Flaperon, I think that also, but I’m not sure if you can self certify in the same way as claiming gastro-entiritus?

And, from I have read, whilst mRNA research has been going on for decades, this was the first vaccine used in large scale deployment to use that technology. Tell me if that is incorrect as there are several sources saying it is so.

Correct, Pfizer and Moderna are the first approved vaccines to use mRNA delivery to code for a protein that initiates an immune reaction. They are, however, little different to giving a live attenuated RNA virus, other than the coding is for one small part of the virus and the capsule is made of a lipid nanoparticle. I think the safety profiles noted for both are in keeping with the effects of spike protein from the virus. AZ and JnJ are slightly different and use DNA to incorporate the message into the nucleus. AZ appears to have an additional clotting risk associated with that modality.

You mention Popper – I was lucky enough to take Philosophy of Science in my final year and was taught by Popper himself. The notion of falsification moved on somewhat, largely because we scientists are not quite as rational as the public would have us believe 😉

You’re right, however, about deliberating for children. When it was mine, MMR and autism was the big headline of the day, and I was researching Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases. They were both vaccinated, of course. But you always ask…”What if?”

Has anyone who’s had Covid (which I presume is most of us by now), mild or otherwise, noticed any cardiac issues post-infection, particularly arrhythmias, or variation/worsening of existing arrhythmias?

It’s tempting to blame everything on long covid, as it seems to be capable of leaving a huge variety of nasty symptoms in its wake.

Here is an explanation of why you might experience issues:
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/heart-problems-after-covid19

Peter1979 – I hope you were able to explain to your boss why you were leaving. Also good on you for having the courage to leave.

I was lucky enough to take Philosophy of Science in my final year and was taught by Popper himself.

Just wow! I read his book, ‘All Life is Problem Solving’ in adult life and it was one of those texts that had a profound effect on how I see the world (the singularly most profound book I have read in that regard was The Politics of Experience by R D Laing but Popper is right up there). That you were taught by him is quite a thing!

Thanks for your response also btw, I very much apprecaite it.

Flaperon, I think that also, but I’m not sure if you can self certify in the same way as claiming gastro-entiritus?

You don’t have to tell your employer the reason you’re off sick. If your GP would give you a sick note for stress or work-related anxiety, then it’s perfectly reasonable to self-certify.

You don’t have to tell your employer the reason you’re off sick. If your GP would give you a sick note for stress or work-related anxiety, then it’s perfectly reasonable to self-certify.

I think refusing to specify the problem wouldn’t go down in a return to work interview, but stress and anxiety are fine to self certify.

A friend’s firm let an employee with confirmed covid work in the office last week as those they share an office with consented. Several other members of staff are now off sick with covid due presumably to their contact in work.

My friend doesn’t want to go in this week as one of those secondary cases (a partner in the firm) at least is in the office having tested positive in the last 48 hrs.

As they’re currently working their notice (to leave for a rival firm) their ability to work from home has been withdrawn, so they have been told they can either go in and risk contracting covid or take unpaid leave.

That seems wholly unreasonable to me, even if it is legal.

Jesus Christ on a bendy bus! I’d ring in sick but just tell whoever I’m talking to I’m not prepared to discuss it but explain I’d sort a GP appointment and would get appropriately signed off. F that.

While looking for LFT prices for my sis-in-law, the Gov.UK site popped up.

Thought I’d go through the motions, for a laugh, and 5 minutes later I have an order for a 7-pack test kit confirmed. To be delivered in 3 days.

Thought I’d go through the motions, for a laugh

You’re doing it wrong. Put it up your nose and into the back of your throat. 🙂

Thought I’d go through the motions, for a laugh, and 5 minutes later I have an order for a 7-pack test kit confirmed. To be delivered in 3 days.

If she’s not not eligible, that may be naughty (fraud i guess?)?

To be delivered in 3 days.

In England?

But only breaking the law in a limited way… (NI Protocol)

Paxlovid to join the Oxford Panoramic trial. So if you are over 50 and have other risk factors, you might get an antiviral on this trial. Or placebo. Problem is the Pfizer drug is a combination with ritonavir, a drug that shuts down metabolism, so can’t be given with many other drugs (like statins). So unlike molnupiravir, paxlovid will be run out of GP surgeries. With consultations for concomitant medications.

It’s a great drug (combo) but the press release is a little disingenuous. Because you might get placebo instead. If you are immunocompromised and catch covid, however, there are different means to treatment. This is for the rest of us who are older and have extra risk factors. The trial was recruiting 450/day for molnupiravir/placebo. These are massive patient numbers. Whatever the drugs do, this trial will find out. 20k have been treated with molnupiravir/placebo already!

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/thousands-more-patients-to-access-second-ground-breaking-antiviral

In England?

Yes

I tried ordering some free LFTs last Friday, answered all the questions truthfully and successfully ordered some. They arrived the next day. I’m in England.

I’ve three in household with Covid – I’m the only one who hasn’t tested positive.
The good news is mrs_oab is currently OK, just heavy flu and chest infection/phlegmy. Just had PCR result back at 7am so I think today she goes straight onto some antivirals/something.
I think I might move into a tent in the back garden…

Also in Scotland and been feeling crap since finishing up for a week of annual leave last Friday. Came to a head with cough and splitting headache Tue/ Wed and went for PCR yesterday. Been pretty much in bed or on couch last 3 days with flu type symptoms but no where near as bad as the proper flu I had 6 or 7 years ago.

Hope your wife is ok @matt-outandabout. Antivirals should be given ideally within three days of symptom onset. I’d be chasing if you haven’t heard anything by then.

Off for a bike ride on the Paris Roubaix winning bike (Degenkolb’s won, mine is the same size and seems to go slower)

Second day of Easter and the wife (a teacher) tested positive.

I’m not allowed in our office as a close contact.

She got her second negative test on day 6 with it fading from day 3 .

On her day 6 I tested positive. Damn

So far my day 4 test is the thickest line I’ve seen on a test I might be in for the long haul.

No major symptoms just a horrid deep barking cough and no taste -entire nasal cavity feels numb as if it’s had tiger balm rubbed in.

Not bad made it to within 2 weeks of it no longer existing /government got bored.

I love that the ONS are publishing stats that the numbers are decreasing. Nothing to do with stopping testing now is it.

Nothing to do with stopping testing now is it.

No it isn’t – ons select a sample of the population and send out PCR tests so nothing to do with the LFT change.

No it isn’t – ons select a sample of the population and send out PCR tests so nothing to do with the LFT change.

According to their antibody study paper work they do yes.

Their current infections page indicates other wise…. It even acknowledges that modeling from beyond April 6th after free tests for all in england stopped has less accurate and widens it’s +/- range from then. ….

And tbh even getting tests in Scotland has proved challenging.

Mercifully the ONS weekly survey is continuing. As for the rest… well cases are declining. I will be using the ONS survey as a predictor of future admissions. previously cases have been very good. But closing free Pillar 2 testing means they will be as unreliable as when they ramped them up in early 2020.

Hope your wife is ok @matt-outandabout. Antivirals should be given ideally within three days of symptom onset. I’d be chasing if you haven’t heard anything by then.

It’s taken some chasing – the team who look after the uber-vulnerable have combination of Easter holiday and illness… But we got both antivirals and antibiotics for a chest infection today. As ever everyone we come into contact with at NHS is just ace, and trying thier best in very difficult situation.

The two boys have bounced back.

Mrs_oab still feels very ill, and had ‘sightly low’ oxygen this afternoon.
Hopefully combination of both drugs will start kicking things into shape again. 🤞

I’ve still not got it. 🤞

But we got both antivirals

Great stuff. Which one did they give you?

I’ve still not got it.

yet…

Mrs TiRed is negative for a week now, but seems to have COVID toe and a cough one can hear from the other end of the landing at night…

@matt_outandabout

Good to read you got the meds, hope she feels better real soon.

@TiRed – is there any value in asymptomatic patients signing up for the panoramic trial? I’ve tested +ve (again, last time was Oct 2021), but don’t really have any symptoms and certainly don’t feel unwell. I’d like to help, if it’s worthwhile

Great stuff. Which one did they give you?

I can’t get in the room to check packet – but molnupriva something? I think…

@trail_rat

So far my day 4 test is the thickest line I’ve seen on a test I might be in for the long haul.

You might be further through your infection then you think. From the briefings we’ve been given it’s possible you were infected at day 3/4 of your wife’s infection.

@matt_outandabout
Hope your wife recovers quickly. It’s quite likely you won’t get covid if you haven’t had it yet (at least not from your family). Basically with that number of people in your household positive there’s no point in you isolating. You’re either getting it or your not and isolating now is too late (basically you’d have had to move out).

Hope everyone recovers well.

Has anyone who’s had Covid (which I presume is most of us by now)

Not me (mid 50s, worked flat out as a postie/delivery driver throughout this).

Not my sister (mid 50s, teaches 16-18 year olds in Bolton, of all places).

Not my 80 year old dad, living in London, who paid no heed whatsoever to restrictions (to the disapproval of both me and my sister).

I say this not to showcase my superior family genes, but because I’m curious as to when the medical establishment will start looking into what appears to be familial immunity (like mine, and others I know). Is that happening? Is there somewhere you can make your apparent family predisposition known to potential researchers?

I say this not to showcase my superior family genes..

I thought this was me. Wife has had it twice and I dodged it both times. Original variants and then Omicron. Got me in the end went to a gig, thankfully it wasn’t too bad. Figure it will just get everyone in the end.

Both kids had Delta last year, one in August, one in November. We didn’t worry too much about isolating as we were double jabbed and teenagers stay in their rooms most of the time anyway, both of us missed it.

MrsMC has been a frontline social worker throughout and was dealing with all sorts of “characters” with nothing more than a mask and hand sanitiser, and avoided it even in the first lockdown when she was doing jobs the Police refused to as it failed their risk assessments. Both of us involved with a few youth groups, so always around the pot of infection with kids, either our own or other peoples and haven’t tested positive. The main thing we’ve done is not go into offices and avoid pubs.

Totally random how it affects people, though I strongly suspect we’ve had it but just never tested positive.

You might be further through your infection then you think. From the briefings we’ve been given it’s possible you were infected at day 3/4 of your wife’s infection.

No such luck it seems that’s day 7 solid line appeared straight away

I was quite startled last night to see we’re at in excess of 300 Covid deaths a day again. Yet in the main, you’d never guess we’re in the middle of a pandemic…

I said a squillion pages ago that anything under 500 per day would simply stop registering.

I know. Pandemic, what Pandemic? Is the attitude of the day it seems.

All you can do is what you can do. Still wear masks on public transport and in shops. Stay at home if you have it (admittedly harder to determine since testing ended), and if you are an employer support this for your team. That’s all you can do to try and keep other people safe right now. You can’t look to the government, they’ve made a political choice as part of the “got all the big decisions right” narrative they’re gaslighting us with.

we’re at in excess of 300 Covid deaths a day again

I was wondering about that too. That’s deaths within 28 days of a positive test, and deaths with Covid on the death certificate are a lot lower. So I though maybe there were lots of unconnected deaths within 28 days, and just so many positive tests. Looking at the 28 days up to April 14th, there were just over 1.7 million positive tests, and using a typical UK mortality rate of 900 deaths per 100,000 per year, I’d only expect 43 per day among that 1.7 million. So most of those 300 per day are likely to be Covid related.

Currently ill with flu symptoms. Got a few boxes of lft’s that are showing as negative, but im staying in just in case.