‘Living with covid’

[TweenTrauma]

Just wondering if this is it now? Since all restrictions were dropped the cases in my area have gone absolutely crazy. Schools having to close year groups due to staff shortages, and just about everyone I know either having it or recently had it in their household. Myself included, for the 2nd time in 6 months.

I can only imagine cases are going to soar even higher with the imminent end of free testing.

I totally get we’re all sick to the back teeth of covid, and I’m not a supporter of restrictions and lockdowns, but I hate to say that it’s all looking a bit grim. People may not be getting seriously ill, generally speaking, but for many it’s a virus nasty enough to put you on your ass for a week or two. With so many reinfections at the moment I’m also not holding out too much hope for the herd immunity theory, because it just doesn’t seem to be happening from what I’m seeing. It seems quite common for people to be getting it 2-3 months after the last time which is kinda alarming when it makes you ill enough to disrupt everything in your life (and if like me you’re self employed so aren’t well enough to earn any money).

It’s just dawned on me that this could well be it now, just constantly taking turns with covid every few months. I know other bugs existed before covid, but I can’t remember the last time I was ill before covid came along, not for quite a few years.

Sorry for the depressing thread, I’m just lying in the bath with my lungs on fire feeling a bit bleak.

So while I wouldn’t wish this condition on my worst enemy, perhaps the huge swathes of people affected by long covid will spark some interest in scientists finding some ways of at least improving chronic fatigue.

You would really have to hope this, yes. Fingers crossed that things will get better for you in time.

[quote TweenTrauma]@TheKeatingFive I agree, my ME started after a really nasty virus in 2014 (although I think an ongoing period of intense stress also played a role). And there’s nothing that the doctors can offer, other than just advice on pacing. It’s up and down, I can function for a few months and then I’ll have a crash and be bed bound for months. Even when I’m ‘functioning’ I get exhausted easily. And that’s been my life for 8 years now. I’m self employed because I wouldn’t be able to be relied upon to show up for x amount of hours every week for an employer, because my illness doesn’t work like that. I’m 41 and got a 1st class science degree in my 30s, but haven’t even attempted to start a career because of my illness. I am a single parent to two children and we just have to manage the best we can. I applied for disability benefits, got zero points and the stress of the face to face interview caused a huge crash which took months to recover from. It’s so frustrating to live like this with no prospect of a cure, it really does feel like a waste of a life.

So while I wouldn’t wish this condition on my worst enemy, perhaps the huge swathes of people affected by long covid will spark some interest in scientists finding some ways of at least improving chronic fatigue.

I know it’s not all about the fatigue with long covid though, for example a friend had covid earlier this year and he’s been left with an enlarged spleen, and I’ve heard of long term heart problems being common.[/quote]
Sorry you have had such a bad time. I read somewhere that there have been huge numbers of additional disability benefit applications over the past year or so. I suspect many of those will be for ongoing problems brought about by long covid as well as people having delayed diagnoses due to covid and delays in surgery meaning living with hip/ knee/ back problems for longer. It really is an awful situation and having huge effects on people's ability to work and function. I hope your situation improves.

@Babyroobs thank you, I hope it does too! I am part way through doing the form for PIP again as I’m hoping maybe now they are a bit more clued up on chronic fatigue issues because of long covid, and also I don’t think they are doing face to face appointments so it won’t be so tiring and stressful. I’m not holding out much hope but the money would make a huge difference.

My DH and I both tested via PCR on Saturday and both negative, today DH Is positive on LFT. He works in education and almost certainly caught it at work, the number of cases they’ve had in the last 2 wks is staggering. There is no way he could work even though technically he ‘can’

If the government accepts it's not going away and it's just going to be out there, then it needs to put in mitigating measures so that public services are not affected by high levels of sickness.

What 'mitigations' would you like to see, and what evidence is there that these 'mitigations' would be effective? This virus is now so transmissible that it's doubtful anything short of a full lockdown would have much effect.

Deja vu here

The government could employ more people rather than run services at "just enough " staffing levels

Or we could chose not to fund that in which case get used to the disruption

The government could employ more people rather than run services at "just enough " staffing levels

They could. But it takes time to get qualified people into roles.

I expect they're betting that second level vaccines and treatments will come to the rescue before the point at which increased staffing would really make a difference

They may or may be right.

May not

If the government accepts it's not going away and it's just going to be out there, then it needs to put in mitigating measures so that public services are not affected by high levels of sickness.

As others have already said, this virus variant is extremely transmissible... short of a full lockdown I doubt that 'mitigation' measures will have any effect, unfortunately.

Over time most people will build up immunity, helped by getting vaccinated and catching the virus.

It’s best for everyone to build up some immunity now rather than continue with crappy mitigations that don’t work.

@Delatron

It’s best for everyone to build up some immunity now rather than continue with crappy mitigations that don’t work.

Tell that to my DH who can’t work with long covid, that’s the risk anyone takes with the first time they get it, or second or third….. Isn’t that what vaccines are for….immunity?

Nobody is saying long Covid isn’t awful. Vaccines don’t stop you catching Covid though. I think I read they reduce the chance of long Covid somewhat. But most people will now be exposed to Covid and that will start to build some immunity in the population in years to come. That’s how it works with a novel virus. Some more research on treatments for long Covid would be good though.

We don’t have any other options unfortunately now than getting vaccinated and then living our lives whilst hoping we won’t be seriously affected. It is very shit yes. But I haven’t read any other viable options.

The problem is that regardless of how bad or widespread long covid is, none of this affects whether there are any mitigations that we know would actually achieve anything. Masks certainly aren't it.

I say this as someone who is still experiencing effects on my chest four months on and therefore qualifies as having it under the ONS definition at least, though I think that's a bit daft personally.

I work in a primary school. I'm not a teacher, but have been doing a teachers job for the past 2+ weeks due to.covid. there is no supply and I wanted to keep continuity fir the children. I have nothing left to give 😥

@Lilaclavenders

And privately educated families worrying about missing holidays isn't exactly a huge 'worry' is it?

Oh come on, it's shit for anyone anyone to miss out on a long-awaited holiday, whether or not they can afford to pay school fees (I can't afford them, by the way) .

But what other option is there? It’s clear that with the new variants nothing short of prolonged, harsh lockdown has any chance of reducing the spread (and even that hasn’t worked in places like Hong Kong). There is no way we can afford another lockdown, and vaccines have massively reduced the levels of hospitalisation and death, so what else can we do other than ‘live with it’?

I couldn’t be happier. Everything is fine in our primary. Staff doesn’t drop like flies, children are finally free of captivity, and we can live without walking on the egg shells. I’m really sorry about those who are still scared but I don’t see the difference with covid and many other viral infections. Despite being serious for some people (just like normal cold is), most people will be just fine. The rest will do what they have always done - take care of themselves and take measures in reducing own exposure to the virus. I’m happy no more people will lose jobs due to direct result of lockdowns, however we will suffer the result of the restrictions for a long time now.

@DiamondCushion
I’ve had NON COVID cheat infection for 2 months. I wanted for it to be covid, just for it to be legitimate so to speak. But no one cared. I still can’t breath properly. Would you like a lockdown for my kind of a chest infection?

@Yesiknowyes sorry you are struggling. Where have I said I want another lock down?? They are your words and projections not mine.
I think sensible things like freely available LFTs and masks in healthcare settings are still reasonable. Also a change in attitude to match other countries in the work, where if you obviously have a cold and worse then you don’t come into work if possible and the company supports that. Side note the NHS doesn’t and wants healthcare staff to work on respiratory wards when then have flu and are coughing and sneezing all over the place. If whatever causes your chest infection was spreading through 1 in 20 people and killing my healthy young friend then yes I would want some reasonable adjustments. Hope you feel better

@DiamondCushion
I’m sorry but if everyone is off with cold, the country will have no one to work and bankrupt (until you want everybody to stay home for SSP).

I think sensible things like freely available LFTs

I hope people realise these have never been available freely anywhere else (to my knowledge). The U.K. went very hard on testing and now they've become an expectation. But that isn't the same in other countries.

@DiamondCushion
And no, I’m not struggling:) I’m happy. I nearly lost my home because my DH lost his job due to unreasonable restrictions that never done anything but slowed down inevitable. Now we finally know that we probably will still have a roof over our heads and our children will have something to eat. I always had to go out to work, key worker, you see. Never been a member of nice comfortable furlough on a full pay, never had a privilege to protect myself from the infection. I’m happy now, I’m not struggling.

This Government believes in as smaller state as possible ie private schools, minimal benefits system and private involvement in healthcare.

They are quite happy with the current situation, if they weren't they would change it.

@TheKeatingFive
Couldn’t agree more.
Have relatives in EU countries. They were always shocked of the way people testing here. It was never free for them, never so available. The situation with covid is more or less the same everywhere and the name of this situation is “we have to learn to live with covid”.

Do we think our testing strategy worked? (I don’t).

Covid will run through all countries, it’s just we were all at different stages of the pandemic. It was so ridiculous when everyone on here used to say that other countries ‘were watching us in horror’.