinfection-covid/
From the link
"Can you get Omicron twice?"
“Yes, you can get Omicron twice,” says Stanley Weiss, M.D., professor at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and the Department of Epidemiology at the Rutgers School of Public Health. He cites a recent lecture he attended from a virologist in South Africa, where Omicron first emerged, who said that doctors in the country had seen several people who had Omicron reinfections"

@Delatron

I’d also like to know how people are ‘avoiding’ Infection? What steps are you taking?

I'd like to know too!

I wear masks. I'm in Scotland so it's been constant mask wearing. I don't go out very often and even trips to non food shops now are rare as I hate not being able to see properly with a mask on.

I do have 2 kids at school and we are both out of the house for work.

I doubt it can be easily avoided if you have kids and work out of the house.

Yet we caught it when kids were off school and we were off work....

@Blubells

There are variants of omicron already because that's what viruses do they mutate and change, trends are reported upon, the data thread commented upon this yesterday. There are reports starting to come out of SA of reinfections, I saw this on Twitter this week.

@Lelivre Could you please provide links to such evidence?

If you Google Omicron Sub Variant or Lineage there are several, BA.2 is being tracked particularly in a few countries.

In the Technical Briefing 31 (UKHSA) it reports on multiple variants under surveillance. See page 7 I can't link at the moment sorry.

@Delatron

I’d also like to know how people are ‘avoiding’ Infection? What steps are you taking?

The main things we have consistently been advised to do are:

• masks (decent)
• avoid crowded places
• ventilation or even better outdoors

Nothing has changed in this basic advice from governments across the world.

Work is what it is, of course.

The most obvious way for me to be exposed was through dc which is what happened

For some reason it didn’t get passed on (vaccine or other)

So I’m fine with living normally

I absolutely understand what you mean.

I am CEV and shielded. I got covid last summer and was very ill. But when I tested positive there was almost feeling of relief to get it over with.
My eldest DC is a teacher and has been pretty anxious about covid all along, partly through health anxiety and partly for fear of giving it to us. He's just had covid and was mildly slightly unwell but immensely relieved to get it out of the way.

Of course you can get it again, but less likely after a recent infection. It gives some peace of mind having it and being OK too. It's all about probability.
This

@rrhuth what crowded places do you avoid? Just out of interest. Would you go to a pub/ restaurant or theatre? A gig? A plane?

@WindInTheWillows7

Infection gives you much better protection than a vaccine so yanbu

That's not true.

www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/covid-19-do-vaccines-protect-better-than-infection-induced-immunity

@Flaxmeadow

I appreciate that it's "possible" to get re-infected in a shorter timeframe if the precise circumstances align (slight initial infection followed by very heavy subsequent exposure coupled with innate susceptibility), in the same way it's "possible" for a fit and healthy person will die from Covid even after vaccination, but as the article you linked stated, omicron is similar in this regard to other variants. And given there have been 10s of millions of omicron infections, some re-infection exceptions aren't surprising.

It's all about probabilities... Nothing is certain, but an infection now would dramatically reduce my chances of a further omicron infection over the next six months or so.

Mild illness and seroconversion (unreliable rate of) is commented upon here. However more severe illness/viral load equated with better seroconversion rates and therefore protection.

In addition...From memory, coronaviruses (colds) are thought to protect an individual (experiencing natural infection) for 9-24 months. It's unclear regarding covid19 but due to the foregoing, seeking lifelong (mentioned on the thread somewhere...) immunity via infection, this approach would be short lived at best. You would be taking your chances...

www.news-medical.net/amp/news/20211020/Children-show-lower-seroconversion-rates-than-adults-with-mild-COVID-19.aspx

@LyndaLaHughes

Your link actually offers conflicting evidence. The following sentence is a direct quote from your linked article:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/covid-19-do-vaccines-protect-better-than-infection-induced-immunity

The Israeli study found that “natural immunity confers longer lasting and stronger protection against infection, symptomatic disease, and hospitalization caused by the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 [than] the BNT162b2 two-dose vaccine-induced immunity.”

@Eustonhalf

But you can get it more than once so how would you be getting it out of the way?

For the spring/summer... I've no illusions that immunity would be permanent.

There is talk on twitter just tonight about reinfection in SA from Omicron, I guess it will take time for that to be established or disproven.

According to US epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding, an Omicron reinfection is certainly possible if the first Omicron infection was of a 'low-dose' that did not stimulate the immune system enough.

Bluebells

The article then says in the next 2 paragraphs
"The VISION researchers say that this variation may be related to differences in the methods of the two studies and restrictions on the timing of vaccinations.

They also explain that the Israeli study “only examined vaccinations that had occurred 6 months earlier,” whereas the recent study recruited anyone who had received their vaccine 3–6 months previously."

@Blubells

According to US epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding, an Omicron reinfection is certainly possible if the first Omicron infection was of a 'low-dose' that did not stimulate the immune system enough.

In that sense it's no different to any other variant.

I’m with you OP (altho I’m not sure how long natural immunity from Omicron lasts before you can be reinfected).

My little girl was due to start school last Sep, we saw a friend who’s daughter was also starting, and she said the whole family has recently had Covid - the first thing I felt was Envy.

That they could relax in the knowledge that their child would be able to attend her first day of school, whereas I was waking sweating at night worrying that my shy little girl might miss the first week of Reception.

How has it come to this?

I’d joked about wanting to get it this week as booked to go skiing in France 1st week in feb.
Partner tested positive on Wednesday and I’m still testing negative (he was exposed on Sunday to unvaccinated godsons so 3 days incubation) I’m three days on and I’ve got what you’d call omicron symptoms horrendous headache, back (muscular pain) and slight fever this morning. Negative LTF am and pm but got a PCR due to the fever. Now have an occasional cough maybe one cough every 2 hrs. Is it covid or is it psychosomatic?? Kind of hope I’m positive tomorrow so I’m all clear to head to France and therefore not catch omicron on a ski lift!