AIBU to think that we need to stop “hiding” from covid

[Belle82]

I know I will get some very strong opinions about this but please hear me out.

I am fully vaccinated, and for those who are not that is their own choice, with the exception of the immunocompromised.

The recent omicron strain is not as dangerous as the first it is simply spreading faster, causing there to be more admissions to hospital.
However 90% of people in hospital with covid have not been vaccinated.
Of course a % of this would be those too young to have the vaccine and some are immunocompromised.

I am more than happy to keep the restrictions in place to protect the children and the immunocompromised.
However any RSV infection or Flu is much more dangerous to those two groups than Omicron is, but there is no mention of those from the government.

However I don’t think it’s right that there are blanket restrictions to protect the (by choice) non vaccinated. You make that decision knowing the risks so why should we all be restricted to protect those people.

My family currently have covid, and our symptoms only lasted for 3 days, very mild. Although, we maybe lucky, everyone I speak to has either had it or knows someone who has and they have all said the same regarding symptoms.

My question is, if we are not going to quarantine and test for the more dangerous viruses, like the flu, then why are we asked to quarantine and take tests everyday for omicron that is (for most people) a 3-5 day cold?

I totally agree with you, OP.

@SmashingBIouse

Oh and it's not the same as flu.

People generally are too ill to go out when they have flu, but up to a third of covid cases are asymptomatic. You could pass it on to a CEV person without even knowing you have it, which is why LFTs are so useful.

Also covid can be far more dangerous to some CEV people, and Omicron is many times more infectious than flu.

What are you basing your 'generally' on? Both asymptomatic and mild flu exist, but asymptomatic in particular is hard to get a handle on because obviously people don't know they have it and it isn't commonly tested for.

I was in a&e last week, COVID positive but wasn't there due breathing problems or anything. I couldn't be moved, there wasn't a single COVID bed free and a 7 hours wait to see the doctor.
A&E doctors, paramedics, HCAs, nurses, GPs have all told me they don't quite know what it can cause, in the short or long term. They still don't have enough information about the virus.
In a way it did me a favour as it highlighted a health condition I didn't know I had, but it almost put me in a coma by doing so because it ravaged my body so badly - and millions have this same condition.
I hate wearing a mask, but making isolation optional is, in my opinion, the worst idea they've had so far

@Sux2Buthen

You know when you have flu and hopefully avoid vulnerable people You may not know you have covid and pass it on to someone vulnerable and they could have a bad reaction But it's ok, Mumsnet are bored of worrying (from what I read last night)

Did you know that it’s possible to have flu and not feel as though you are on death’s door? You can even be asymptomatic.

In fact there’s loads of bacteria and viruses that many of us carry around with not impact on our health at all. Polio for instance could kill or paralyze you but many children had no symptoms at all.

Until Covid it wasn’t up to the majority of us to worry if we were carrying around something potentially dangerous without realising it. All we needed to do before Covid was try not to go around infecting people if we knew we were sick.

If we all tested for all the diseases we could have at any time we’d be stuck in the house most of the time and d velocity terrible health anxiety.. Did you know that between 1994 and 2011 South Korea decided to start screening for thyroid cancer. Guess what? Suddenly it was everywhere! They had a cancer epidemic ! Despite this there was no improvement in the mortality rate for thyroid cancer.

Population wide screening for Covid in the long term, apart from in very ill or vulnerable people needs to end.

I'm just thinking that the next time there is a pandemic that the Government should put out a vote to the public to see how long they want it to last for. If the public declares 6 months then the government can put a strict time limit on it.
After all, everyone is bored and had enough of covid. They clearly should have declared it over a year ago.

You know when you have flu and hopefully avoid vulnerable people

You don't actually. Flu is spread asymptomatically too.

@bluetongue

That’s really interesting.
It amazes me that people now consider this variant of covid more dangerous than a lot of other viruses out there and like you say it’s not like we test for every virus.

When will it come a time when we say enough is enough 😔

@SmashingBIouse

Oh and it's not the same as flu.

People generally are too ill to go out when they have flu, but up to a third of covid cases are asymptomatic. You could pass it on to a CEV person without even knowing you have it, which is why LFTs are so useful.

Also covid can be far more dangerous to some CEV people, and Omicron is many times more infectious than flu.

Flu can be mild or asymptomatic too... We just never test like we do for Covid so we'd never know! The study linked below estimates 1/3 are asymptomatic!

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2646474/

You know, fully vaxxed vulnerable people can still die of covid.

It’s reducing and isolation may stop earlier than March

Any chance of giving it another year or two?

@FrankieBoyleSezLoveOneAnother
😂😂

@sst1234

Yes asymptomatic testing needs to stop. Self isolation rules need to end. We should treat this like flu. And masks should not be manadatory. Unfortunately the hysteria makes some people feel safe. Unfortunately, with restrictions, they feel protected and almost enjoy being infantilized. Frankly, they fail to see the long term damage of restrictions and has turned into a virtuous quality that somehow they care more about others than those who want all restrictions to end. It’s shortsighted and economically, socially and psychologically ignorant to support restrictions.

Absolutely agree with every word of this

It is quite interesting how many people aren't aware that flu can be asymptomatic, in the context of how we've thought and talked about covid in the last two years.

Flu and Norovirus can both be asymptomatic- excactly like covid.

And yet we don't test for those.....

Saw an article in the Guardian today that said there are 3.7 million immunocompromised people in the UK who have very little to zero protection from the vaccine. There is no plan in place to protect these people now restrictions are being lifted. It's shameful.

I agree, op. We need to stop testing.

If people are well enough for school or work, they should not be forced to isolate for up to 10 days.

@BringBackCoffeeCreams

Saw an article in the Guardian today that said there are 3.7 million immunocompromised people in the UK who have very little to zero protection from the vaccine. There is no plan in place to protect these people now restrictions are being lifted. It's shameful.

I read the article. The immune compromised are a subset of the 3.7m CEV... many CEV will have responded well to vaccines.

The issue is the immune compromised haven't suddenly become at risk since Covid... They were at high risk before, though admitted the risk is now higher.

In my view more practical and financial support should be given whilst infections are high, and antivirals exist, but ultimately, they are best protected when infections are very low, and the quickest way for that to happen is to let omicron spread with minimal restrictions, and let it burn out.... Allowing low infections, at least until the next variant.

@VikingOnTheFridge

It is quite interesting how many people aren't aware that flu can be asymptomatic, in the context of how we've thought and talked about covid in the last two years.

I'm not sure why this means we shouldn't test for things we're able to test for if it's asymptomatic?

If there was a test for asymptomatic flu you bet I'd be testing, as would people close to me. It would be a huge boon for many vulnerable people to be able to monitor their health in this way.

@Blubells

Flu and Norovirus can both be asymptomatic- excactly like covid.

And yet we don't test for those.....

As above: If tests were available for them, many immunosuppressed people would gladly take them (as would the people we come into close contact with).

And it wouldn't affect anyone else one iota, just as vulnerable people who need to test for covid regularly doesn't.

@VikingOnTheFridge

It is quite interesting how many people aren't aware that flu can be asymptomatic, in the context of how we've thought and talked about covid in the last two years.

I’ll admit I previously had no idea but all this Covid testing got me wondering and a quick google gave me the answer.

I'm not sure why this means we shouldn't test for things we're able to test for if it's asymptomatic?

I'm not sure why you think that's what I said.

@Blubells

I agree, op. We need to stop testing.

If people are well enough for school or work, they should not be forced to isolate for up to 10 days.

But the problem is how many further people it infects from there.

I am a supply teacher and currently mainly covering for covid cases in a single school as there are so many. On Monday I was called to cover a y3 class with teacher off ill with covid. By the end of the week 8 more kids in that class had tested positive. Without isolation, surely it would spiral out of control?

If you could test easily for flu and norovirus I would happily do that before visiting vulnerable relatives.

My DH has a client who runs care homes. In the first lockdown they managed to avoid COVID entering the care homes. They had fewer deaths than usual as they also avoided norovirus coming into the homes.

On Monday I was called to cover a y3 class with teacher off ill with covid. By the end of the week 8 more kids in that class had tested positive. Without isolation, surely it would spiral out of control?

Not if we stop forced isolation. How many of those 8 kids were well enough to stay in school?