To have changed my mind on isolation

[JunoLunar]

I remember arguing with people about the decision to make it guidance not to go out with covid rather than legislative. Now I'm down with Covid for the second time in two months. The kids are missing more school, people at work who are already stretched are now having to cover me (nhs so can't go in).
It all just feels so endless. The worry is that to just carry on as normal feels wrong. I have cinema tickets and I just could not go and enjoy it knowing I could potentially infect someone. Yet the idea of having to put my life on hold for five days every month or so also seems ridiculous.
What is the long term plan now?

I agree, don’t think there is any long term plan, just hoping that come spring and summer things will improve. All 4 adults here have covid at the moment, it has been nasty for all of us. We have cancelled a few things this week, and presume this will continue to be a way of life for a while yet.

Well until covid stops being quite as lethal, that’s where we are. Or if the government insists on lifting all measures which means more of us get it, then what do you expect?

Imagine how much fewer cases we would have if we had better ventilation in schools and workplaces? Fewer people get it, fewer people need to isolate.

It isn’t like a cold or flu. We need regular vaccines to keep it at bay, but it seems bats to ignore that fact.

Acting as if we can magically get used to it without mitigations is so beyond stupid. Especially when you look at how it creates brain damage and puts people at increased risk of heart disease even with mild cases - those things create more of a burden on the nhs.

Long term plan is to stop testing, then people won’t know if they have covid or not so won’t know to isolate. Not so long term now as it’s happening in April. So in two weeks hardly anyone will be isolating anymore.

I've been a careful follower of all the rules, I recognised the importance of them and always followed the numbers so could see the good impact restrictions had. I'm still happy to wear a mask etc in shops.

But … now everyone (mostly) is triple vaxed and likely a fourth round coming I do think having it become endemic is probably for the best, and that will only happen if most people just keep carrying on as normal and there being an even higher level of herd immunity because of that

It's been a hard 2 years and I don't have it in me anymore to expect people to keep isolating themselves especially with young kids. It made sense before all the vaccinations but not so much now.

No point following the numbers anymore either as people aren't PCR testing as much

I believe the long term plan is just to have it become endemic and keep dishing out boosters to the vulnerable

Not knowing and live normally, and knowing you have positive covid and carry on as normal is two different thing, imo. I don't think you should put your life on complete hold. But going to the place like cinema, where you will spend quite a long time among many people knowing you have covid is wrong, imo.

DS2 had it very mildly at Christmas and as presenting as a bog-standard cold last week. We went out on 4 mile country walks and on quiet bike rides. He wasn't actually ill enough to need time off and at least the weather was nice to enjoy a few days off school.

Regularly testing and isolating colds is a farce.

DH is now ill with it and actually ill enough to stay at home and loiter around the bed, Covid or not.

The natural outcome is that low-risk people with mild symptoms will be free to get on with life without constantly angsting over if it's Covid/ cold/ hayfever. High risk people will have access to testing/ medication.

I'm fed up of feeling more ill from the vaccines/ boosters than the actual illness that I may now have had twice with DS. (Wasn't any point in further testing once he was positive as I naturally swerved higher risks while supervising him and had tested negative early on into my "cold" 24 hours behind him)

@Overthebow

Long term plan is to stop testing, then people won’t know if they have covid or not so won’t know to isolate. Not so long term now as it’s happening in April. So in two weeks hardly anyone will be isolating anymore.

They’re clearly betting on people buying tests - at a massive profit no doubt - so someone’s pockets will still be lined.

@BogRollBOGOF

DS2 had it very mildly at Christmas and as presenting as a bog-standard cold last week. We went out on 4 mile country walks and on quiet bike rides. He wasn't actually ill enough to need time off and at least the weather was nice to enjoy a few days off school.

Regularly testing and isolating colds is a farce.

DH is now ill with it and actually ill enough to stay at home and loiter around the bed, Covid or not.

The natural outcome is that low-risk people with mild symptoms will be free to get on with life without constantly angsting over if it's Covid/ cold/ hayfever. High risk people will have access to testing/ medication.

I'm fed up of feeling more ill from the vaccines/ boosters than the actual illness that I may now have had twice with DS. (Wasn't any point in further testing once he was positive as I naturally swerved higher risks while supervising him and had tested negative early on into my "cold" 24 hours behind him)

Testing and isolating was never about the individual risk though. It was about keeping numbers down to stop the NHS falling over.

Iggly

Don’t think so

Other than on this covid board no one I know tests anymore and most can’t wait for testing to go

Isolation will be gone then other than those who ‘look for covid’

I can’t imagine much sympathy from work then

Yeah, it's not really sustainable.

Nobody will be testing in 2 weeks time, pandemic essentially ends then. Hope everyone/employers etc have now learned lesson that you stay at home when you're ill.

Hope everyone/employers etc have now learned lesson that you stay at home when you're ill

Absolutely - especially those who won’t get paid and have to starve.

What we should have legislated for was a reduction in zero hour contracts and fair sick pay for employees based on actual hours worked.

They’re clearly betting on people buying tests - at a massive profit no doubt - so someone’s pockets will still be lined.

I don't know anyone who is going to spend any money on these tests!

I do not need a 'test' to tell me how I'm feeling. If I feel well I'll go into work!

Other than on this covid board no one I know tests anymore and most can’t wait for testing to go

Yes, these covid threads do not at all represent what I experience in real life...!

I don’t know anyone buying tests either. At £6 a pop!

I suppose the only ones buying them will be businesses as part of their Covid policy at work. NHS workers may be required to use them for a while longer. Care homes may decide to keep them as well.

Individuals may need them for travel, or visiting really I’ll people.

There will be a market somewhere.

@Watapalava

Iggly

Don’t think so

Other than on this covid board no one I know tests anymore and most can’t wait for testing to go

Isolation will be gone then other than those who ‘look for covid’

I can’t imagine much sympathy from work then

Not true where I live and that’s why it’s important not to make conclusions based on your own narrow experiences.

Do people know what endemic means? Do people appreciate that if we let a virus spread that causes heart damage, it’ll cost the nhs more in the long run?

The main bit I’m nervous about is that if your child wants a vaccine but has had covid 12 weeks before jab, they’re at increased risk of myocarditis.

For that reason I’ll keep testing if my kids have any symptoms (they’ve not had covid), until they’re vaccinated.

Do people appreciate that if we let a virus spread that causes heart damage, it’ll cost the nhs more in the long run?

What percentage of covid infections lead to long term heart damage? And how costly is it to treat?

I had covid last week but in a fit of boredom started researching the Sensus Group Ltd, who are the UK distributor of many of the LFTests. When you Google it, all that comes up is the company reports. No big office address. Of the 3 significant people, one has resigned and another has had significance in many, many other companies, some of which have been struck off for not submitting accounts in time.
I would imagine these people are making a lot of money from these tests and once the government stops paying for them, the company will fold and the people involved skip merrily onto their next investment.

I don't think there is a long-term plan, but with so many people catching the Omicron variant surely at some point cases will naturally start to wane?

My family's experience of Covid was of a very mild infection and certainly no heart damage. We wouldn't have known it was anything but a cold if free tests hadn't been available and the if the law hadn't required us to test. I never felt unwell enough to stay at home, so without testing/isolation I'd have just continued as normal. DS was almost totally asymptomatic.

Those suffering more serious symptoms now, after so many are fully vaccinated, are a tiny minority from what I can tell. Almost everyone I know has had it at least once and none of us has been seriously or long-term ill. The situation is very, very different now than it was in 2020, before vaccines.

I'm still testing and will have to continue testing because of the nature of my work. I currently have Covid and the positive tests are what tells me I need to still work from home when otherwise I'd have gone back before it was safe.

@Lilaclavenders

Do people appreciate that if we let a virus spread that causes heart damage, it’ll cost the nhs more in the long run?

What percentage of covid infections lead to long term heart damage? And how costly is it to treat?

🤷🏻‍♀️ article on risk

Even something as basic as air filters in schools and workplaces could help massively reduce the spread without the need for lockdowns or masks….

@zafferana

I don't think there is a long-term plan, but with so many people catching the Omicron variant surely at some point cases will naturally start to wane?

My family's experience of Covid was of a very mild infection and certainly no heart damage. We wouldn't have known it was anything but a cold if free tests hadn't been available and the if the law hadn't required us to test. I never felt unwell enough to stay at home, so without testing/isolation I'd have just continued as normal. DS was almost totally asymptomatic.

Those suffering more serious symptoms now, after so many are fully vaccinated, are a tiny minority from what I can tell. Almost everyone I know has had it at least once and none of us has been seriously or long-term ill. The situation is very, very different now than it was in 2020, before vaccines.

I think it depends on what you describe as "mild". Does it mean able to carry on business as usual? Or does it mean not requiring hospital treatment?

For me and my kids, it meant the latter. Still enough to keep us in bed for days, and affected for quite a long time afterwards.

My kids nursery send a ridic email saying those with covid who feel well can go in… they’ve now had to close down for the week as 90% of staff and 80% of kids have covid. Such idiots

Anyone seen the numbers climbing dramatically ? I was surprised to see how many are in hospital with it - almost 14000. Nearly 110,000 +ve cases and 200 deaths yesterday.
People are obviously still testing.
The long term effects of covid are still not known. Even in mild illness a high proportion of sufferers had some degree of myocarditis. Fair enough this was a small study early on in the pandemic but it suggests that the virus is not as benign as people like to portray.