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

London Book fair

okay nerd

Ok I'm confused by the current guidance https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/when-to-self-isolate-and-what-to-do/

I tested positive last Friday. I was ill over the weekend. As of today I'm currently feeling fairly perky with only mild cold-like symptoms (blocked nose, occasional cough). No more fever. Strongly positive LFT today.

I need to stay home until tomorrow, I get that. But then after that - I'm still likely to be contagious so I should stay home for 10 days or until 2 consecutive days of negative tests? OR since I feel well enough and don't have a high temperature I should go back to work?

I emailed H&S and they just said "All restrictions have been lifted in England". Helpful.

It's not a total disaster to work from home but it's also not straightforward either (I mostly teach in-person and there isn't anyone else to cover it). However causing a mini contagion outbreak by going back in earlier than I should would have worse impacts.

I just stayed at home because nobody will thank you for giving them covid

Also my employers aren't complete psychopaths, but yours might be, so YMMV.

Asked some medical types and they said to stick to the old advice of only going back sooner than 10 days if you have 2 consecutive days of negative tests otherwise you're almost certainly infectious. Only gov can't say that anymore because of no free tests. So I'm staying at home.

Also today I feel worse so I guess I'm still ill.

Also today I feel worse so I guess I'm still ill.

Yeah it drags...don't expect to feel top again for another week or so.

Obv YMMV, but I had it a couple of weeks ago (second time round after getting the OG version, 3 x jabs) and on day 6 had clear test and went back about my business. Wife was the same. Couple of days feeling bad-cold-rough, couple of days feeling pretty much normal, but still testing +ve, and then all good.

Yeah unfortunately that ain't me. Still feeling rough on day 6. Did a full day of WFH yesterday with lots of video meetings and seems to have killed my brain. Will test tomorrow if I feel better.

i had covid a few weeks ago, positive on a sunday, Mon-wed on sofa but certainly not bedridden. but i had a week of the faintest positive line despite feeling fine after day 5, think it was day 15 before it was properly negative.
Did go out after day 10 but masked if anywhere near people but unlikely to be contagious.

That sounds sensible. Please also stop being a hero and trying to work!

It's a potentially serious virus and your body needs to recover from it. You will recover faster if you rest up.

Best advice, my work HR stated don’t come back until tested negative or pass 10 days.

Can’t afford to close shop especially when there’s staff shortage.

Yeah I wasn't trying to work through it, I genuinely felt better Tues evening so thought yesterday would be fine but I've gone backwards now. I do find it really hard to switch off and rest but I also have a sibling with long covid (2 years now) so know how serious it is to get the recovery wrong.

Wish my HR was that clear!

About six weeks since I tested positive. I think I felt 100% in most ways after 3 weeks.

However, the loss of endurance is very notable. Just before I got Covid I went for a 13 mile run which I found easy. Straight after Covid I could only manage about 3 miles. Fast forward to 6 weeks and I've built it up to about 6 miles but clearly there's something really weird going on with my fitness.

I didn't have any cough/chest symptoms. My pulsox never dropped below 97% or so. I don't feel tired. I don't feel short of breath. The best way I can describe it is that I suddenly just run out of battery when exercising. Its so bizarre. Even more so because other than when exercising, I feel in great shape.

I've certainly never experienced something similar to this after being sick with other things.

On the plus side, it does seem to be slowly but steadily improving with time and perseverence.

Edit: Forgot to say, while it feels like "running out of battery" when I'm running on the flat, when I'm doing hill reps on foot or bike I do feel very short of breath, which wasn't the case before I had Covid.

Just noticed this on the NHS lateral flow test reporting site:

Use this service to report your result to the NHS after using a rapid lateral flow test kit to check if you’re infectious with coronavirus (COVID-19).

You cannot use this service to report results from a test kit you’ve paid for.

So the tests we buy we no longer log the results anywhere? I hadn't really thought about that but I guess it's about getting rid of the ongoing costs of monitoring all that data, not just the cost of the test kits themselves. Doesn't this make the 'reported positive infections' numbers a bit useless?

Day 10 and no longer testing positive but my brain is still feeling crap which is a bit worrying. It's also hard to judge - it's not like having a fever or registering pain in some part of the body. Do I feel more tired than usual? I'm always fucking tired....

I had bad brain fog for a couple of weeks or so after my LFTs flipped negative. It slowly but steadily got better though. Jana had the same. Not a nice feeling. Think it's pretty common.

Yeah, slowly slowly getting better. Lost my sense of smell suddenly a few days ago. Gone for a couple of days (not entirely but had to put stuff right in my face to get any whiff) now slowly coming back. Disconcerting.

Anyone else much hungrier during this slow recovery phase? I just seem to be constantly hungry and seem to get mild headaches from it too.

Aw, you have got a nasty case of it hope you heal up soon.

If wanting to eat is usually a sign your body is working normally maybe it's a good sign?

We have a covid vax mandate at work.
3 people are indefinitely suspended because they won’t get vaccinated. No pay no benefits no welfare no sick leave. Nobody misses them.
2 are just stubborn Q conspiracy idiots. The other is a religious nut.

Today is day 40 of the 4 day lockdown in Shanghai. In that time I have had 23 PCR tests and have only left my apartment for those tests. Since yesterday, we have started a new policy called "silent lockdown", which means deliveries are banned and many buildings are sealed with new fences and hoardings, or locks on the outside of the gate. Under the new policy, if there is a case in a building then everyone living in the building is to be taken to quarantine camp - this is because the goal has slightly shifted from "zero covid" to "zero societal covid", and if you're in quarantine you're not in society. Move everyone out of society and society can be covid free! It's so easy!!

In total there have been just over 500 deaths "from covid" (deaths due to the policy don't count) since the outbreak began in Feb, with an average age of more than 85, almost all unvaccinated. A quick google tells me that the average life expectancy in Shanghai is 84.1 years.

This is what our roads look like now. Is this to keep covid out, or keep people in? WHO COULD POSSIBLY SAY.

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that’s insane, especially as now (with omicron) it’s vaccination that’s key especially in older age groups and the focus should be on that.
If there is no base of previous infections then it’s either stay locked down forever or vaccinate/boost and nearly everyone will get it but with relatively low death rates*
NZ kept it out and vaccinated nearly everyone, they have some of the highest case rates ever as no background immunity from infection but low deaths but they opened up knowing it was pointless trying to contain it forever.
HK had similar infection levels but too many deaths due to old people not getting vaccinated.

if they can force people to stay at home then they can compulsory vaccinate old people.

i hope for your sake they sort this out soon.

*in a highly vaccinated population with therapeutic treatment available the fatality rate for covid has now reached parity or is just below that of influenza having been 22x higher at the beginning of the pandemic.

That's batshit... I got asked at our last board meeting when someone was going to be able to go and get the Shanghai office staffed. I tried to explain the context of your posts here... I'll just show them this pic next time

Ha - yes, they could be waiting a while. I'm constantly being asked when lockdown will end, when restrictions will ease up a bit: the answer is "when we get to zero covid" (and zero covid might be redefined, but it's going to be some sort of zero). And that's to go back to the restrictions we had in February, the borders won't open properly for years.