Chat about Novel Coronavirus - 2019-nCoV - COVID-19

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/01/04/the-plague-year

Interesting info on how the plague broke out in the States. Lots of blame on China, which borders on propaganda given that the US ‘was the world’s best prepared country’.

I know of a fair few as well.

I think back to the first lockdown and how diligent I was with alcohol gel, washing hands, door handles until my cracked hands kept splitting. Same with most people I knew.

Pretty sure people have got really lax with all this. Don't hear much of a push of the basics, like hand washing, appropriate social distancing etc.

I prefer shopping in a smaller M&S at the moment, not because I'm a snob, but because they have someone outside who monitors numbers inside the shop very carefully, and also wipes down the handles of baskets and trolleys before they are used.

wipes down the handles of baskets and trolleys before they are used.

For all the shitness of 2020, it's been quite nice to use shopping baskets that aren't a rancid pile of minging.

Reassuringly damp, but not sticky.

Yes! Especially lots of teens > 20-something children. Very different to March/April where I (and partner) got mild doses but knew no-one else who had got it.

Are false negatives a problem, generally?

anecdotally, quite a lot of people I know have had or have Covid at the moment, anyone else finding that?

Not really. Only one person I know who's had Covid recently and that was Niece #1. However, she's only 11 so apart from a slightly tickly throat for a couple of days she barely noticed it, and has now tested negative. Mind you, out here in the Fens' famous Fens the rates are still pretty low, at least compared to The Smoke.

how many of them have kids of school going age?

It’s only a matter of time if you put yourself in, or your work or commitments force you into, situations in which you could contract it.

A friend of mine was talking about this surge being ‘inevitable’ and it all being a matter of time. This language masks or promotes actions that lead to transmission.

Be vigilant and it’s unlikely you will contract or transmit it.

None, most quite young!

It's probably a case of people being tested this time round.

Recent:
34 m - videographer still has to work on shoots/travel on trains
30 m - fairly relaxed about it all probably caught it out shopping etc
36 m - works in a n office in stockholm, had to close his office for a week after he tested positive
60 m - gf's best friends dad, reckons got it in a restaurant
40 f - someone from work (unsure of her situ)

first wavers
29 m - caught while skiing in austria
29 m - caught while skiing in austria

53k new cases today. Crikey

anecdotally, quite a lot of people I know have had or have Covid at the moment, anyone else finding that?

Yes, definitely. It feels closer to me at the moment, but I presume it's no worse than in the spring, there's just better testing now.

A lot of the people we know with it now have school age kids...

Yes. This time around I know a lot more people personally who have had a positive test (4 in the last two weeks vs 0 during first wave). Although half of it is probably because it's much easier to get a test this time - I'm pretty certain I had it in March but didn't get a test because they were telling people with mild symptoms to stay home so don't know for sure.

An update on my partner’s father from a few days back, as many of you posted supportive comments. He was taken to King’s by ambulance on Xmas day barely conscious and put on oxygen, initially improved and they gradually reduced the amount they were giving him.

Today my girl took in some photos for the nurses to put by his bed and some doughnuts for the staff. By the time she got home she got a call to say his condition had worsened and they were putting him into an induced coma and onto a ventilator. So now we just have to wait.

That's awful, Mark. Much strength to you and her.

Deleted as after what marky has written not relevant.

Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.

Thank you for your kind offer. Am fine christmas gluttony fest prepared.

So sorry to hear this. Hope the hospital care helps him focus on fighting the virus, although it's a frightening situation. Fingers crossed.

Best wishes from here too.

This disease is such a fucker. Best wishes here too.

That's horrible news.

I had a bit of a surprise recently. I got a blood test after a couple of random incidents of being laid out by some viral issue. Had no reason to suspect covid particularly - none of the headline symptoms, but it was a bit weird. Just very tired / felt like crap for a few days and not right for about a week. This happened twice in a month, with a fully recovery in between. Work had been pretty stressful, which is rare for me, so I thought maybe it was some burn out type thing I've not had before.

Anyway, blood test comes back normal apart from positive for covid antibodies - so I've had it at some point. No idea if it was connected to the intense lethargy episodes or what. I was however ill with a really bad cough in mid February - about the same time as the first "Super Spreader" was in the news. This was a cough like no other I've had - two weeks of proper housebound rubbish mess followed by another two of recovery. I'd always put it down to just being a bad cough/chest infection type thing, but now I wonder...otherwise I've had it pretty much symptomless at some other point but somehow managed to not infect my family, unless they also had a symptomless experience. They were away for the first week of my mega cough as it was half term, but other than that we live in a small two up two down, so any illness tends to go round the house pretty reliably.

If that was that February mega cough we dodged massive bullet as the family went off to stay with my partner's elderly parents for that week! They've been shielding ever since as granny is convinced (not unreasonably) it will see her off if she gets it.

Anyway, bit confused and slightly reassured I don't appear to have bad long covid, provided I don't get any more of these random mega tired/crappy periods.

Worst part is I'm now the designated shopper, swanning about with my antibodies.

That's shit @Markyboy. Thoughts with you and yours. Hoping for a more positive outcome.

Was that an NHS antibody test? Did your GP order it specifically?

Yep - think they run covid antibodies on all NHS blood tests now. It was just to see if there was anything up with me, but with symptoms of random week long lethargy, covid was requested by my GP.