The Coronavirus Discussion Thread.

Although I don’t qualify for either, my GP has invited me for a flu jab, so I’ll be booking that next week. No Covid jab for me.

I think many folks are now accepting that we are now “living with covid” and it’s just another winter bug – iirc flu killed more last winter than covid, presumably because of the vaccination programme.

How the reduced vaccination programme this year and the new variant plays out, we’ll have to see.

Everyone I know who has had it again recently has been sensible and worked from home, not everyone is as fortunate.

Christ my recent and first bout of covid was an absolute **** nightmare, pure and simple. Bed ridden for two weeks, God knows how elderly or someone in poor health would survive it. It was utter misery, lost 8kg. Self employed so just a disaster. I’m frankly delighted to have dodged long covid.

I managed to get an unexpected Covid jab in England a couple of weeks ago, despite being ‘only’ 61. Mrs Lawman had hers booked at the local medical centre, as she’s a bit older than me. She got talking to the nurse, who asked if we had any vulnerable relatives or friends, and since my brother is doing chemo at present, the nurse said to send me in. 5 mins later, job jobbed.
No ill effects for either of us. Likewise nothing from the flu jabs last week.
My wife was slightly reluctant about it, in the sense of couldn’t really be arsed, but her daughter (mid 40s) has had her 1st Covid infection since then, and although we’ve avoided contact, its one less thing to fret about.

I got my flu shot the other day but I have held off on my Covid booster for now. I may be a bit daft in my thinking but I suffer from various autoimmune things and had a bad flair up about a year ago (after many years all ok) that took many months to get back under control. I had had 3 (or 4?) shots by then. Probably not connected but who knows, my GP/consultant doesn’t 🤷‍♂️. My mother ( who also suffers autoimmune things, guess who gave it to me!) had a really bad reaction after her second jab (GP raised a yellow card for her) and she never got another shot since. I am just not sure if there is a connection to the vaccine and my flair ups and no one seems to know either so rather than have another 6months+ like I had I am going to take my chances with Covid for now. I might change my mind and get the booster but for now I am holding off.

I believe that genetics might play a part kormoran.

I’ve had covid twice and both times it was milder than a cold, and very short. All my blood relatives have had mild forms of covid.

But I know plenty of people that have been completely knocked out by it. Including two friends with underlining health issues who have died from it.

And the people who are left crippled with long Covid truly have my sympathies. It really does need to be treated as a serious virus, however it might effect some individuals.

Last year I was fortunate to have flu and covid jabs on the same day. It was not a pleasant week following this. Lethargy and a bit of a fever for 5 days which wasn’t nice.

Interestingly I had dodged it for so long I was beginning to think I might actually have had it so mildly it had gone unnoticed. In fact when Madame had it in our tiny flat, I was astonished not to get it too. When I finally tested positive there was no doubt, although when the line appeared I could hardly believe it. Anecdotally, my GP said that those who were recently getting it for the first time were appearing to fair badly.

Certainly with frail family members, I shan’t be taking it lightly

Last year I was fortunate to have flu and covid jabs on the same day. It was not a pleasant week following this. Lethargy and a bit of a fever for 5 days which wasn’t nice.

My, pregnant, partner and I are both doing both jabs on the same day in a few days. That might be fun…

I had both the flu and covid jabs last week. One night of not much sleep (but I’d gone to a cheese tasting evening so it may have been the cheese sweats..)

I’m flu jabbed thanks to work paying but not had a covid vac for almost 23 months now.   I was about 7 weeks too young to get one last year iirc so was kinda surprised this year that they didn’t do a xx and older plus those that turned 50 in the last year.   But no.   Had it only once AFAIK,  wife got it a send ring m time but I never tested positive despite several tests over a fortnight.   I’ve tested 3 or 4 times over the last coupleof years since I got it they first time, when I’ve had coldy stuff but not shown positive.

My wife and I had both jabs together recently, the only issue was which side to lie on in bed that night as they did one each shoulder 🙂 We’ve had some slightly feverish/tired reactions in the past, nothing noticeable this time.

(“Qualified” for them though being nominally carers for elderly parents, there wasn’t any policing of this so anyone who wants to blag some jabs can easily do so.)

Anyone else paying attention to the covid inquiry? Amazing how all the expert witnesses got it all right all along, even though their recollections are contradicted by all the official documents, and even by the TV interviews they did at the time 🙂

highlight was messages describing Carl Haneghan  as a ‘dickhead’ & his expression when that was read out

(he 100% is a dickhead)

it turns out that even though sunak swapped phones hes still using the same number so can retrieve the messages he said he couldnt?

AFAIK I’ve not had it, nor has my wife, or the 2 little Aphex’s. This includes a 6 month tour of Europe we went on last year as soon as we were allowed out (and allowed to come back) from Australia.

If we have had it, it was so mild for all of use it went unnoticed. Annnnd I work for the health dept. Aaaaannnnnd I have a chronic and enduring health condition. (T1 diabetic).

Apparently, we’re NO-VID’s.

People still keen on getting covid jabs ongoing forever and ever?

Yes.

It’s not just about yourself.

Its going round my work again, colleague says its her worst bout yet!

I get an annual flu jab through work and happily adda covid one too- last year covid ruined NYE for me!

People still keen on getting covid jabs ongoing forever and ever?

As long as Covid is ongoing why not? The same way I’m perfectly happy to have a flu jab. If the benefits outweigh the side effects then it’s a no-brainer

I’d have one in a shot* if it was available.

This winter and next at least.

Forever and ever…? I can’t say, we don’t know what future variants will entail.

[ *bad pun intended ]

highlight was messages describing Carl Haneghan as a ‘dickhead’

It was a lot more accurate description than ‘dickhead’!

I am now into my 10th day of my first ever bout of COVID and getting thoroughly fed up with feeling rough, not being able to go out etc.  I’m amazed I have caught it now, as during the main COVID period in 2020/21 I regularly volunteered delivering food to homeless and other vulnerable people, many of whom had COVID, and for the year until this April  I was Interim CEO of a charity running an inner-city adventure playground so was exposed to hundreds of kids and their parents as well as several staff who caught the virus.

Got both flu and covid jabs last week – bit ache for 24hrs otherwise no issue. Booked online as qualify due to vulnerable person in house and being a (non-NHS so don’t get at work) nurse. 

Vaccinators never asked how/ why qualified to get it – they also reckoned age level will be dropped soon as loads of Moderna stocks coming through. Guess Rishi need see his financial returns.

Just back from the doctors, where I appealed for a COVID vaccine, (despite not being one of the current invitees), on the grounds of being 3.5 years into Long COVID, in particular since I am even worse now after my second infection back in February.

He has written me a note to say he believes it’s clinically justified, and I need to take it to a walk-in centre and argue my case. So, fingers crossed I guess…

@Doris5000 have you tried booking online? That’s what I did and ticked one of options, can’t remember which,  to take me to booking page. Had mine done at a local pharmacy, they didn’t even bother asking my rationale for having  but at least you have the letter to evidence if challenged.

Hope you get it without too much hassle.

Thanks for the tip!  Just booked for a week on Saturday.  I ticked the ‘yes I am at high risk’ and it didn’t quibble.  So hopefully they won’t argue, but I’ll bring the letter in case.

Obviously differs with the pharmacist, but my wife explained the situation and got her COVID booster. The letter stayed in her bag

Hopefully she’ll stay on the list. I’m 15 quid lighter, but flu-jabbed now as well

I’m 15 quid lighter, but flu-jabbed now as well

Glad you’re sorted but presumably that 15 quid is for the flu jab?

My understanding is that you can’t pay/ buy the covid vaccination until possibly next year.

Which will be useful for those who don’t currently qualify.

Yes Ernie, that’s right. Relates to my post on the previous page. Shopping around can get the flu jab for £8 upwards.

I didn’t know about charges for a COVID booster next year, but it makes sense to me to offer it to all. The current situation is a nonsense.

I found this article interesting…

https://theconversation.com/youve-heard-of-long-covid-but-did-you-know-there-might-also-be-a-long-cold-214995

Just had my annual Flu jab and offered Covide/Pfizer at the same time. The nurse was quite chatty and told me they’d been told to expect another round of vunerable/over 65 jabs in six months.

I don’t think thats too revealing as it follows the pretty standard seasonal rate of infection for respiratory illness?

Me and my wife have finally succumbed after all this time despite both being fully jabbed up with COVID and flu.

A bit of a relief to know that’s what it is as I’ve been really unwell, dizzy and having bouts of tachycardia. If I hadn’t just been through heart consultation and testing with a new consultant, and essentially been cleared (not quite but a long story), I’d have been close to calling am ambulance at one point as I was feeling truly horrendous with a HR around 170 sat on the sofa for around 45mins, but then it settled somewhat but was still Up around 90 for a day while on the sofa. Other than that; sore throat, cough, totally exhausted with no appetite and dizzy spells. My wife’s nowhere near as bad, but has lost some sense of taste which I haven’t.

Anyway that’s the last two of her tests from work used up, so who knows in future.

Buying packs of tests is cheap enough, if you shop around a bit.

It’s going round my work again, colleague says its her worst bout yet!

9 days in, and I think it’s v close to being as bad as the first time I had it (which took me 3 months to recover from). The heart palpitations and aches aren’t as bad but the cough and fatigue are worse. 

The 2nd + 3rd bouts were fairly mild, so I was hoping that either the virus was getting milder or I was getting used to it. In hindsight it was probably the vaccines working.

With two kids at school there’s not a lot of avoiding it. It’s shite that we can’t get boosters any more. 

Four days in to Covid-19 tangle number three for me. It’s so far milder than the acute phases of one and two. Our seven year old brought it home from school. It’s been a miserable couple of years of long Covid for me, and I’m still out of work nine months on from the last one. Access to vaccination wouldn’t be much but it would be better than the current **** you from government and the NHS. My other half happened to be in the USA with work last month and got boosted with the latest vaccine while there, which offers a little reassurance.

Hard to say for sure but I’m thinking I’m about 11 days in. I have varying levels of CFS already, so I log my sad face days on the calendar and I started with feeling awful at my feeble gym session and then later that day the severe dizziness started a week on Thursday ago.

My son’s at secondary school too, so he’s usually the blame for any lurgies as I have little outside interaction with people, but I did see my cardiologist on the Monday, so I’m suspecting the hospital trip being the cause. I was certainly the first one  in the house to go down with it and still feeling awful . Largely terrible fatigue just now with dizziness and coughing after being up and moving about. Ten minute slow wander down the lane and I’m needing a lie down.

🙁

My recent first time bout put me out of action for about 3 weeks, then I managed to get back up to speed fairly quickly. So if your 10 or 12 days in and feeling grim still, that is how I felt and is maybe typical.

Once things improve, don’t overdo it. In other words do nothing! I tried a few things in the garden but I just ended up back in bed for 24hrs. So take it super easy for a few days

Vader, good to hear. That doing nothing is going to be hard, especially if we get any decent weather 😔

Just had a hedge trimmer arrive before I came down with it too 🙄

Sandwich Jr has just had his fifth bout, the joys of training in paediatrics as a SALT. At least he’s avoided Bell’s Palsey this time!

I started to get a cough on Oct 30th, luckily I was taking a couple of days off work. Tested positive on November 1st, haven’t been to work since. I can barely make it out of bed or off the sofa. Occasionally I’ve felt I might be getting slightly better, only to feel worse the next day. Normally I exercise 6 days a week, so far I’ve been too knackered to even care about missing it. I’ve been to the doctor twice, but they’ve just prescribed antibiotics to prevent a secondary infection and said ‘rest’.
Annoyingly, when I had it 18 months ago barely had more than a cough and was testing negative and feeling fine within 3 days. 
I’ve had 3 vaccine doses, so struggling to understand why it’s hit me so hard this time around…😢

Different varieties and differing responses. There’s such wide variation, almost anything is normal. 

Plus your vaccines may, or may not be relevant to the mutant that you meet each time. 

My two overwhelming symptoms first time round were tachycardia – resting HR of 90 not 45, and chest pain (most likely pericarditis rather than lungs). The former lasted for at least a week, the latter for six months or more. I didn’t really have a cough first time around. Since then, the slightest hint of an infection sets off the chest pain and sinus pain (I have no smell after three and a half years it’s probably not coming back now). Boosting antibodies by vaccination is being tested for long COVID and one hopes that it will prove successful. Other treatments have been underwhelming in trials. The latest Ba.2.28 is a significant escape from Omicron and XBB so one is not surprised by the reinfections  I had the new Pfizer last December and COVID round 4 in February – milder each time but I’d be wary of this latest strain  

Heal fast and in my experience, don’t go back to any exercise too soon. Walking is very good if you feel well enough, and my dog is now fit! But it’s taken more than three years to return to any semblance of cycle fitness and I still get knocked back with fatigue. And sinus pain. Oh and I can’t now tolerate alcohol (not that I drank much before!)