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

And for forty quid you can have a private GP appointment next time you need one and save the NHS paid slots for someone else.

Not really the same thing. Or have I missed the memo that says you shouldn't be booking GP appointments for anything now?

I think there is an unofficial policy to encourage more private healthcare by rationing NHS services.

I just checked the school advice which was updated around the time general free tests were announced as being withdrawn and that was to continue to test and order online rather than collect from school.

Bit late but I think any sign after the correct timeframe can be a false positive (usually says as much in the instructions)

Ended up testing pos on LFT until day 11.

Must say, whilst I had a pretty mild dose for my first known infection, Covid is not something I look forward to catching on the regular!

Mrs Hedge is currently at peak symptoms and not having a very good time at all.

this positive for long time is what is worrying me. US still requires negative test or covid recovery to get in. I'm fine, but still testing positive, and Swiss won't give me a covid recovery letter as I'm not a resident. so kinda trapped here indefinitely....

I'm fine, but still testing positive

How long has it been for you?

I had no idea that a letter of recovery would be seen as a "national" thing. I assume a doctors letter isn't enough? I managed to travel on a doctors letter rather than a vaccine passport a few months ago...

I think we're talking about different things. I meant the 30min window or whatever it is in which the result on a LFD can be read, rather than positives outside of the expected infection period.

5 days for sure, probably more like 8 or so when I caught it....

Yeah I'll have to investigate, but the problem was it was a pharmacy that did the test but they are not doctors so I dunno how that letter would work.

I have a "Recovery Certificate" that was signed by a UK doctor.

Arranged through the Zoomdoc website. All I had to do was provide proof of original covid infection (a photo of the "you're positive" test results email from the ONS) that was at least 10 days ago, and a self-certification that I hadn't had any symptoms for 48h (or maybe 72h) and the certificate arrived by email within minutes. (Again, signed by a UK doctor).

It's not the official NHS certificate of recovery but it may just as well have served as good enough I'd hoped. In reality the French never wanted to see it, and they weren't interested in the signed "honourable" declaration that I'd also filled in.

TBH, my work's Covid testing requirements were more stringent than France's or the UK's requirements.

Not sure when the border staff got their eyeballs upgraded to read QR codes (with network connectivity to boot) but today was the second time my vaccine passport has been visually read by a human. They looked at it in France last year too.

I had to fly to Spain last week and my vaccine passport wasn't asked for or checked at either airport for the flight out or return

today was the second time my vaccine passport has been visually read by a human

In Austria mine was checked several times a day, often with my ID too. But not at the border.

Yeah, can't remember the last time it was actually scanned and compared to ID. It was certainly only checked by eye both times on the Eurostar trip to France last week.

In Austria last month it was checked several times a day, and one I had to produce ID with a matching name, but still the actual QR code wasn't scanned.

I guess it would be quite rare for someone to risk faking a QR code and so they only bother with a cursory visual check.

I had a few people scan the code with their app. As a Brit that was better as the presentation of the certificate in the NHS app is different from the Austrian app. The later allows you to press/select the certificate and then scroll to see when it expires (270 days after jab?) and lots of places were looking for that date rather than doing date maths in their heads. You can import the NHS generated QR code into the Austrian app which then makes things easier.

The COVID fairy has finally come to visit my husband. No fever or cough, oxygen levels ok, just a sore throat, stomach upset and feeling tired / brain dead.

I'm testing negative so is my son, will keep testing.

COVID is "over" but nobody told COVID ;)

Edit: Day 2 Am still negative, luckily no asthma symptoms for my husband, still just sore throat and some fever, feel dull headed.

my son tested positive last Thursday and both myself and my wife have tested positive today.
2nd time for us, last was in Oct 2021.
felt really crap for about a week last time so I'm hoping the reports of the current varient being milder pan out for us.
I really don't understand how this is all going to work once free testing finishes next week, surely going to go even higher than it is now?

Day 10 and testing clear at last. So very tired though. Set out on my traditional little birthday ride but after a couple of miles just turned around and dragged my sorry ass home. Zzzzz.

I had to fly to Spain last week and my vaccine passport wasn't asked for or checked at either airport for the flight out or return

Ditto, except for a temperature check.

Mrs Hedge (triple jabbed, first known infection) has finally starting to feel much better. I was worried that I was going to have to take her to hospital on Saturday. This virus is no joke for some of the people who catch it.

The neighbours, in her 60s, works as a teacher was off for nearly a month with it.

Glad Mrs Hedge is on the up as you say it can be very serious for some people.

My current anecdote is that we had an immediate family gathering at our house (I live with my old man at the moment). Myself, Dad, Aunt (charge nurse), Gran (89) and a family friend.

Everyone but myself (34) now has Covid. 5th day of testing, still negative. More surprising is my dad and myself traveled in the car together for a couple of hours 4 days later before we knew he was positive.

Best guess is that my booster was at the start of the year so more potent.

Naturally, the concern is my grandmother, but as of yet no serious symptoms.

https://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/people-with-a-cold-urged-to-stay-home-and-avoid-contact-under-new-guidance-41500834.html

Well that's going to work well with the crappy sick pay and all the "it's just a cold!!!!" types combined with end of free tests.

Yup, damn near everyone at my (old) work and half of the people I hang out with have it now, most of them don't really have proper sick pay and it's only the managers pretending they're at work that's going to get them by, bigger shitter companies ain't gonna cover it so it's either stay at home and don't get paid or infect more people. I was lucky/unlucky that I got it Inbetween jobs so my week of doing things I wanted was reduced to a week of sitting inside whilst it was sunny.

Shanghai has turned some big exhibition halls into quarantine centres for asymptomatic patients. If you test positive you have to go there and stay until you have two negative PCR tests. 100s of camp beds in a giant hall. Very little running water. Not much actual testing going on. Photos/videos are absolutely horrific.

Yay zero covid.

Daughter #2 is home learning today. School has so many teachers off sick they they have sent home years 7, 8 and 9. They will now be back after Easter.

I read the situation in HK is really bad as well :(