This is unreal - the new variant - anyone have it

[GreenPebbles]

I am not ill and I don't have it. I had COVID in the summer and I know it's likely only just around the corner again.

Did anyone have COVID recently? How was it?

I came across this on twitter. Apparently there's a new variant called XEN.

It looks a lot like the original Wuhan variant. It appears as if people are getting better and then by the second week there is respiratory distress.

I mean like WHAT THE HOLY FUCK?

I mean like how can this be allowed to spread if this is happening?

Wear an FFP2 mask if you're worried about it.
Or lock yourself down.

I must be lucky but I haven't had it once in all of the time it's been going around. Maybe I'll get it this winter, who knows.
I do know some people who constantly seem to have it though, so I wonder why some people get it all the time and other people, like me, don't seem to get it at all, or maybe have had it once or twice.

I don't see why everyone should be locked down again or be forced to wear masks.
Those concerned are welcome to wear masks and they should be the FFP2 variety, not the grotty looking rags people were wearing when they were mandatory. I live in an EU country where FFP2 masks were mandatory and I think that was better than just saying people had to cover their mouths and noses and you had people wearing some kind of cobbled together homemade mask which was pretty much useless.

Poor old Boris. It’s a shame the “nu” variant was renamed omicron. He was looking forward to saying “alas, we have a nuuuuuuuuu variant”, like in Little Britain.

The government weaponised the news to frighten the pants off the public.

OP, just try googling some scientific journals, or international monitoring organizations. This variant is no more severe than previous variants, it's a grandchild of Omicron, the current vax works against it. It is more transmissible, but other than that, is not a variant of concern.

I've only had COVID once, and that was mild. Lucky me. DD's have had it a few times, and one DD had long COVID, but tbh, it was no different than the Post viral fatigue the other DD had after Glandular fever, and they are both fine now.

Viruses and bacteria are everywhere, all the time. You either get lucky or not. DH also had Lyme, and that was awful. He still gets "episodes" now, but life goes on.

Schools and hospitals should absolutely have air filtering systems. Nothing has been learned. Nothing will change. And most people don’t care. Until it happens to them (or their child).

Hmm this is a bit worrying actually. I tested positive for Covid on 9 October. Sore throat, cough, congested, lost sense of smell, foggy head, fatigue and a dodgy tummy. Felt bad for a few days but by Monday 14th had perked up a lot and was feeling quite a bit better (smell and taste also returned). Actually tested again and the test was negative. However as this week has gone on I’ve gotten worse again - lingering sore throat, feeling very chesty and out of breath easily. Very tired too - had to cancel plans with friends today, stay home and have a nap! Taking paracetamol and hoping it clears off soon. My husband has got it too and he has a heart condition. He had the jab but only a few days before he got Covid too 😟.

They’ve had all the boosters, yes. My last bout of Covid wasn’t bad at all though, and I haven’t been eligible for anything except the original vaccinations.

Covid bingo.
The young fit and healthy don't test and don't care. That's fine, I don't expect them to.
I don't expect my DC to test but equally I don't expect them to visit me if they have any virus.

But most people over a certain age or with health issues will test.
Why? Well for me it's because I get treatment for covid. It nearly killed me 3 years ago and even with 2 boosters a year and treatment I was pretty unwell last time I got it.

You don't have to care, though it's odd that people care enough about it to post that they don't care.
My neighbours in their 50s have been floored by this, into 4th week off sick.

I've just had it, as has DP. We were both pretty mildly unwell, cold level.

👏

I don't know how the cost of ignoring it is sustainable either, but guess that's another thing we will leave to the next generation to mop up. In the meantime, we can ignore all the research and evidence and insist that repeated infections are having zero impact on kids' brains and put everything down to lockdowns and screens. Great plan.

We are all unvaccinated, but it was just a headache and a few shivers. Worked from home.

There will not be another lockdown for Covid. If you get sick then you get sick, being able bodied has always been a temporary state of being since the dawn of time. If you’re paranoid about bugs then lock yourself indoors but thankfully the majority won’t bow to your ideals.

I know little about this. Do you have a source, please? For this and the comment about economists expressing disquiet and more about the impact.

Not entirely.
medical masks do reduce the spread and provide some protection from others.
N95s do both better.

if symptomatic and need to go out, any mask is better than none to keep your germs to yourself.

I'm 3 weeks in , not showing positive for at least a week / 10 days but still no energy and coughing all the time .
Dh is the same , it's horrific .

Tested positive Sept 11th.

First week, very high temp, sweaty confused haze. Aching kidneys, pounding head.
Week 2, thought I was getting better, then the wheezing started. I was fine when I kept still but any exertion left me exhausted. Slept for most of weeks 2 & 3.

Five weeks later, am finally better. Went for a run on Thursday.

Try and build up your immune system. I've had it twice and enjoyed a day in bed tbh. But I am very healthy generally.

I'm not the person who posted this originally but I know that in the UK, the ONS counted cases of Long covid amongst all ages during a series of large annual surveys. The caveat is that all figures are self-reported, but unfortunately there is no other way to count Long Covid currently, since the diagnosis is basically one of exclusion at this point. Between the one Spring 2023 and the one released in Spring 2024, figures in children increased by almost 50 000 sufferers. At 52 weeks in a year, 1000 new victims per week does not sound far off as an estimation.

This is a link to the most recent ONS report: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/articles/selfreportedcoronaviruscovid19infectionsandassociatedsymptomsenglandandscotland/november2023tomarch2024

I had a nasty sore throat last Sat, chills on Sunday, excruciating head by Monday (this lasted until Thursday night) and fever off and on for days (I tested positive Mon) managed 3hrs in work Tues before giving up and didn't make it back in for remainder of the week. It has wiped me out, stomach upset for me was on Wed but I put that down to volume of pain killers I've taken and an irritating cough started midweek too but not constant... yet! It has been draining, managed to get moving a bit yesterday and do a few small jobs around house but I'm still feeling rough and only have enough energy to do things in short bursts, it's not pleasant.

Who has suggested a lockdown? Arguably, having some sensible measures in place - especially acknowledging airborne nature - could have reduced length of lockdown and help with this and future pandemics.

Locking vulnerable people down (in effect, some are) seems a bit hysterical and cruel, when there are sensible changes that can be made. Besides, who is vulnerable? There are so many people who had it mildly, were 'healthy' and are now living with life-limiting illness due to covid.

I can't see how 'living with covid' logically means turning the dial up to 11, rather than reducing it.

Locking vulnerable people down (in effect, some are) seems a bit hysterical and cruel

Their choice, surely? Seems sensible to me.

The options aren't just total lockdown or let it run rampant. Another serious topic where people jump straight to extremist positions. We are not a grown up country anymore.

I spoke to someone to today who has Covid. She works in a hospital and said many of the staff have it.
It's really not only on MN that people talk about it.

I genuinely think air filtering is the best solution. Masks will always be unpopular due to the discomfort and weird look, I suppose (although they work very well), but the resistance against air filtering has been baffling me. It's just a device that runs in a corner without bothering anyone. There is no downside apart from the cost, which I'm sure is a lower cost than all the work days lost to rampant sickness, lower productivity etc.

A screenshot surely. Rather than a link.

What do you suggest should happen? There's literally no money. We pretty much bankrupted ourselves trying to slow it and failed.

We are living with it. Most people are carrying on as normal in spite of the fact covid is now always going around. That IS living with it.

Living with it doesn't imply learning lessons and doing things differently, for me and many others living with it means accepting that it's a risk and carrying on with life as normal.