Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak

[Dr. Gonzo]

On 07/06/2021 at 08:55, Devil said:

Thanks. 

Only got a few days left of isolation, been a rough few days to be fair but slowly getting there. 

Had the NHS on yesterday confirming it is the Indian Variant that I have and they kept me on the phone for about 30 minutes grilling me with questions.

 

That's shit pal. Hope you feel better ASAP.

[Bluebird Hewitt]

On 07/06/2021 at 13:54, Stan said:

Had my first jab today. Had to let you all know as I think it's the done thing these days. 

Got my second in two weeks time. Keep up Stanley. 

On 02/06/2021 at 08:28, Devil said:

Started to feel dodgy late Monday night but still went into my office yesterday but noticed I was getting a gradual cough and just generally felt a bit shit. Booked a test for 1pm at Manchester Airport and thought it would be the usual negative result within 24 hours. 

Anyway last night has a terrible sleep, fever the works, crazy dream about me looking a my own dead body in A&E. So vivid! 

Only woke up to a positive fucking result!! 

Feel terrible as well. 

That sucks. Hope all is well. 

Also, I fancy a trip to the US for some reason. 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/joints-jabs-washington-state-allows-free-cannabis-covid-19-vaccination/

[Devil]

Back in work tomorrow, actually can't wait to get back to my desk

First six days were horrendous to be fair but glad I'm not over the worst of it. The loss of taste is an absolute mind fuck in truth, I've just had pesto pasta the last two nights because it just seems pointless going to too much effort when I can't really appreciate anything I'm eating. 

No idea how long this symptom will last but I just wish my taste would come back. 

Edited June 10, 2021 by Devil

[Harry]

We live in such different places...

In Australia one COVID positive person drove 2000km from Victoria to Queensland over 5 days stopping in 8 different cities.

That is front page news, and there are now 10 million people shitting themselves that there will be other infections in those locations from their travels....

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-10/covid-exposure-sites-nsw-qld-cases-victoria-sunshine-coast/100204044?utm_source=abc_news_web&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_web

[Dr. Gonzo]

7 hours ago, Devil said:

Back in work tomorrow, actually can't wait to get back to my desk

First six days were horrendous to be fair but glad I'm not over the worst of it. The loss of taste is an absolute mind fuck in truth, I've just had pesto pasta the last two nights because it just seems pointless going to too much effort when I can't really appreciate anything I'm eating. 

No idea how long this symptom will last but I just wish my taste would come back. 

It comes back at different times for different people. My friend got his sense of taste back after about a month.

[Dr. Gonzo]

7 hours ago, Harry said:

We live in such different places...

In Australia one COVID positive person drove 2000km from Victoria to Queensland over 5 days stopping in 8 different cities.

That is front page news, and there are now 10 million people shitting themselves that there will be other infections in those locations from their travels....

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-10/covid-exposure-sites-nsw-qld-cases-victoria-sunshine-coast/100204044?utm_source=abc_news_web&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_web

Is the vaccine situation in Australia getting any better?

The turnaround between how things were here before the vaccination rollout to how it’s been with the vaccine being open to all adults here has been staggering.

Normalcy seems much closer here than it did in January or February & the biggest impediment to the states getting back to normal even quicker is the huge number of vaccine skeptics.

[carefreeluke]

1 hour ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

It comes back at different times for different people. My friend got his sense of taste back after about a month.

It's strange how it affects everyone differently, some people can be more or less asymptomatic whilst others are in the ICU and that can happen with people with no existing conditions.

I don't think I ever posted in here in the end but I had the virus back in February, was more or less like the flu for about a week. I think I lost my sense of taste and smell for 3-7 days as well, can't remember exactly how long it was but my sense of smell isn't great at the best of times anyway so it was a bit difficult to tell. The worst symptom though was tiredness and that lasted for at least 4-6 weeks, who knows though maybe that wasn't even related to the virus, but of course, it's likely it was. I also had to self-isolate for about a month as well in total, not because I wasn't well enough to work but due to a mixture of random things, it's a long story. If we lived in a world where this virus didn't exist and I had the same symptoms, I would have still have gone into work that week anyway, so looking back it wasn't that bad but still having the flu is never a nice experience anyway, particularly when the thing you have is new and being talked about in the media constantly.

In the aftermath though, in the last few months, it's been a bit of relief actually having had it, dare I say. As you're supposedly unlikely to catch it again so in a way it's put my mind at ease a bit when going out and doing things. I have heard of people getting it again but it's supposedly unlikely, so touch wood. Of course, though the ideal is not getting it at all and getting the vaccine. 

@Devil  Maybe you won't get that feeling of relief I had as you've had it much later in a country where the vaccine is passing through the age ranges very quickly but you'll be fine mate and I hope you fully recover as soon as possible. All the best.

[MUFC]

UK might be delaying the June restrictions.

[Harry]

On 11/06/2021 at 05:30, Dr. Gonzo said:

Is the vaccine situation in Australia getting any better?

The turnaround between how things were here before the vaccination rollout to how it’s been with the vaccine being open to all adults here has been staggering.

Normalcy seems much closer here than it did in January or February & the biggest impediment to the states getting back to normal even quicker is the huge number of vaccine skeptics.

Not hugely  improved. 20% of people have their first shot. But only essential workers and over 40s are eligible and that isn’t likely to change before the end of winter. So it’s a second winter of clenching and hoping we can keep COVID under control for another flue season.

issue was our government had AZ as the vax that was going to be doing the bulk of the work, but then the Australian medical association recommended it only for use on over 50s. So we are using that on them, and only have enough Pfizer for 40-50 yo at this point, with more to come by Christmas.

[Smiley Culture]

A four week delay, which was totally inevitable, really. I can see it being even longer. 

[RandoEFC+]

Are they bottling it here? I'm torn between whether the delay is extra-cautious because of what's happened in the past and the fact that hospitalisations are rising. It seems that with the Indian/Delta variant that only having the first jab is closer to unvaccinated in effectiveness than it is to fully vaccinated. A lot of people are crying about the government moving the goalposts but they did always say this was a possibility and if that variant is now the dominant strain in the UK then the relevant percentage when it comes to jabs is how many people have had both. And you may also need to factor in that in takes a couple of weeks after your second jab to reach peak immunity. I think it's the right thing to do but I can see why people are angry when it was made out early on that if the vulnerable were vaccinated then we'd be sound. Also, it's not like the UK are in 'lockdown' anymore. The majority of most stringent restrictions have been lifted bang on schedule.

The real criticism you have to level at the government is allowing (I've read) 20,000 travellers into the country from India at the height of their outbreak without the infrastructure in place to enforce an effective isolation period. Hopefully those of you who are personally affected beyond day to day life like @Stan planning a wedding get some clarity soon.

[Stan]

36 minutes ago, RandoEFC said:

Are they bottling it here? I'm torn between whether the delay is extra-cautious because of what's happened in the past and the fact that hospitalisations are rising. It seems that with the Indian/Delta variant that only having the first jab is closer to unvaccinated in effectiveness than it is to fully vaccinated. A lot of people are crying about the government moving the goalposts but they did always say this was a possibility and if that variant is now the dominant strain in the UK then the relevant percentage when it comes to jabs is how many people have had both. And you may also need to factor in that in takes a couple of weeks after your second jab to reach peak immunity. I think it's the right thing to do but I can see why people are angry when it was made out early on that if the vulnerable were vaccinated then we'd be sound. Also, it's not like the UK are in 'lockdown' anymore. The majority of most stringent restrictions have been lifted bang on schedule.

The real criticism you have to level at the government is allowing (I've read) 20,000 travellers into the country from India at the height of their outbreak without the infrastructure in place to enforce an effective isolation period. Hopefully those of you who are personally affected beyond day to day life like @Stan planning a wedding get some clarity soon.

Thanks. Every time I feel like I've dealt with the anxiety and uncertainty of it all, another curveball is thrown. Last week there were a few 'leaks' day by day of what could happen. One day it was 'unlimited numbers can be allowed at weddings'. Then the next day there's the leak about the 4-week delay. And then even over the weekend there's still talk of wedding numbers increasing. But therein lies more certainty. When will they increase? To what number? From 21st June or 19th July? Then there's the 'break clause' if the data is good enough. What happens then?

So many questions come up every so often and very rarely are we given a satisfactory answer. And when answers are provided - such as 21st June being the 'unlocking', it doesn't happen. So plans that we make well in advance go out the window anyway. Even if there's contingencies it's still hard to plan for.

To say it's incredibly frustrating would be a huge understatement. I'm resigned to not having the wedding ceremony we planned for in July (which has already been moved from April). After that it's just keeping fingers crossed for the 'ideal' Indian wedding we both want and have planned the best part of 12-14 months for in August...

[MUFC]

Moved to July.

[Stan]

3 minutes ago, MUFC said:

Moved to July.

Bet still on  

[Smiley Culture]

I wonder what odds I’d get on July becoming August? With the hot weather the last week or so and the Euros in two weeks when we’re looking at this period, I can’t see how it’s not going to be high figures for this variant or whatever branch of the variant we move on to. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

9 hours ago, RandoEFC said:

Are they bottling it here? I'm torn between whether the delay is extra-cautious because of what's happened in the past and the fact that hospitalisations are rising. It seems that with the Indian/Delta variant that only having the first jab is closer to unvaccinated in effectiveness than it is to fully vaccinated. A lot of people are crying about the government moving the goalposts but they did always say this was a possibility and if that variant is now the dominant strain in the UK then the relevant percentage when it comes to jabs is how many people have had both. And you may also need to factor in that in takes a couple of weeks after your second jab to reach peak immunity. I think it's the right thing to do but I can see why people are angry when it was made out early on that if the vulnerable were vaccinated then we'd be sound. Also, it's not like the UK are in 'lockdown' anymore. The majority of most stringent restrictions have been lifted bang on schedule.

The real criticism you have to level at the government is allowing (I've read) 20,000 travellers into the country from India at the height of their outbreak without the infrastructure in place to enforce an effective isolation period. Hopefully those of you who are personally affected beyond day to day life like @Stan planning a wedding get some clarity soon.

I think until a large chunk of the UK's population is fully vaccinated the delay is probably the right thing to do. Especially when the delta variant is the dominant strain now.

It's definitely shit for people like @Stan and @Batard and I feel for them... It is absolute bollocks trying to plan an event that's likely going to be one of those life defining events, in weddings, which are fucking incredibly tough to plan when the world around you keeps changing. I did see that some of the restrictions on wedding guests are to be lifted though, so there's a bit of a silver lining?

but considering how governments not being cautious enough early on led us to the absolute shitshow of 2020... I'm not going to fault a government that's taking a bit of extra precaution with the spread of this new variant so there are enough hospital beds and so the already very tested NHS infrastructure can cope with a potential worst case scenario with the delta variant.

 

[Stan]

3 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

It's definitely shit for people like @Stan and @Batard and I feel for them... It is absolute bollocks trying to plan an event that's likely going to be one of those life defining events, in weddings, which are fucking incredibly tough to plan when the world around you keeps changing. I did see that some of the restrictions on wedding guests are to be lifted though, so there's a bit of a silver lining?

 

Yeah I'm trying to see it as a positive.

The threshold has gone but social distancing remains there. Just waiting to hear back from our venue now on how many people will be allowed. It's a big venue so maybe we can get to the amount of guests we initially wanted but I'm still 50/50 on how it'll be. Initially we planned for 90. I think it'll be about 60 for the venue we have so means we'll be having to give some bad news to some of our guests.

 

[Dr. Gonzo]

1 minute ago, Stan said:

Yeah I'm trying to see it as a positive.

The threshold has gone but social distancing remains there. Just waiting to hear back from our venue now on how many people will be allowed. It's a big venue so maybe we can get to the amount of guests we initially wanted but I'm still 50/50 on how it'll be. Initially we planned for 90. I think it'll be about 60 for the venue we have so means we'll be having to give some bad news to some of our guests.

 

Jesus, what a fucking logistical mess. Planning a wedding with my wife was one of the most genuinely irritating things I've ever had to do in my life - I can't imagine doing it now with this fucking plague constantly changing what the rules are. It's got to be a fucking nightmare.

[Stan]

8 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Jesus, what a fucking logistical mess. Planning a wedding with my wife was one of the most genuinely irritating things I've ever had to do in my life - I can't imagine doing it now with this fucking plague constantly changing what the rules are. It's got to be a fucking nightmare.

It's frustrating. This has already been moved from April and we moved it to July thinking it'd be well clear of the 'roadmap' reaching it's conclusion. Sadly it's a day out after this latest extension . Just leads to more frustration.

[LFCMike]

Well at least that clears it up a bit

 

[Dr. Gonzo]

California’s done a full reopen. No more tiered system where things get more restrictive as cases go up, no more mask mandate, no more reduced capacity for buildings.

There will probably be a big uptick in cases as unvaccinated liars walk around unmasked going about their lives, but it’s interesting going out and still seeing so many people wearing masks.

[MUFC]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-57504172

[RandoEFC+]

I've noticed a weird phenomenon the Isle of Man. We're currently totally restriction-free, hopefully for good this time, all adults have had at least one jab so any hand sanitising and mask-wearing is pure personal choice and not even advised by the government.

The thing I've noticed is that more than half of the people I see wearing masks are in cars, which I find weird, as in the car with the people you live with (presumably) is the lowest risk of catching or transmitting the virus. Even when mask-wearing was compulsory or recommended, I used to take mine off in the car and just put it on when I was in public. Don't see many taking the precaution in shops or walking down the street or in school. Just a bit of an oddity and wondered if anyone else has noticed the same. At first I thought the sample size was too small to draw any conclusions but I kept seeing it again and again. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

4 hours ago, RandoEFC said:

I've noticed a weird phenomenon the Isle of Man. We're currently totally restriction-free, hopefully for good this time, all adults have had at least one jab so any hand sanitising and mask-wearing is pure personal choice and not even advised by the government.

The thing I've noticed is that more than half of the people I see wearing masks are in cars, which I find weird, as in the car with the people you live with (presumably) is the lowest risk of catching or transmitting the virus. Even when mask-wearing was compulsory or recommended, I used to take mine off in the car and just put it on when I was in public. Don't see many taking the precaution in shops or walking down the street or in school. Just a bit of an oddity and wondered if anyone else has noticed the same. At first I thought the sample size was too small to draw any conclusions but I kept seeing it again and again. 

I remember at the start of the pandemic, I asked @DeadLinesman if I should wear a mask in the car and he said something that amounted to "but... it's your fucking car" 

So I don't think I've ever worn the mask in my car other than the times when I've forgotten to take it off after getting back in the car... so I'll take it off mid-drive. But I've definitely seen loads of people driving around with masks on. Even now when I'm in a similar situation to you where everyone over 17 here has had at least 1 jab (but over 60% of adults have both jabs now, pretty decent stat for the city I live in)... but you still will sometimes see people wearing masks in their car.

Which is bizarre because I went to a supermarket after our restrictions had ended and I think I only saw about 2 people still wearing masks.

[DeadLinesman]

If you wear a mask on your own in the car, you should be reported to Operation Yewtree.