Coronavirus

[antongould]

I think the list of Covid symptoms is long enough now to make one of two choices.
1 A slacker’s charter as any of these can give an excuse for staying off work.
2 Pick you symptoms - decide it’s not Covid but a hangover, hay fever, a cold, food poisoning or any other ailment of choice!

Wise words from the South West IMVVHO

[oddoneout]

I think the list of Covid symptoms is long enough now to make one of two choices.
1 A slacker’s charter as any of these can give an excuse for staying off work.
2 Pick you symptoms - decide it’s not Covid but a hangover, hay fever, a cold, food poisoning or any other ailment of choice!

And that is where the paying for tests arguably causes problems? Decide it's not covid and carry on as usual, fine if it isn't but potentially not so good otherwise.

[Bryn]

The following is a link to an as yet un-peer-reviewed report from Nature Briefing:

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00965-z?utm_source=Nature+Briefing&utm_campaign=074d4eca14-briefing-dy-20220406&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c9dfd39373-074d4eca14-46900426

[Serial_Apologist]

The following is a link to an as yet un-peer-reviewed report from Nature Briefing:

https://www.nature.com/articles/d415...eca14-46900426

Slightly reassuring, following my fourth Pfizer vaccination (second booster).

[Joseph K]

Not sure if these are post-covid symptoms or what, but as I've said elsewhere, after about a week of having a cold, during which I tested myself and was positive for covid, the cold disappeared but since then I've had a peculiar recurrent headache which is around the top right-hand side of my head around my right eye and sinus and a few teeth on the top right-hand side of my mouth go numb - it's unpleasant. My sister had more flu-like symptoms - I guess now the virus manifests itself in a multitude of ways...

[Petrushka]

Not sure if these are post-covid symptoms or what, but as I've said elsewhere, after about a week of having a cold, during which I tested myself and was positive for covid, the cold disappeared but since then I've had a peculiar recurrent headache which is around the top right-hand side of my head around my right eye and sinus and a few teeth on the top right-hand side of my mouth go numb - it's unpleasant. My sister had more flu-like symptoms - I guess now the virus manifests itself in a multitude of ways...

I still can't work out whether I had covid or not in June last year. The symptoms I had were not the well known ones but those barely mentioned and more akin to what I would have expected in a winter norovirus outbreak, not a summer thing at all and definitely no flu-like symptoms. I was ill enough to feel unable to leave the house so never took a test. However, I was well enough after four days to resume normal life. People ask me if I've had covid and I just answer that I don't know.

[Joseph K]

I still can't work out whether I had covid or not in June last year. The symptoms I had were not the well known ones but those barely mentioned and more akin to what I would have expected in a winter norovirus outbreak, not a summer thing at all and definitely no flu-like symptoms. I was ill enough to feel unable to leave the house so never took a test. However, I was well enough after four days to resume normal life. People ask me if I've had covid and I just answer that I don't know.

It's good that that was only four days. This is irritating in that it's lingering and the headaches come at random times, including earlier this week around 3:30AM and which kept me up for about two hours after that...

[Dave2002]

I still can't work out whether I had covid or not in June last year. The symptoms I had were not the well known ones but those barely mentioned and more akin to what I would have expected in a winter norovirus outbreak, not a summer thing at all and definitely no flu-like symptoms. I was ill enough to feel unable to leave the house so never took a test. However, I was well enough after four days to resume normal life. People ask me if I've had covid and I just answer that I don't know.

"Don't know" is your correct answer if you didn't take any tests. We did have Covid recently and it was nasty - with possibly lingering side effects. Difficult to be sure of the symptoms - runny nose and cough - perhaps, maybe a headache, but not long lasting. Tiredness - fatigue seemed significant.

The decision to stop free testing or sending out test kits clearly did not help you. We stockpiled a few test kits so we were able to check, and we've still got one or two in reserve. Also the prices of the test kits in the shops are a strong deterrent to anyone trying to find out whether they have the disease. If you had been able to order a test kit either free, or at a moderate price, then you might have been able to be more certain. If HMG doesn't want to give the test kits away, they could at least subsidise them and put a cap on the price. I don't think many people are going to rush to buy kits now at the current prices.

OK the problems from Covid have largely receded, but there may still be new variants coming during the colder months of the year. In some sectors there is still concern - for example care homes, dentists and medical practices.

I noticed that the protective screens were taken down in our local library, though there are still screens in the larger supermarkets. Whether they will need to be put back as winter comes we don't know.

[teamsaint]

"Don't know" is your correct answer if you didn't take any tests. We did have Covid recently and it was nasty - with possibly lingering side effects. Difficult to be sure of the symptoms - runny nose and cough - perhaps, maybe a headache, but not long lasting. Tiredness - fatigue seemed significant.

The decision to stop free testing or sending out test kits clearly did not help you. We stockpiled a few test kits so we were able to check, and we've still got one or two in reserve. Also the prices of the test kits in the shops are a strong deterrent to anyone trying to find out whether they have the disease. If you had been able to order a test kit either free, or at a moderate price, then you might have been able to be more certain. If HMG doesn't want to give the test kits away, they could at least subsidise them and put a cap on the price. I don't think many people are going to rush to buy kits now at the current prices.

OK the problems from Covid have largely receded, but there may still be new variants coming during the colder months of the year. In some sectors there is still concern - for example care homes, dentists and medical practices.

I noticed that the protective screens were taken down in our local library, though there are still screens in the larger supermarkets. Whether they will need to be put back as winter comes we don't know.

So, genuine question, if one has symptoms, isolates as one does with say flu, and can be re infected by a newer variant, what is the point of the testing regime ?

We had it recently, no worse than a moderate cold at worst , though with lingering fatigue for two weeks, and I didn’t test positive till two days after symptoms were showing.
Just stayed at home for a week.

[Serial_Apologist]

Not sure if these are post-covid symptoms or what, but as I've said elsewhere, after about a week of having a cold, during which I tested myself and was positive for covid, the cold disappeared but since then I've had a peculiar recurrent headache which is around the top right-hand side of my head around my right eye and sinus and a few teeth on the top right-hand side of my mouth go numb - it's unpleasant. My sister had more flu-like symptoms - I guess now the virus manifests itself in a multitude of ways...

Sorry to hear this, Joseph K. Do you take anything for the headaches?

[Dave2002]

So, genuine question, if one has symptoms, isolates as one does with say flu, and can be re infected by a newer variant, what is the point of the testing regime ?

Arguably none - though it depends whether one is looking at this from the public health point of view or as a sick person. Currently the tests are supposed to still indicate Covid even if a variant. Public health seems to have given up on this for the moment - just assuming it's now endemic. I don't know how prevalence is now estimated - perhaps by monitoring sewage, or by guesswork based on hospital admissions.

As a sick person it can be helpful to know - and probably rest up for days or a week. It can take longer. One of my cousins was ill for six months before it dissipated. Also it is helpful to know as it might help one to avoid spreading whatever it is to other family members.

Also if testing can actually rule out Covid, then someone who is ill may be able to focus on other possible causes. For colds there's not much to be done, but for other problems with different, though perhaps similar, symptoms there may be treatments which could help.

[Joseph K]

Sorry to hear this, Joseph K. Do you take anything for the headaches?

I take ibuprofen, though it doesn't seem to work too effectively with this particular headache. The strangest thing about this is the numb teeth. If this continues on Monday I'll get in touch with my doctor.

[Serial_Apologist]

I take ibuprofen, though it doesn't seem to work too effectively with this particular headache. The strangest thing about this is the numb teeth. If this continues on Monday I'll get in touch with my doctor.

Depends what you mean by "numb teeth". Could be a neurological matter. From my point of view not being able to feel my teeth is an indication there's nowt wrong with any of them - but I guess you're talking about not having any sensation in the gums.

[Joseph K]

Depends what you mean by "numb teeth". Could be a neurological matter. From my point of view not being able to feel my teeth is an indication there's nowt wrong with any of them - but I guess you're talking about not having any sensation in the gums.

It's not all my teeth, just towards the top-right-hand corner of my mouth (just like the headache is located on the front-right of my head). My mum thinks it could be a sinus problem since that too I can feel is affected, but we shall see.

Thank you for taking an interest.

[Serial_Apologist]

It's not all my teeth, just towards the top-right-hand corner of my mouth (just like the headache is located on the front-right of my head). My mum thinks it could be a sinus problem since that too I can feel is affected, but we shall see.

Thank you for taking an interest.