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?

@Northsoutheastwest76

I don't live in fear despite DH being ECV and me having pre existing conditions. We are going about just lives as normal as it can be. We are however taking precautions such as DH WFH and still masking up and keeping our distance in queues etc. I don't want any of us to get COVID because of the unknown about it but that is not living in fear.

Very wise. That in my mind is true 'living with Covid' as opposed to 'ignoring Covid' carrying on as before. Hopefully a better vaccine will be along soon, isage mentioned in a Dec briefing some 100 are in production, so here's hoping!

@Lelivre absolutely. Now that would be good. Also good news about the treatments available if immunosupressed dh is positive.

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

I'm not sure this is true. People are being reinfected with Omicron. That is, getting Omicron twice. How common this is or will be in the future and what long term health effects it will have, who knows at the moment.

Discussing that doesn't mean people are living in fear. Just that there many unknowns

@Flaxmeadow I haven’t said anything of the sort.

I am interested in the measures people are taking to avoid Covid. Versus someone who is living their lives normally. I wear a mask and don’t stand really close to someone in a queue but don’t think that will protect me. Especially if I go to pubs, restaurants, have school age children, travel etc.

I said the level of fear on here was sad in response to a poster who was frightened for her children (after a ridiculous scaremongering post from someone else). Why are we frightened of a mild illness for our children? They need to build up some immunity for life. The fear on here is disproportionate to the risk.

You may catch Covid and be fine.
You may catch Covid and die (unlikely).
You may recover quickly but have long term heart or lung or brain damage.
You may develop long Covid which disables you and you are unable to work, or which means you don't have the energy to go on holiday or visit relatives.

No-one knows which outcome you will have.

This^

I think there's a difference between living a normal life and accepting you might catch covid and actively going out to 'get it over with'. I had covid back in September and felt awful for about 2 weeks, never felt that ill for that long in my life. But luckily I don't seem to have any lasting effects unlike a lot of people. But fill your boots if you think your plan may work

I haven’t said anything of the sort

Yes you did. Here

Today 11:27 Delatron

Quite sad to see the level of fear on this thread. Plus so much ‘can lead to’ ‘may lead to’.

It’s just a basic lack of accurate risk assessment and as a result a sorry state of a life lead in fear. For what is a mild illness for most.

Can you please give some examples of this 'fear' you mention from this thread

@flaxmeadow I’ve already highlighted the post! The one above regarding brain damage, lung damage, heart damage. Which clearly scared another poster so much she was worried for her child.

It’s clear many of you are terrified of getting Covid.

Which, considering it’s going nowhere and will be here every year for the rest of your life isn’t very healthy. You can’t avoid it ultimately. Unless you live in that airtight bunker. You will get Covid.

In fact you’re better off having repeated exposures. Maybe one time your body will fight it off without you realising it. Then you have some antibodies/t -cells going forward for the next time you are exposed. This is how we build immunity to coronovirses. There is even some cross-reactivity with colds. So more possible protection there.

This is a far better strategy than avoidance. Because you won’t be able to avoid it forever. And vaccines will wear off at some point. It will be a novel virus for you yet someone else less cautious will have built up some good immunity.

I'm not sure this is true. People are being reinfected with Omicron. That is, getting Omicron twice.

I've not seen much evidence of this. Wouldn't the produced antibodies and T cells remember the omicron variant? If you've seen any evidence of omicron reinfections I'd love to read about it.

I said the level of fear on here was sad in response to a poster who was frightened for her children (after a ridiculous scaremongering post from someone else). Why are we frightened of a mild illness for our children? They need to build up some immunity for life. The fear on here is disproportionate to the risk.

There is no immunity for life. This is not scaremongering, its a fact. If people cannot face up to facts about this virus, then i would suggest they might be the ones living in fear because they are burying their heads in the sand as a coping mechanism.

This virus is serious. No doubt about that. The long term effects of repeated infection are unknown. This does not mean people are 'living in fear' by saying it. Since this pandemic began, I've been on 4 plane journeys, used public transport constantly, worked in retail, been in packed pubs and restaurants, been on family days out, picked young relatives up from school on a regualr basis, babysat for relatives regularly. Ive even done most of these things at the height of Omicron daily cases, including a couple of weeks ago sitting next to someone at a family meal who was coughing and spluttering amd announcing 'hey I think I might have covid again'. Did I run out of the restaurant shaking in terror, no because I'm fully vaccinated and boosted and had assessed the risks.

So tell me, how am i living in fear?

In fact you’re better off having repeated exposures.

Or worse.

This is how we build immunity to coronovirses. There is even some cross-reactivity with colds. So more possible protection there.

This would actually speak against masks. Especially children need exposure to viruses do that their immune systems can grow.

I agree @bluebells

@Flaxmeadow I’m asking how are you avoiding infection going forward? You must have a grand plan for a virus that is going nowhere?

Have you ever heard of t-cells? You seem to have very little faith in the immune system. Why would it suddenly behave differently with this virus to any other virus?

We do build up immunity through both vaccinations and exposure. That’s how it works.

Repeated infection to many diseases is not a good idea. Would you repeatedly risk being infected with different strains of Cholera? Risk repeated infection with a disease that causes diarrhoea? Would you purposefully put yourself at risk of TB because it might improve your immunity?
Even chickenpox, a relatively mild illness, can cause probelms later on in the form of shingles. Measles too. Some viruses can cause cancer. Epstein Barr virus has just been found to cause multiple sclerosis.

Covid is a new virus. We don't know the long term effect of repeated infection

@Flaxmeadow I’m asking how are you avoiding infection going forward? You must have a grand plan for a virus that is going nowhere?

My plan is to follow public health guidance

Have you ever heard of t-cells? You seem to have very little faith in the immune system. Why would it suddenly behave differently with this virus to any other virus?

Immunity, including T-cells, can wane. The immune system ages as we age. Different people have different ommune sytems. Disease can exhaust or even attack our immune sytems.

We do build up immunity through both vaccinations and exposure. That’s how it works.

But with covid, it doesn't last

How are you going to avoid getting infected though? @flaxmeadow.

We’ll all probably get Covid quite a few times. For some they may have complications (like many viruses cause).

It’s important we are exposed to many different colds for the first few years of our lives to build up immunity. That is why colds are not an issue for most people. The repeated exposure. This is also why we’ve seen high admissions for RSV in children following lockdown. It’s not a good thing for them to be hidden away from all illness.

Cholera?! Well no I’m not likely to come across that every year so that’s different.

Once you have chicken pox then you have that immunity for life. You are far less likely to get shingles. It’s actually a bad thing not to have chicken pox as a child. Unless you go down the vaccination route.

Yes there are lots of nasty illnesses out there and no I don’t want constant repeated exposure to them. But we need to be exposed to germs and mild illnesses.

But this is not TB or Cholera. It is a coronavirus that will be circulating every year and one that we have a decent vaccine for that prevents series illness.

I’m not even sure what your argument is? How will we all avoid repeated exposure?

How do you know immunity doesn’t last? Antibodies may wane but we have t-cells. Those from SARS lasted 17 years... our immune systems are wonderful and complex.

Having recovered from a mild case of Covid and I am now triple jabbed I really don’t worry about Covid any more. It’s quite liberating.
The science backs this up. Vaccinations plus infection offers good immunity for now. We’re only 2 years in to this so how can we know if it lasts a life time (or doesn’t as you claim) yet?

You might have already caught covid a few months ago but had zero symptoms like some people. Probably too late for you to do an antibody test now.

@Flaxmeadow

I'm assuming you would prefer we live in a world of contrast masks, social distancing, testing and isolation... I understand that, but I don't share your vision for life moving forwards. To expect society to live in a world that hyper-vigilant about viruses forevermore isn't one I want to live in.

Constant, not contrast!

How do you know immunity doesn’t last? Antibodies may wane but we have t-cells. Those from SARS lasted 17 years... our immune systems are wonderful and complex

Because, in case you haven't noticed, people are being reinfected

My point is, we don't know enough about the long term effects of covid or repeated infection of covid

I'm assuming you would prefer we live in a world of contrast masks, social distancing, testing and isolation.

Where have I said I prefer that?

Repeated infection to many diseases is not a good idea. Would you repeatedly risk being infected with different strains of Cholera?

Firstly cholera is caused by a bacterium and is much more dangerous to people. Second you do actually become immune to cholera after infection:

"Vibrio cholerae is a prototypical noninvasive mucosal pathogen, yet infection generates long-lasting protection against subsequent disease."

Firstly cholera is caused by a bacterium

Yes I know, thats why I said disease and not virus.

Can someone show any reliable recent evidence that covid infection/repeated infection does no harm in the long run?

All I'm saying is, we just don't know. So the best thing to do is avoid it as much as is reasonably possible. Thats not saying people have to 'live in fear' and hide away, just be cautious.

Stupid idea for all the reasons people have put, especially considering some people have caught two different Covid variants at the same time

Crack on though if you think it sounds sensible (really hoping I don't know you if you think this is a rational thing to do)