Testing times - Covid in 2022

[mojojojo]

I ordered some yesterday. But I use about 4/5 a week :(

Nothing (that I could hear; I zoned out) about how much test kits might cost to buy.

[Disco]

I tried to order this morning but it wouldn’t let me because I’d ordered in the last 72hrs.

Ah, thanks.

[Kleio]

Yet if you have chicken pox, mumps, measles etc you shouldn’t/don’t have to go to school and work but apparently Covid is done.

He’s running scared so he’s trying to appeal to the masses.

[Luce]

Is the argument that Covid is no longer as dangerous to people/the community as mumps/measles etc? Who knows. No one is told to isolate with other respiratory illnesses and I do think that required isolation etc does absolutely have to change at some point. Just maybe not yet.

I couldn't get any LFTs just now. When we had Covid we were getting through 4 tests a day.

[emma_p]

My friend couldn’t get any either. I texted her right after I ordered and we’re in the same borough. Yeah when you’re doing a test a day each you burn through them fast!

[Disco]

The last four boxes I've ordered have been throat ones..

[emma_p]

Yeah all the latest ones have been throat and nose.

[Cerise]

The box I got today was nose only but the others have been throat.

[Marth]

We are waiting to see if work will expect any of us with COVID to rock up and carry out home visits with some of the most health vulnerable people in the borough.

[bramblerose]

I've just managed to order a pack.

[speedy gonzalez]

I was testing 4/5 times a week but I've dropped that recently to twice a week to eke out my remaining packs. Based in a hospital but not employed by them so have to order my own packs. This is going to be interesting as we've found in the past that staff often get sent or turn up at the library if they're not feeling well enough to be on the ward. Obviously this was with other contagious illnesses pre covid but now I can see them rocking up with covid.
I was testing frequently as my mum is elderly and disabled and visit her at least once a week. Now I'm limiting testing to just before I visit.
I hate this government.

[H1ppychick]

Sunday versus today. Now that’s what I call a positive!

[Cerise]

How’re you feeling?

I’m one of about 3% of people wearing masks in IKEA.

[H1ppychick]

Sore throat seems to be reducing slightly, now it’s becoming more of a mucous-fest. No temperature to speak of currently.

Luckily I found two full bags of Jakeman’s in my bathroom cabinet (even though one bag is the potentially disgusting original black flavour), and have about a week’s worth of cold & flu relief tablets.

[Chicky]

Hope you continue to improve H1ppy.

My workplace has just published its plans:

Encourage but not require masks
Continue to provide LFTs free
Continue to report positive cases
Don’t come on to campus for 5 days after you test positive

I think that’s about as much as I could have hoped for.

[Disco]

That sounds good to me.

Hope you feel better Hippy.

I've booked Monk's third vaccine for a week today.

[bramblerose]

The Zoe app has had its government funding cancelled.

[mojojojo]

Jesus, really? I don’t know why I’m surprised:(

[Ella]

So is that it now? No more boosters for anybody (except the clinically extremely vulnerable), we all pretend it’s gone away?

“Caseloads were by no means low or under control as we came out of all mitigations and, when you add in waning immunity and the enhanced transmissibility of BA.2, it looks like we are in for a difficult period, especially for the elderly.”

He said a lack of measures such as mask-wearing and testing potentially left only the option of “a wider push for fourth shots, beyond the over-75s” but cautioned that very regular boosters may not be sustainable long-term.

Openshaw said the rise in cases and hospitalisations should remind people the pandemic is not over. “I think it’s a shame that the message that seems to have got out to the population is that it’s all over and we don’t need to be cautious any more,” he said.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... 5-and-over

[Rebel Pebble]

I think my mum might have covid! We've been away until last night. I only spoke to her to her twice in that time, once on my birthday last Sunday and then briefly on Thursday night when I thought her voice sounded crackly but put it down to a bad mobile connection from Egypt.:ella:

Anyway last night I phoned her when we got home and she still sounded wrong so i asked and it turns out she'd been unwell since Monday. Sneezing, coughing, sore throat,weird voice. She didn't tell us so not to spoil holiday. She saw her GP (in person) and he gave her antibiotics, presumably as a way of preventing bacterial pneumonia developing since she's immuno-compromised. He didn't tesr her though and although she has a box of LfTs she's never done a self test so that hasn't happened, inevitably.

She's convinced it's just a bad cold, partly because she's still believing the official symptoms but on Zoe, hoarse voice sneezing and coughing are quite high on the list.

She had some neighbours round for drinks not long before before the symptoms started so I wonder if that is when she caught it. Otherwise she doesn't go out that much.

Anyway, she's quadruple vaxed and starting to feel better so if it is covid, hopefully it's on its way out.