Thread a naoi: heading toward year three

[JaneJeffer]

New thread as other is nearly full now.

I wonder how long pcr testing can go on. Some of the staff will need to be redeployed to hospital work, if the hospital staff are depleted.

Is this the end game?

Merry Christmas go léir, hope you all had a lovely time. We made it to the in-laws it was a bit stressful as MIL is panicking about covid so the doors were left open a lot and it was all a bit... strange. But anyway we had a nice time and are back home again.

I'm wondering how this is all going to pan out now. I can't see a lockdown happening. They're going to have to let it rip (which it is doing anyway) they'll have to drop the number of days isolating otherwise there'll be zero staff anywhere. I know of so many people who've got it now but not one of them is very sick. And yet a few people I know are very ill and their PCR was negative. It seems if you're very sick at the moment it's likely not covid This time 2 years ago all my friends and family had the most awful flu, I was the only one who escaped it. I think that was "proper" covid. This omicron variant seems to be just a cold? Surely to god if they add up all the cases over the month of December they'll say we've reached natural herd immunity?
I hope everyone who's feeling under the weather is better soon.

Yes I think you're right egg

PCR tests seem to be very hard to get.

I'm watching the news.
I think we should stay inside for January 😬

It's all a bit mental, alright. Have heard of three more young ones testing positive today. DD is isolating at her boyfriend's house and they're all positive there. DS hasn't seen anyone so he's ok but will be interesting to see how the next week or two goes.

It’s like wildfire. My friend says the R number is the amount of people in the room.

My older son who's been a frontline worker managed to dodge covid until last week but he and his friends who tested positive were able to isolate together, only had very mild symptoms and said it was like being on holidays. My son should be out of isolation tomorrow.

My other son had covid back in September and has been doing antigen tests the last week knowing a family funeral was imminent. All negative until today, 2 antigen tests showing faint lines so he's waiting for a PCR test via his GP. Friday the earliest by the look of it and as his grandad died today he'll miss his funeral which is on Friday.

Aww @honeyrider sorry to hear that. I know that's what ye didn't want. So much for the 6 month reprieve If you had Covid.
Hope everything goes okay tomorrow.

I'm sorry to hear that too, honeyrider. That's very tough on you all.

My sincere sympathies to you @honeyrider. Sorry it ended up like this for you.

I'm very sorry for your loss honeyrider and sorry that covid is making everything worse now too.

Thanks everyone. the earliest he can get a PCR test is Sunday so 4 days wait through GP referral. I'll get him to do another antigen test tomorrow just to see if it's clearer and to make sure he didn't contaminate the test such as drinking water or eating.

He said he hasn't any symptoms so we'll see. If he is positive he can sit in his car outside the church and watch the funeral on his phone. I don't know if a faint line would show up 3.5 months after having covid, he was very sick with it back in September.

That's the problem now, a lot of people I know who got it are not sick and only pick it up because of antigen testing.

Just saw a headline that Tony Holohan is warning people not to socialise indoors in large groups tomorrow night....
I wonder how many will take heed.

NYE was never really a big night for me, I always found it to be an anti climax so I'm happy staying in but I remember when I was younger it was always a reason to celebrate..
Will be hard for younger people to stay in and I can understand why.
The hospitals are starting to feel the pressure now - I hope they can cope.

So many people ignore Tony Holohan now. It's not just young people not heeding him.

I'm so pissed off at the blatant disregard of the covid guidelines at FIL's removals this evening. Shaking hands and hugging each other, masks not worn correctly with penis noses not covered while a few would pull their mask away from their face when they'd speak mostly by those in their 60's, 70's and 80's.

One of my siblings and her DH travelled to sympathise with DH and his family and were horrified by this. They'd been at a funeral earlier today - no handshakes or hugging, grieving family sat back from the mourners, my sister thinks it will be a miracle if I escape contracting covid and I know the meal post funeral tomorrow will be more of the same.

Oh Gosh, that's awful. I've been at removals during covid and it's just walking through with a nod to the family. Masks worn no handshakes, now that's the group I went in with bit I'd imagine it was the same as the funeral director was reminding everyone as they went in.

I hope today goes better @honeyrider. Think of ye today.

That's awful, honeyrider. That would have really annoyed me too.
Also thinking of ye today.

Actually I saw pictures on Facebook of people out in the local pub over Christmas. Big tables of friends all sitting together, all hugging for photos. It made me uncomfortable. I don't know if they all took antigen tests before going out and thought it was okay because they were negative.

My mother in law hasn't been to a funeral for 2 years, she keeps trying to get someone to take her. Its as big a social event as a wedding for many older people, and even now she has to be reminded what rules are in place.
I imagine if she could drive herself shed be in the thick of every wake around.

I'm so sorry honeyrider. Hope things go okay for you today

I have no idea where my money is going. I got 200 euro for Christmas and I swear it just flowed through my fingers. Money definitely doesn't go as far as it it used to.

Petrol is an awful price.

Happy New Year guys. Hopefully 2022 is better.

Happy New Year to everyone on this thread.