How long is covid lasting nowadays?

[BewareTheBeardedDragon]

I've got pissing covid and feel like shit. Have had it twice before and hardly noticed each time. Obv this time it's different. How long are people finding the 2023 version is lasting? Is Christmas going to be hell?

You have my sympathy OP. I tested positive first thing Christmas morning, DP and DC on Boxing Day.
We all had it in 2020 and were pretty bad, "typical" Covid symptoms I guess, took ages to get back won our feet.
Round 2 in 2021, felt like flu but was able to function.
This time round my God I have never been so unwell in my life and only treated negative on Friday. Still feels like I have run a marathon just going up and downstairs and we are all restless, truly knackered, unable to sleep, no appetite and the chesty cough, just refuses to shift. Oddly also made me feel mentally weak and low in mood. Christmas was utterly hellish- a complete write off and completely lost any semblance of the break we all really needed. This is really horrid and I would not wish it on anybody, really think it is time we all reconsidered the "guidance" and maybe returned to masks as winter sets in, this thing is awful.
I really hope by now you are feeling better OP.

I've been wondering why treatment is not provided generally. Antivirals are only available for people with a few specific health conditions. Bearing in mind that it can be dire why are they not more widely prescribed?

Wholeheartedly agree with this, we know "Covid is here to stay", so why not equip everybody to deal with it better? Just feels so mindless that we had lockdown for so long and all the damage this brought, with no method freely available. I would have gladly paid anything to avert what we have just been through quite honestly.

It really is mental the way the government is burying its head in the sand with simple and cost-effective protective measures such as air filtering. I have covid at the minute for the second time and am feeling utterly shite, facing an almost 5 hour train journey home tomorrow as I have to be working (can WFH when ill thankfully) the day after. Will shove on a mask and try and sit away from people but this has ruined my time staying with family. Would really rather not travel but have little choice this time.

In other comparable Western countries, for the most part antivirals are freely available and importantly, so are vaccines. Anyone can get them and they don't restrict access. Meanwhile, the UK threw away millions of vaccine doses that it could have given to over 50s ineligible for other reasons, to reduce their risk of serious complications from covid.

I had it x 3 in 2023. 1st time only mild cold symptoms and tested purely because my mum is having chemo. Just felt a bit shitty for around 3 days.
2nd time got in on a flight home from holiday- temp/shivers/snotty and coughing and had 5 days off work due to crippling headache (WFH)
3rd time a week before Christmas- terrible cough, awful D&V - high temp and unreal fatigue. I slept for 12 hrs on the Friday night and 13 on the Saturday night before any of the other stuff kicked in. I'm feeling much better now but still very tired and slept 10 hrs last night which is why I'm still up I think!

First time I had it was 2022, slept for 18 hours a day for about 5 days, other than exhaustion I had normal cold symptoms l. Headache, sneezing, congestion etc.

Tested positive just before Xmas and literally just had a day of constant sneezing, itchy irritated nose and blocked nose. Sounds like I got off lightly