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

Was meant to get the train today to see my parents for the first time in quite a while, but I woke up on Friday with a very sore throat and a notification that I'd been in close contact with a positive case on Tuesday (80% sure it was my manager). Had to make a decision on whether to go and eventually called them and told them we wouldn't be there, although my brother and sister-in-law are still going. Everyone was gutted but I think it was the right decision; whatever I have is currently kicking the shit out of me and I wouldn't want either of my parents to be exposed. My dad's care home just came out of a weeks-long block on visitors after several positive cases there so it would be so bad if I was the cause of another one of those.
I took a walk-through PCR in Crouch End on Friday at lunchtime but haven't had a result yet; this is the first time it's taken more than 24 hours for me but I guess they must be overwhelmed right now? If it's not Covid it's possibly the flu because I feel really awful and had pain all down my back and into my limbs this morning.

Bluegh, my mother-in-law has been ill for a few days, headaches and a bit of a cough, pretty classic covids but the LFTs coming up negative and a PCR just not coming back, so she's been waiting around getting worse. Went into hospital yesterday as headaches were mega and speech was slurred, leg numb and it's actually a bleed on her brain. She's spent the night in a corridor with her boyfriend waiting outside in his car. Bit of a shitter and a nice example of how a big wave of Covid cases can cause problems for non Covid patients because of testing backlogs, misdiagnosis because Covid is likely and GPs are overworked and then treatment is hard because hospitals are full of Covid patients. She's due to be transported to Stoke-on-trent hospital today, which is bad as it's where her husband died a few years back so she's a bit prone to panic attacks around the place, but good because they're a specialist in head stuff and the family knows the head head guy from having many nurses who've worked there over the years, he sorted out an uncle who had a stroke a couple of years ago and will make sure everything is double checked and as good as possible for her.

Do you have any LFT tests?
Have covid at the moment (guessing omicron but who knows). Main symptoms have been back + leg pain. Plus some cold symptoms. LFT tests have been very accurate for me - positive results each time I've taken one.
Had booster a few weeks ago so I presume I'm one of the unlucky 25%. Though maybe it would have been worse if I'd not had it - really symptoms have been pretty mild and having to quarantine from family in bedroom has been worst of it.
Have had non-stop colds brought home from children's school over the last couple of months and all of them have been worse than covid for me.

Needs to be seen IMO...

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/12/18/covid-hotspot-figures-show-nhs-may-avoid-overwhelmed-omicron/

Shit, that's awful. But helpfully (for me) reinforces my decision not to go to NI. If I took something there, even if my folks didn't get it but it contributed to their already crippled health service, then my da can't see his specialists.

Needs to be seen IMO...

I'm confused as to what they are using to make that claim there. The lastest data for South Northamptonshire admissions is from nearly 7 days ago when admissions had jumped 23%.

Yeah I've taken a few tests this week too and they were all negative. Just got a text with the PCR result and that's negative too. Oh well, if I have a bad cold or the flu I'd rather not give that to my parents either so it's probably good I cancelled; today I've been coughing and sneezing a lot so would have gotten the whole train carriage ill too. I think maybe it's something my wife had last week and shrugged off after a couple of days but has hit me harder (which is what usually happens tbh).

Is South Northamptonshire anywhere near Scarfolk?

Looking at the map it has no major towns (and therefore hospitals) inside its boundary but several just outside. If admissions stats are by hospital location then that would mess the numbers up.

One- its behind a paywall
Two- the Telegraph is not a creditable independent source of anything

If it helps the NHS in London is planning for a spike this coming Xmas weekend because admissions hit 2 weeks or so after infections

https://youtu.be/twP9LmpnPVE

Say what you want about Piers Corbyn, this is an absolute banger.

Sorry, nothing stood out there?

Didn't realise London was lagging quite that much

Despite best NHS/local govt efforts, vaccination rates in London worryingly much lower than rest of England. Today's data: 1st dose 68% vs national 89%; 2nd dose 61% vs 82% & boosters 30% vs national 47%. 6/6.

https://twitter.com/ChrisCEOHopson/status/1472297080672722954

Yes. I might have to eat my shorts.

But it does appear London is the Red Herring.

This is why the antipathy to people who haven’t been vaccinated doesn’t make sense. There is a high correlation with social deprivation and ethnic minority communities, who aren’t reached by / don’t trust government messaging on the issue.

One- its behind a paywall

Two- the Telegraph is not a creditable independent source of anything

Three, in the article they are using admissions data from nearly eight days ago, to say that admissions are not increasing much, even though they know that admissions are an indicator that lags by two to three weeks.

Unless i've confused myself, they're saying that that admissions haven't increased by much using admissions data from a date that relates to cases from roughly on the day that the first Omicron case was detected in the UK.

Exactly, the Telegraph has an anti lockdown/restrictions bias and will cherrypick any old shit to fit that narrative.

That really has got under my skin actually. Its irresponsible reporting.

Lets say that admissions in that region on the 12th December would largely have been from infections that happened around 28th November. The first cases of Omicron in South Northamptonshire weren't discovered until December 3rd.

sage doc says "These are not forecasts or predictions."

If we got there the country would implode, no services would be running, shops closed, half of the country isolating through contacts etc

Tim Spector of Zoe also quoted the 2m cases/day but mentioned that behavioural changes would mean that number is never hit.

Although having said all that, my sister has also just tested positive and is missing Christmas so maybe I'm wrong!

Anyone gone to Canada recently? I have decided to risk seeing my folks. We're self isolating before but curious what to expect going through border control /Airport.

If you're Canadian, entry itself is easy but Pearson is chaotic as fuck because of the self-service passport machines.

We're British. But fully vacc'd (+booster). We have booked 2 days hotel for quarantine. I understand we might (most likely) be asked to do a pcr (and therefore quarantine until we get a neg result).

even i was worried to take my parents in if it wasnt for lewisham council to explicitly say “no immigration checks”

@ChainBreaker You should be fine. Standard advice really, have printed out copies of your hotel reservations, etc. The wait at Pearson will be infuriating. Holler if you want any other Toronto recs.

Check with CBSA daily, guidance may change.
Much more restrictions coming next week in Manitoba and Ontario.
Source: I work at YWG

A friend of mine who runs a few clubs in Southampton, told me that 30% of people who turned up yesterday either were not vaccinated/done a lateral flow test prior to coming.

He’d packed up LFTs so people could do them by the door. Of the 200 or so that did tests on the door, most of them had never done one before…

Crazy.