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

positive test result on the 14th.

Which means being exposed today or tomorrow, if you go by the estimated average time to symptoms.

You don't have to wait for symptoms. You could have a test on the 14th just in case if you think there is a chance you are positive and are otherwise going to be a hermit until Christmas.

The response of tightening restrictions in the area seems unlikely to accomplish much.

This in reference to Oslo locking down after a superspreader event. Why? Because it's too late?

Was just working on the assumption that most people don't test unless they think they might have Covid. Perhaps I'm wrong, but my hunch is that most people don't LFD regularly on the off chance. I do, most of my social circle do, but thats my bubble.

Don't forget you need to be infected for a fair few days before a test will show positive too.

Just to add a real life example, some friends of mine just went on a 3 day bender in Miami and flew back to London. (please don't @ me for the horrendous decisions that these friends made).

All PCR tested before flying back, all came back negative. All tested negative on day 2 tests. One tested positive via LFD 4 days after returning (5 days since PCR), one didn't test positive (via PCR) until 7 days after return, 8 days after pre departure PCR. The other is showing symptoms but hasn't tested positive yet (9 days since neg PCR).

For me, taking a PCR or LFD just before visiting and staying with my Mum is not an assurance that I don't have Covid, I choose to back testing up with reducing my social risk too.

Finally, wtf were those guys thinking? Or maybe I shouldn't judge people for doing what's perfectly reasonable in the eyes of the rules. I just don't know any more.

maybe I shouldn't judge people for doing what's perfectly reasonable in the eyes of the rules. I just don't know any more.

If they've all been vaxxed then frankly I think each person has to judge for themselves the risk of any activity. It is fairly clear that being vaxxed massively reduces the risk of serious disease & hospitalisation, so why shouldn't people get on with their lives within the rules?

Yeah, exactly. We're way past the point of the pandemic where we can judge people for doing what they want/need to do (as long as its within the rules), I think.

my hunch is that most people don't LFD regularly on the off chance

Any idea what the proportion of people having to LFT regularly for work is? Everyone has to at least twice a week to get in the door where I work, I'm doing more often than that (as are others) just because that 72h feels like quite a big window.

Daily LFT in our household. School had so many cases that they got told by the DFE to do more testing, more mask wearing etc. Apparently infection rates have dropped within the school so it is working.

Well, almost daily. Didn't go anywhere or do any testing on Sunday.

I assumed anywhere with in-person work in enclosed spaces was requiring regular testing. Is anyone working in an office or similar that doesn't require testing?

We are encouraged to LFT twice a week for office attendance but there isn't any checking.

Looks like a reverse ferret on Plan B is imminent.

Do you get the sense most people are doing it? or hard to tell. We get notifications checked at the door. Of course you could just upload a negative result without doing the test still...

I can't remember the context but one colleague recently said they were going to need to get hold of some LFTs which implies they don't have a stash at home and aren't testing.

Plan B from next Wednesday then

Work from home, yet send your kids to school. Still socialise in every other area other than the workplace.

Fucking crock of shit.

At least my bike commute will be on quieter roads.

I’m supposed to be going out to Paris for a day next week. For the UK rules I think I need

1. A pcr test/result the day before I go
   
2. A pcr test when I get back (and self isolate until result comes through)
   
   

Anyone confirm/ contradict this?

Some pretty big stats in here I wasn't aware of:

Quality of life for people with ME/CFS is poor, and 25% sufferers are virtually or completely bedbound
Approximately 10% people develop Long Covid after Covid-19 infection.

I remember hearing that severity of illness didn't correlate to likelihood of getting long Covid, but I wonder how that number changes with infection after vaccine.

https://doctorswith.me/me-cfs-the-urgent-need-for-improved-generalist-medical-education/

https://twitter.com/PaulKissack/status/1468661846978842625

I'm not sure that any of the posts today contradict my original post this morning. The SA press seems to still be anecdotally reporting relatively mild symptoms. The data linked to from the SA health body shows a rise in admissions but no corresponding significant rise in deaths yet. It's difficult to properly analyse (I can't download the data sets from the tableau deck) but hospital admissions in Gauteng don't seem to fit the overall picture for the wider area over the admittedly short time period in the graphs. Gauteng seems to have had fewer admissions earlier on the period.

My point this morning was really one of frustration that COVID has essentially turned into a Baudrillardian media farce with such luminaries as Prof Reicher appearing on both the WaO on R4 and the C4 news today, stating that the restrictions should be reframed as protections on WaO. Reicher (and Sridhar) seem to be part of a set of rotating media donkeys that are currently scooping up the appearance fees whilst giving opinions on matters way beyond their professional competence. The rise of the social sciences in my opinion is directly correlated with the importance given to lockdowns, mask wearing and other mitigations which are essentially behavioural tools that were gladly grabbed by governments pre vaccination to be seen to be in control. There is still no statistically significant evidence that face coverings impact the transmission of COVID. Lockdowns merely delay the inevitable, and hand washing is ineffective.

I find it surprising that people swallow the endless COVID news cycle and place their trust in our elected and unelected state servants. Senior figures have repeatedly breached their own rules showing just how much faith they have in the science.

Science is a place for dissent and argument not endlessly parroting the party line.

If I've read it right (and I hope I have because it's what I've booked) you can get a lft fit-to-fly test. It's half the price and you get your results in 15 mins

I don't understand why LFT is acceptable for travel, it's not very accurate is it?

They’re more than 80% effective at detecting any level of infection and more than 90% effective at detecting those who are most infectious - UClL study a month or two ago.

I have flights booked back to UK on Monday (via Germany, then Switzerland, from US) but am leaning towards cancelling. I'm vaxxed (boosted even) but I worry with omnicron. I would have to do a total of 5 tests during my trip and any one of those positive would a) isolation and b) well cause massive disruption to the flights.

That said, I've not seen family in forever (yay covid)... but I just keep thinking I should cancel and wait till later in 2022 instead... thoughts?