Vomiting/Nausea has been reported anecdotally as a symptom of the newer variants, although it could just be a few unlucky people who have managed to develop Covid and norovirus concurrently.

As an aside, I’m on the clinically vulnerable list and just got an unrequested box of LFTs through the post.

Flaperon
Free Member
Felt rough on Friday, felt like a good cold etc , didn’t think much about it, went into work Saturday feeling really rough

*slow clap from everyone you work with*

Really? After everything that’s happened over the last two years you get a stinking cold and your first action is to go into work with it?

Only because I was the only one on site … they run this place so understaffed its a joke ….
we only have a small team of 6 and it was my weekend to work etc !

Only because I was the only one on site … they run this place so understaffed its a joke ….
we only have a small team of 6 and it was my weekend to work etc !

So a genuine clap from the other 5 people – who otherwise would have had a late notice schedule change.

Every job is different like I said.

5 in the house, 44/33/12/3/1

Why is it that the only one without is the energetic 3 year old 🤦

I’m on day 8 of testing positive. Yesterday’s test was faint. Was expecting Today’s today’s to be fainter still or possibly clear, so how come it was a really strong positive line again? 🤷‍♂️

I’m on day 8 of testing positive. Yesterday’s test was faint. Was expecting Today’s today’s to be fainter still or possibly clear, so how come it was a really strong positive line again? 🤷‍♂️

Didn’t get a good sample yesterday?

Had just eaten/drank, had a snotty nose?

Do LFTs differentiate between live and dead virus? Could you get a stronger positive when you start expelling dead virus (if that is even a thing)? Just a thought.

Looks like yet another review at work to try get me back in the office one day a week but given that I’m clinically vulnerable, working fine from home and they’ve been having Covid breakouts in the office without sending out emails notifying there have been cases at work they can get stuffed.

Just done another lft and I’ve finally cleared the virus but feel rough again today. Let to days I’ve felt about the worst, like a 2 day long hang over.

I felt like I had a hangover for about a week after it, don’t know if that was down to my lung performance being down. Still a bit wheezy and some chest pains a week and a half later.

I’m on day 8 of testing positive. Yesterday’s test was faint. Was expecting Today’s today’s to be fainter still or possibly clear, so how come it was a really strong positive line again?

Exactly the same here. And same happened to a friend.

Do LFTs differentiate between live and dead virus

The scientific community doesn’t have a clear consensus on whether viruses are even ‘alive’ in the first place. It’s actually a fascinating question that’s worth reading around.

I suspect a more sensible query would be a ‘viavle’ Vs ‘non-viable’ virus i.e. one that has been neutralised by an antibody which blocks the molecules needed for cell entry. A lot will end up engulfed by white blood cells as well. Whether the lateral flow tests pick any of these up or not I have no idea.

Just popping in to wish everyone with the lurgy (lots on here and irl at the mo…) all the best and hope you are all recovering well.

I tested positive for 13 days before I finally got clear LF tests. Ironically my symptoms were very mild. OH had a much rougher time but tested positive for a shorter time.

It’s a funny old virus!

Or an unreliable test

Let’s be honest, is a shit virus, a shit testing method that is not consistently applied, vague results that untrained internet virologists spend time trying to quantify. Surely the strength of the line isn’t a “covid count”

Final day for most of us to order free LFT kits from gov site, no joy for me so far, having filled in the 1min form a few random times since last night.

On the plus side, the end of free test ordering for the masses will bring a welcome reduction in workload at work, delivering the kits including taking photos for the last three weeks (along with a vast majority of other Tracked parcels) has been a significant impact on residential deliveries for the last ~12 months.

On the potentially negative side, just how quickly are the UK going to spot and react to nastier variants than Omicron for vaccinated individuals and/or vaccination waning, when relatively few will be testing? Is free/mass testing continuing in mainland Europe, or are we waiting to hear of stories similar to the Italian hospitals around Feb ’20 (and hopefully reacting far more decisively in a prompt manner than back then)?

Cost of tests in Europe vary from country to country and aren’t free in many
https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/11/how-much-does-a-covid-test-cost-around-the-world

I’m sure I’ve heard “live virus” used in relation to vaccines, but fair enough, viable is a better way of putting it.

My son tested positive, then two days later so did my wife. I had 9 days of negative LFTs in a row despite feeling a bit crap. No temperature or persistent cough, but headaches, muscle aches and generally bunged up. Then, 13 days after my son first tested positive I got my first positive LFT, just as I was starting to feel a bit better. So, I’m wondering if I had it all along but never had a high enough viral load to get a positive LFT until I started clearing the crap out towards the end. Probably not, but possible I guess.

I’m sure I’ve heard “live virus” used in relation to vaccines, but fair enough, viable is a better way of putting it.

You have and my post wasn’t trying to be pedantic so much as, you raise an interesting point, which is that we’re still not really very sure how to classify viruses in terms of ‘life’.

Did you ever see the film The Andromeda Strain? It was a film based on an early Michael Chricton novel (he of Jurassic Park fame) where a highly lethal pathogen is returned to earth from a satelite and a team of scientists is assigned to isolate and identify it. I mention it as it kind of addresses the same question.

You have and my post wasn’t trying to be pedantic

Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that either. You are quite right, it is a very interesting question.

This was quite a nice discussion on the issue I thought.

delivering the kits including taking photos for the last three weeks

when did this change? my last delivery had a photo, previously they just got stuffed in the letter box.
I’ve managed to order my last free box today but I’ll be away all weekend. What are the chances I’ll never get them?

Well that’s that. After 10 months of showing folk how to stick objects in orifices my test site closed yesterday to the public and this morning we stripped stock and assets from the site.
We had four people turn up today for PCR tests who seemed totally surprised that you can’t walk in and get a free PCR before going to visit a partner in hospital. Almost like the government hadn’t actually let people know and understand the implications.

Ivermectin proves negative in pivotal trial. Unusual for the NEJM to publish negative trials, but this one was political.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2115869?query=featured_home

Tested positive again today – two weeks now, but feeling a little better. Went for a slow but decent walk with the dog in the sunshine. Will test again on Sunday with the dwindling LF tests.

Let’s see what cases do based on decline in (free) testing. Admissions have climbed at about half the rate of cases, which is a reflection of Omicron and boosting. they will peak soon. I still maintain that an omicron-targeting vaccine is required, with hybrid activity against wild type. I’ll skip the next booster, given this infection, but would take the one after in the Autumn in a heartbeat.

Rest assured, the ONS survey is not going away (phew!), and the UKHSA is monitoring variants and publishing their updates, including those for vaccine efficacy (not great as you might have guessed). Keep dropping into these pages for updates:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/investigation-of-sars-cov-2-variants-technical-briefings
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccine-weekly-surveillance-reports

One further publication that’s an interesting read: “All in this together?”. This paper shows that the largest predictor of mortality in US states was the proportion of people who volunteer (above and beyond obesity level). The result is replicated at country level although less variation is explained).

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.03.31.22273238v1.full.pdf

Correlation is not causation, but it’s interesting nevertheless.

hmmm, another problem with the organisation of testing? The current system is open to abuse? I had a reminder set on my phone to order lft and hasn’t stopped it. When it popped up I thought I’d like and see what the system is now for those that need them. First page has the message about who is eligible, click on, click into NHS account, click, click, oh… Order received. Looks like I’ve ordered some! I expected to have a flag on my NHS account or to need to enter a code to proceed. Seems not.

Can someone please remind me as to how many days to wait after catching covid, to get the second booster (for an eligible person)? The information is a bit confusing.
Thanks.

4 weeks

This paper shows that the largest predictor of mortality in US states was the proportion of people who volunteer (above and beyond obesity level).

I thought gender was the strongest predictor, men being two thirds of all mortality? Interesting correlation to have found though.

Am I missing something, why would anyone need a booster if they have just had covid?

I wondered whether volunteering was a proxy for public spiritedness. And that would signal vaccine coverage. But the distribution of vaccination coverage, like obesity, is probably a modest range from high to low.

China has identified a new variant apparently, near Shanghai, the mutation VOC/Omicron variant BA.1.1

I know plenty of locals who aren’t going to get any booster jabs in them. Seems that misinformation and other nonsense is getting around the web here just enough to influence.

saintsludge – my friend is due to have a booster because she’s in the vulnerable group, but now has covid and is quite ill.
She will still need her booster in several weeks. This is advice from her Doctor.

the mutation VOC/Omicron variant BA.1.1

This is a single mutation from BA.1. Some countries have seen this reach relatively high prevalence (like the US) before being replaced by BA.2. Others, like the UK, saw little BA.1.1, with BA.2 replacing BA.1 directly. There will be lots of subsequent mutants too, but whether these are worthy of a new “Pango” lineage is another matter. BA.3 is one such variant, still in low numbers.

because she’s in the vulnerable group

I read a paper this week where kidney transplant recipients, who are taking immunosuppressive therapy, have had up to five boosters. The good news is that after modifying their dose of mycophenolate, up to 80% serocovert. This is in the absence of Evusheld from AZ, which has shown a few breakthrough infections, notably from BA.1, where it lost 12-30x potency, but regained for BA.2 – which is very good news.

Booster paper is here https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.03.23.22270017v1
Evusheld paper is here https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.03.19.22272575v1

PS Tested negative today – Day 15. Still have a sore throat and chest ache, not coughing thus far today though, so good news. And am 15km walk with the dog in some sunshine too.

I know plenty of locals who aren’t going to get any booster jabs in them. Seems that misinformation and other nonsense is getting around the web here just enough to influence.

I know plenty of people who haven’t had even a single jab

Not one single one of them has been (badly) ill with Covid

Not one single person

There comes a point where it’s surely not just ‘luck’ for nigh on 2 years

Move over “tired”, we have a new “guru” to follow

Move over “tired”, we have a new “guru” to follow

I can only report on personal experience. Whether you like it or not I’m only stating actual facts

Yes. It’s called anecdote

Yes. It’s called anecdote

Anecdotal or not, it’s still true

It was quite telling recently when I had Covid, that never mind any well wishes, it was barely even acknowledged – in  a stark contrast to anyone else who announces they have it on here. Now that may well be down to my attitude to it as opposed to everyone else’s and the fact that I may bluntly come across as a bit of an arse (I can take it, it’s fine), but I bet a pound to a penny there was a teeny element that were hoping my vaccine stance would bite me on the arse with the virus

a stark contrast to anyone else who announces they have it on here.

When I commentted that I had tested positive but that my symptoms weren’t much worse than mild hayfever I didn’t receive much in the way of sympathy either.

Why do you think that might be?