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

Yep. Given the exponential rise in cases, I'm struggling to see how pretty much any class won't be off before the end of term.

but if single parent & need to get weekly shop done this might be why.

Ah yeah, I get that and been in that situation myself with the whole 48hr no school after V&D. But these were the feral wheely bike/scooter kids old enough to play out by themselves sans-grownup.

Thank fuck, not sure it to do with your wifes immune system.

Stay safe watery creature.

I would live in lockdown for another five years to save the lives of those that died due to shambolic, cowardly and self-interested decision avoidance. I expect most people would.

You seem to be the minority. But it is not if there was full lockdown, just a little restriction.

Sorry, I would say read the article but the title of the article is clear.

Seem that a few essex greater London schools are being 'closed' due to covid infections amongst pupils and staff. Seems the bubbles may not be working as the kids are mixing outside of school.

Told school our reasoning, based on the increasing cases and high chance of being told to isolate in the last week of term for at least one of the girls, and got a snotty letter back that they couldn't authorise the absence! This was yesterday and today they've told 100 kids not to come to school!

Should have lied ;) Understand your logic and not as if your kids could do the homework and class work.

Seems to be little joined up thinking in schools but then teaching staff here what is happening as the same time as the public.

Sorry, I would say read the article but the title of the article is clear.

I'd disagree. The title/headline alone makes it sound like the change is going to happen now, or very soon.

It's not, it's a proposed change for the new school year starting in September.

Who knows what the Covid infection situation will be in two months after a whole load of non-school related mixing (summer holidays, holiday camps, etc).

Any problems with year wide bubbles being taken out because of the current rules is only going to get worse over the remaining 3 and a bit weeks of term due to both the countrywide growth in cases and also due to some kids deciding to have fun and deliberately submitting positive results in order to get themselves out of school.

Sorry, you are right. I didn't see the possible misinterpretation.

Am concerned what will happen in September in schools, the GF is a teacher in a group of schools that don't seem to have a joined up plan or process for covid. Seeing as this is where I caught covid from, I am concerned.

Looks like two double vaccinated people I know have had positive PCR tests. This does concern me.

Older people are more likely to die and more likely to be fully vaccinated.

I spoke to a business acquaintance this morning, he’s 60 and double vaccinated, caught COVID at the start of June and got out of hospital 4 days ago, X-rays showed his lungs coated with the virus, he’s now got classic long COVID symptoms, he was struggling to breathe and coughing his guts up while we were chatting. This thing is no joke.

Looks like two double vaccinated people I know have had positive PCR tests. This does concern me.

Well, first of all none of the vaccines are 100% effective (and never will be).

A vaccine with 97% efficacy doesn't mean that everyone who eventually gets it will only have symptoms 3% as bad as if they weren't vaccinated. Nor does it mean that 97% of people will never get an active infection. Nor does it mean that 97% of people will never exhibit symptoms. Understanding how vaccine efficacy is measured is the key to understanding what it really means.

Timing is important too, a mate of mine has tested positive and has mild symptoms despite being double jabbed, but he started to come down with symptoms 3 or 4 days after his second jab, so he only really had the benefit of the initial jab 8 and bit weeks ago. (To be clear, he was told to self-isolate after a mate of his he'd been on a night out with had tested positive, and also get his own test, his symptoms started two or three days into his self-isolation.)

Secondly, the virus has to get into the body and start being replicated for the body to begin to mount its immune response, so it's unsurprising that double-jabbed people (even with a 100% effective vaccine) could have subsequent positive PCR tests.

Some people seem to believe that immunity takes the form of some magic barrier that prevents them from ever being infected again. It doesn't work that way.

The question, in these individual cases, is how much/well/fast does the vaccine stimulated immune response suppress the infection and suppress any (and hopefully all) symptoms.

Lastly, the PCR test is sensitive enough that a nasal swab could be picking up just enough virions to trigger a positive PCR test result even though no virus particles have actually got into the body yet (if you still consider the inside of the nostrils as "external").

(This is similar to the doubters testing random objects for Covid-19 and reporting that a piece of fruit had tested positive for Covid-19. It's not a really a test for Covid-19 as that's the disease that's caused by the virus. The PCR test is a very sensitive test for the presence of the specific coronavirus RNA, it's not a test for the specific disease, but a positive PCR test in a human has a very strong correlation with a Covid-19 infection.)

:(

Hope the symptoms will lessen over time. At least long covid starts to get taken seriously now.

And indeed it is not...they estimate 3% of people get long covid.

The little shits,
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/02/uk-pupils-orange-juice-fake-positive-covid-test-results

https://twitter.com/chrischirp/status/1411405854625218560?s=19

Bang. Youngest (6) has just had a positive result. This is on top of the oldest (8) being on self-isolation from a positive elsewhere in her year.

We dont know where the youngest got it from yet, but school is the only real option. Now we're on whole house lockdown for at least 10 days (including my birthday) and if anyone else get it, fook knows how long.

We're in a small house so eldest now straight in the firing line - I've had covid before plus one jab, misses is double jabbed. Lord knows what the coming week has in store - plus I'm mental busy at work (WFH).

To top it off, the youngest was complaining of a sore bum last night too - threadworm too! FML.

I'm just in my 60s, having been feeling knocked out for about week. Sore eyes, blocked nose, sore throat. Not a collection of things I've suffered from previously. Previously had covid and had both vaccines. Had one of those covid chemist tests and negative.
Went to the seaside on Friday, nice breeze coming off the sea, clear skies and warm. All symptoms disappeared. As soon as we set off back in to the countryside symptoms back again. Repeated yesterday and same again.
Pretty convinced hay fever, never had it before, ever. Not sure it is something the covid has done or just late onset Hay fever.
Anyone else?

Can't offer much of relevance but my hay fever has been horrible this year, first time I ever got an actual fever as a result of it too. Moved to a pretty rural spot 2 years ago, don't recall it being particularly bad last year, this year has been horrible though. Never really suffered from it when I lived in London.

I've heard of a fair few people suffering from hayfever this year for the first time.

I've been having a frequent stuffed nose with an unpleasant feeling behind eyes too, never had hay fever.

I guess now I do... It's not as bad the past few weeks.

Yeah ^^^ that is hay fever.

Well done for dodging it for six decades. I've had it for four and counting.

seems like it’s a bit out of control at schools; how accurate are those 30 minute tests? i remember they had high false negative but also that there was something in the papers that said that they were less accurate positives in areas of loss incidence. Which makes them just sound random. Sorry if this has been done to death!

We did a lateral flow at 9am which came back negative. Her 'cold' got worse. Booked a PCR at 2pm which was positive. I administered both.

My takeaway is that the lateral flow are almost worthless.

You are correct.

My takeaway is that the lateral flow are almost worthless.

Meanwhile in Amsterdam last weekend they were letting people into nightclubs with just a negative lateral flow test.

At least the thread worm is easy to treat.

∆∆∆∆ not a club I wanted to join.