Can’t imagine how things will be when isolation stops…

[DontWantTheRivalry]

I don’t have any symptoms yet this is still my viral load.

Im on Day 5 and haven’t really been ill with it, I was run down on days 0 and 1 but otherwise I’ve felt myself so I can’t believe how strong my line still is.

My husband also had Covid but his LFT yesterday and today (days 5 and 6) were negative so he’s returned to normal. Yet, even though I’m still testing positive really strongly and his are negative, he’d the one who got hit really hard by symptoms and he still has that awful barking cough.

It’s a virus that just doesn’t make any sense.

So yes, I can’t imagine the time where asymptomatic people who are still highly infectious are just walking around like normal.

I’m really hoping the contagiousness of the variant has dramatically reduced by that time otherwise it’s just going to spread like wildfire isn’t it.

Mind you, it already is.

Maybe the Government is thinking everyone will have had the virus by the time the stopping of isolation hits so the risks of passing it on are less serious?

A lot of asymptomatic people are not taking tests anyway so there are probably loads walking round at the moment, can't say I am really bothered about it, I would only take a test if I had the 3 main symptoms as directed.

It's going round a lot at the moment. I've had it twice in 2 months but I don't know how we can stay away from it really. Hope you and your husband are ok

There are a lot of asymptomatic people wandering around whilst being highly contagious as we speak OP.

There are also people who are asymptomatic wandering around whilst being highly contagious for other viruses that can kill and cause long term health issues, but no one cares about them. Just covid.

I still think household contacts should isolate, so I'm clearly waaay behind the UK trend. Mind you, I also think we shouldn't be making things extra shit for CEV or letting schools keep getting reinfected. Protecting kids and teachers at all is seen as a bit meh by this govt.

Fewer people will be off of school or work because the majority would have symptoms less severe than a cold or no symptoms at all. I don’t know anyone fully vaccinated who has been ill enough that had they not had COVID wouldn’t have been able to carry on. Most people I know were affected more by the super cold that went around in the autumn.

I had a cold for 2 days. Felt like tonsillitis. I knew I was a close contact as colleague had tested positive.

I tested for 3 days. (Fr/sat/sun).

Monday I was feeling slightly better but still had sore throat - positive.

But my day 0 is Friday when my symptoms started.

Slight very light positive today (day 5).

9/14 people all positive from that group of close contacts.

The problem seems to be that people are ill before testing positive. We all followed the current guidelines.

So I can see why isolation would stop. I don't think with this variant it's as effective as slowing it down.

However I do also have concerns about it because of how fast it's spreading through schools. (That's where I work).

I think there needs to be a very quick change of societal view to sickness absence from work. If people didn't feel pressured to go in then we probably wouldn't have illness spreading so much. Which also means reviewing 0 hours contracts and sick pay.

I can see why reducing isolation has occurred and removing is a future option. However I think I'd prefer to hear the rationale and truth from the scientists rather than from Boris. I'm concerned he's making decisions whilst concussed from being ambushed by confectionary

I mean we all probably have all kinds of viruses asymptomatically or with very mild symptoms all the time and just don’t realise as we don’t test for everything like we test for Covid (thank god).

Does it matter if people are walking around that have Covid and don’t realise it? You just have to stop thinking in terms of needing to know where all the cases are. It doesn’t matter anymore.

@bluetongue

I mean we all probably have all kinds of viruses asymptomatically or with very mild symptoms all the time and just don’t realise as we don’t test for everything like we test for Covid (thank god).

Does it matter if people are walking around that have Covid and don’t realise it? You just have to stop thinking in terms of needing to know where all the cases are. It doesn’t matter anymore.

Exactly this. Its literally everywhere, we really dont need testing - just assume its everywhere whenever you step outside your door; and very potentially inside your house at any time too. I honestly cant see the point in any contact tracing now either.

Given the plethora of studies on organ damage, then yes.

I’m really hoping the contagiousness of the variant has dramatically reduced by that time otherwise it’s just going to spread like wildfire isn’t it.

The contagiousness of omicron will remain the same... But the more people that have had it, the fewer it will be able to infect, so infections reduce.... At least until their immunity to omicron wanes, which would be 6-12 months.

@bluetongue

I mean we all probably have all kinds of viruses asymptomatically or with very mild symptoms all the time and just don’t realise as we don’t test for everything like we test for Covid (thank god).

Does it matter if people are walking around that have Covid and don’t realise it? You just have to stop thinking in terms of needing to know where all the cases are. It doesn’t matter anymore.

Yes, like flu. Pre-Covid I used to think that you would definitely know you had flu when you caught it as it would be bad... I had. I idea flu could be asymptomatic or very mild too, but then we never tested for flu like we test for Covid!

....I had no idea... etc

@treeflowercat

I’m really hoping the contagiousness of the variant has dramatically reduced by that time otherwise it’s just going to spread like wildfire isn’t it.

The contagiousness of omicron will remain the same... But the more people that have had it, the fewer it will be able to infect, so infections reduce.... At least until their immunity to omicron wanes, which would be 6-12 months.

Well, we can hope for this, but given the limited benefit of a previous Delta infection on an Omicron reinfection, I think this is certainly a hope not an expectation. Particularly in terms of the 6-12 month timescale, I know many people getting Omicron now who had Delta in the last three months.

Basically if people are too I'll to go to work/school they'll stay at home. If they feel well they'll go about their daily lives. So exactly the same as how we deal with every other contagious illness (colds, flu etc) . It's not that hard to imagine. If you don't test unless you feel ill you won't know you have it. In fact once isolation ends there won't really be any point in testing to see if you have a cold or Covid.

@SueGraysInbox

Given the plethora of studies on organ damage, then yes.

Isolating only delays you getting g it so this will be an issue regardless. Isolating spreads cases out so not everyone has it at once but it isn’t going to stop everyone coming into contact with it at some point.

This is how we have always caught bugs. Very unwell people stay at home. Others who don't know they are carrying a bug/or feel mostly well, are out and about and pass it on. It's just life :-S

@BooksAndHooks

Fewer people will be off of school or work because the majority would have symptoms less severe than a cold or no symptoms at all. I don’t know anyone fully vaccinated who has been ill enough that had they not had COVID wouldn’t have been able to carry on. Most people I know were affected more by the super cold that went around in the autumn.

I'm just getting over Covid and the last 11 days since my son first caught it have been a real struggle, we were all very poorly and still struggling with post viral fatigue. Could barely function, were too ill to go out even if we had been allowed. Could just about manage to lie around all day and make ready meals. Husband and I were fully vaccinated. My 7 year old son briefly fainted from the temperature, which was very scary. I'm also 7 months pregnant and very concerned about catching it again around the time I have to give birth or have a newborn.

Prior to catching it I wasn't feeling worried and seeing most people not being too unwell, but it's wiped me out and put a massive spanner in work and school, plus the news today says 2/3 of infections are reinfections now... lifting the restrictions will make it rife and I really don't want to catch it again any time soon!

Isolating only delays you getting g it so this will be an issue regardless. Isolating spreads cases out so not everyone has it at once but it isn’t going to stop everyone coming into contact with it at some point.

This is false.

Isolations breaks chains of transmission and gives those most vulnerable far greater chance of avoiding catching it.

I think you are looking at this the wrong way. You talk mainly of covid being highly contagious. So what? The common cold is highly contagious. The point is covid is becoming milder. That’s what you should be focusing on.

The point is covid is becoming milder well, we hope so but we do not know this. We just need to keep a watching brief.

@itsgettingweird

I think there needs to be a very quick change of societal view to sickness absence from work. If people didn't feel pressured to go in then we probably wouldn't have illness spreading so much. Which also means reviewing 0 hours contracts and sick pay.

I think we need to restore the ability of employers to reclaim sick pay from the govt. It was a big mistake for the govt to place the burden of paying sick pay entirely at the foot of the employer, especially smaller employers less able to soak it up.

We also need to look at some form of sick pay for self employed, freelancers, zero hours workers, "gig" economy workers etc., who aren't currently eligible for sick pay at all.

Obviously rates of sick pay are stupidly low for those entitled.

We need a change in policy to increase the rate of sick pay (80% of pay would be good like furlough), and extend it to workers not currently eligible.

Isn't it basically a roll of the dice whether a virus mutates to become milder or more harmful? As long as it can transmit successfully, with people passing it on because they don't know they're ill yet or think it's just a cold, the effects on its hosts are neither here nor there. Happy to be corrected if I am wrong, I have no scientific knowledge.

@strawflower - sorry to hear you've been so unwell. This is why I don't want to catch COVID again. I had it in March 2020 and felt bloody awful for weeks, day 11 was like I'd been hit by a bus. I wasn't too concerned initially either - 40s, healthy, hadn't had a day off sick in over 5 years. I'm now triple-vaccinated and would hope to be less ill next time, but there are no guarantees, just like there's no guarantee that subsequent strains will be milder.

This is also why I lose my shit with posters from South Australia and other such hotspots telling us that everything is fiiiiine. OK then, come over here then and do a nice long commute on a crowded train to spend 8 hours in a big, crowded open plan office with AC vents blasting up through the floors and windows you can't open. Try and get an appointment with my GP. Live in confidence that if you or your child has an accident you'll be able to get medical attention right away. Go and have a pint and try to forget that you could come home with an illness that could put you in hospital if you're unlucky. Or don't. Stay lucky in the lucky country.

The comparisons to other illnesses don't necessarily translate so directly across either because on average someone who has flu will infect one other person, but someone with the omicron variant of covid will infect an average of 8 others.

Not sure how some are so against the idea of isolation and not spreading your bugs in general. Or would you also accept someone with norovirus can prepare food for your wedding for example? It's just a little tummy upset after all...

I think the point is that the legal requirement to isolate will end but there will still be a social expectation that you do. Like with measles or whooping cough, it's not socially acceptable to carry on about your business knowingly spreading a potentially dangerous disease.

Loads of people I know and us included haven't had it so am dreading the day when people with it will be able to use their own judgement on isolating.