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Covid

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Original poster

Why do some people just not get it?

97 replies

Wednesdayafternoon · 20/03/2022 11:24

I've heard so many people not catch it from people in their house and the same seems to be happening in my house right now! My mum has Covid, we live with her, nobody else has caught it. The day before she tested we were on the car with windows shut for a good hour... I'm fine. I don't mean to sounds ungreatful, obviously I don't want to be unwell, but I just don't understand how some people just don't catch it?
Am I super human 🙈
Tbh a small part of me just wants it over with, the bigger part of me wants to be well obviously!

OP posts:

Mogtheblackcat · 20/03/2022 12:23

Don’t rely entirely on lft! I’m currently positive (on pcr) and feel rubbish. DH feels fine but had a pcr as a close contact of me. He was positive. He has had a negative lateral flow every day since. I’m now 3 days post positive pcr, and only had one positive lateral flow, and that was the day after my pcr.

Tanfastic · 20/03/2022 12:23

I'm the same, never had it (NHS worker so test regularly), DS had it and I didn't get it. I've also never had flu as far as I know and I'm nearly 49.

I'd like to think I'm superhuman but I just think I've been lucky so far.

Munkki · 20/03/2022 12:29

Dh and dc had delta last summer. I didn't have any symptoms and pcr and lfts were negative. None of had had omicron yet. I am really starting to feel immune.

Calandor · 20/03/2022 12:33

No idea.

Me and DP both avoided it for 2 years, then he got it and we slept in the same bed and I didn't catch it. A month later I got it and he didn't catch it..

Luck I guess.

OliveTree75 · 20/03/2022 12:34

I had Covid very, very mildly last March before delta was around and before vaccines. 3 out of 5 in our house got it. I’m a primary teacher and since then have been repeatedly exposed to both delta and omicron. My whole class and my TAs all got it…me, nothing! I went to a hen party where everyone then tested positive! I’ve sat next to people in meetings who then tested positive, looked after poorly children at work who turned out to be positive etc. I’m thinking that I must have some immunity from last year carrying me through. I bet a lot of people who think they haven’t had it, actually have! If it wasn’t for my DP having more classic symptoms and testing, I would never have known my sniffles were Covid

RichTeaRichTea · 20/03/2022 12:36

Not everyone within a household caught every bug before covid. You just weren’t testing and observing every symptom and required to isolate so you didn’t pay as much attention

Dontforgetyourbrolly · 20/03/2022 12:39

Not everyone caught the bubonic plague either - and if you think about it that is really miraculous. Standards of cleanliness were way lower and overcrowding was a huge problem. Most of the population weren't even healthy to start with, and on top of that no one really understood how it spread so didn't do all the things we do .

Calandor · 20/03/2022 12:39

And we definitely didn't both get it as we both went for swab tests

RosesAndHellebores · 20/03/2022 12:40

Snap op. I have also had two negative antibody tests. Having said that I have heard of more people with it in the last few weeks than at any other time during the pandemic.

TypicaIMe · 20/03/2022 12:41

I hope you've not spoken too soon OP...

I've had covid four times previously. DD never cuaght it once, despite being at university and now in a teaching job through the pandemic. Covid has been absolutely rife at her school for months.She lives at home and we're very close, lots of cuddles and spending time together, even when I was positive (her choice).

Two weeks ago she finally brought it home from school. Me and DH tested positive a few days after she did. She was beginning to think she was superhuman, too!

SkiingIsHeaven · 20/03/2022 12:43

Just lucky I guess.

My whole family including DH, kids, mum and dad and sister and her family had it but I didn't.

Beamur · 20/03/2022 12:43

I'm fairly careful but have had plenty of exposure. Fully vaccinated.
I was selected for one of those random tests which tells you if you have antibodies (but were asymptomatic) and that came back negative
Never, as far as I know, have I had Covid.

TheFairyCaravan · 20/03/2022 12:45

DS2 hazing had it despite working in A&E up until a year ago then becoming a Critical Care Outreach nurse and spending most of his time with Covid positive patients. DDIL got it for the first time 2 weeks ago. She’s a nurse, too. He’s not caught it from her either.

Neither me or DH have had it. DS1 had something when he was deployed abroad with the army before Christmas. They said it wasn’t Covid, we’re not convinced tbh

TheFairyCaravan · 20/03/2022 12:46

DS *hasn’t not hazing

waterlego · 20/03/2022 12:46

I don’t know but as other posters have said, this is the way with other viruses too. Every winter, my DH and 2 DCs get a couple of colds. Usually one of the kids brings it home from school and then the other DC and DH catch it. I never catch them (or I do catch them but don’t get any cold symptoms).

(Am now obviously touching wood and crossing my fingers so as not to jinx it! )

elf1985 · 20/03/2022 12:49

I am currently stuck at home with my husband and 2 kids. We have all had norovirus but only 2 have had positive COVID tests. So norovirus is definitely stronger in our house.

PinkPlantCase · 20/03/2022 12:51

Almost everyone who I know that had omicron had it take out their whole household.

Admittedly most of my friends have young DC so can’t do any kind of isolation from each other.

The only person I know who’s family had covid since Jan and didn’t catch it is a social worker who assumed that she must have been exposed to it more from her job so had a bit more immunity.

TheTurn0fTheScrew · 20/03/2022 12:55

Obviously no-one can say for certain they haven't had it. I do have a unfounded belief that I am somehow more immune than average. I work in the NHS, and although not specifically with COVID patients have had lots of confirmed exposure at work.

I had no antibodies when tested in July 2020 for a study. I started the twice weekly lateral flows for work in December 2020 and have never had a positive. Had COVID in the house in Oct 2021 and Feb 2022 and didn't catch it on either occasion.

mrsbitaly · 20/03/2022 12:59

My 2 year old has it and is on day 9 and I haven't to my knowledge ever had covid. My husband got it on Friday but I still haven't. Its odd I don't understand it as obviously I've had very close contact with my daughter and have been isolating with her.

mrsbitaly · 20/03/2022 13:01

@elf1985

I am currently stuck at home with my husband and 2 kids. We have all had norovirus but only 2 have had positive COVID tests. So norovirus is definitely stronger in our house.

We had this at Xmas absolutely awful all our friends and family who had contact with us fell ill we thought our little one had a mild bug. Hope you all feel better soon

MargaretThursday · 20/03/2022 13:10

I think for me:

I'm careful. I normally have a face mask, and I try to keep distances when I can. I avoid most places where there's a lot of people, try and make sure I keep gelling my hands etc.

I've been lucky. I haven't had many direct contacts. I seem to have managed to pass several like ships in the night. Someone I'd normally have spent a couple of hours with in the same room, I happened to take the afternoon off, and left as they arrived-they tested positive the next morning, that sort of thing.

littlepeas · 20/03/2022 13:13

Ds2 (unvaccinated) brought (presumably) delta in last October - me (2x Pfizer), dh (2xAZ), my mum (2xAZ and Pfizer booster) and dd (unvaccinated) all caught it fairly quickly. Ds1 didn’t catch it.

Ds2 brought it in about in February (presumably omicron) and no one caught it off him, despite him being very generous with his germs.

Ds1 still hasn’t had it as far as we know - he has been exposed many times at home and school.

Angrymum22 · 20/03/2022 13:25

It is probably more to do with LFTs being self administered. If the swab isn’t inserted almost to the back of your nose it’s not going to pick up sufficient viral protein to test positive. PCRs are the same. It would be interesting to see the ratio of positive and negative between self administered PCR tests and those done by trained health care team.
I trained to do LFTs for DS’s school and during the first round of testing we frequently had to get them to redo the swab before testing it. Swiping it just inside your nostril is incorrect. It needs to nearly touch the back of your throat.
In addition, omicron appears to have a short testing window, which means if you test twice a week you can miss it. We test Mons and Thurs. My boss tested negative on the Mon , positive on the Thurs and then negative on the Fri. So if you only test positive for 2/3 days you may miss a positive test.

Mirrorball2022 · 20/03/2022 13:32

I work with patients in hospital that include those with covid (in bog standard apron and blue surgical mask). I’ve had very close covid contact. I’ve not had it. I have tested regularly for work and I’ve had negative antibody tests. I’ve not been ill either bar once last year when I tested lft negative and had two negative pcrs too. I’ve been out and about and on holiday, pubs, meals, cinemas, concerts etc

My siblings both in public facing roles ( hospitality and education) also haven’t to their knowledge had it either. It could be an immunity thing or we are just lucky. I’ve no idea at this point! Feels like I’m bound to get it at some point.

Brakebackcyclebot · 20/03/2022 13:45

It's like any other illness. Some catch it, some don't. Covid is just a variety of cold virus. When someone has a cold in the house, we don't all catch it. We're only so hyper vigilant and hyper aware of numbers of infections now because for 2 years we've been in pandemic mode.

Some people have stronger immune systems than others. I'm no scientist but our immune systems must surely be affected by genetics, social habits, personal habits, history of previous illness etc etc.

My DSs have both had it. I haven't.

I wonder how many other illnesses you can have asymptomatically and not even realise.

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