Some lessons from Covid

[SamVimes]

So I finally had a visit from covid. Survived unscathed albeit with an residual cough and increased tiredness. It mostly presented as a heavy cold. Cold and flu tablets alongside aspirin to combat the blood clot risk (reduced with vaccination but still increased https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61010090 )
Through work I get regularly exposed to a multitude of nasties but don't get ill so I thought I had a pretty good immune system. However it took me three weeks to shift the virus. Current thinking is that after day 10 you aren't infectious anymore which seems odd to me. I managed to protect my family by wearing FFP3 non valved masks all day and only taking it off in my "dirty" room. These don't last more than a few hours before they start to break down/clog with moisture so I changed them twice a day. Regular touch point cleaning may also have helped.
So what did I learn?
Regular hand washing and sanitiser use ruins your hands. I was probably excessive in this but my priority was containment. They were cracked to the point of bleeding. Moisturiser helped but I could have prevented this by having a supply of nitrile gloves to use for each nose blow etc.

It's all very well having a "dirty" room and sleeping with the window open but cold air sinks and carries the contents of your room under the door so draught excluders may be useful.

Not being able to taste anything is very frustrating. I could have eaten dog food or a sausage inna bun and not known any different.

Although there was no legal requirement to isolate, I chose to. Naturally this happened the day before I was due to do the food shop. Thankfully Like many here, I have a bit stashed for a rainy day.

Having seen life threatening/death from covid up close many times I would say that, despite vaccination there was a certain degree of "are my affairs in order?" when that second line appeared on the test.

[Arzosah]

That's useful, Sam, thank you. I'm glad to hear you're a bit better.

[Frnc]

So I finally had a visit from covid. Survived unscathed albeit with an residual cough and increased tiredness. It mostly presented as a heavy cold. Cold and flu tablets alongside aspirin to combat the blood clot risk (reduced with vaccination but still increased https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61010090 )
Through work I get regularly exposed to a multitude of nasties but don't get ill so I thought I had a pretty good immune system. However it took me three weeks to shift the virus. Current thinking is that after day 10 you aren't infectious anymore which seems odd to me. I managed to protect my family by wearing FFP3 non valved masks all day and only taking it off in my "dirty" room. These don't last more than a few hours before they start to break down/clog with moisture so I changed them twice a day. Regular touch point cleaning may also have helped.
So what did I learn?
Regular hand washing and sanitiser use ruins your hands. I was probably excessive in this but my priority was containment. They were cracked to the point of bleeding. Moisturiser helped but I could have prevented this by having a supply of nitrile gloves to use for each nose blow etc.

It's all very well having a "dirty" room and sleeping with the window open but cold air sinks and carries the contents of your room under the door so draught excluders may be useful.

Not being able to taste anything is very frustrating. I could have eaten dog food or a sausage inna bun and not known any different.

Although there was no legal requirement to isolate, I chose to. Naturally this happened the day before I was due to do the food shop. Thankfully Like many here, I have a bit stashed for a rainy day.

Having seen life threatening/death from covid up close many times I would say that, despite vaccination there was a certain degree of "are my affairs in order?" when that second line appeared on the test.

When I had it, things I normally like, like coffee and curry, tasted horrible!
I had eczema on my hands a few years ago and ever since I've had to be careful. They are a bit sore at the mement. Nitrile gloves mean less hand washing. In fact you can wash your hands with them on! If you remember, put them on before going to the loo or something, and wash them while wearing them. Then you can use them again. I also use E45 or Zerocream to keep on top of hydaration, and Betnovate (prescription steroid cream) if they start itching or getting lumps.

[Vitamin c]

Don't believe you can't get it twice and the jury is out on weather you can get long covid twice.

My local hospital was turning ambulances away because it was full this was not reported in local paper .

[SamVimes]

Don't believe you can't get it twice and the jury is out on weather you can get long covid twice.

My local hospital was turning ambulances away because it was full this was not reported in local paper .

You can most definitely become infected several times by the same variant and of course other variants as they are exactly that, a different (albeit slightly) virus. I know several people who have had covid multiple times.

As for hospitals, this is simply too common to be newsworthy.
Hospitals get fined for turning ambulances away or "being on divert" so they try to avoid it.
The first step is a "soft divert" or "border divert" where patients from the edges of a hospital catchment will be taken to the neighbouring hospital. This usually occurs when the receiving hospital has little movement of patients i.e. few who can be discharged and ambulance delays are already several hours. Time critically ill patients are still accepted.
A full divert is when everyone is sent to a neighbouring hospital as the receiving hospital has no capacity.

However time critical patients are usually still accepted and it is very rare for children or obstetric patients not to be accepted.
A divert being in place relies on another hospital having capacity and accepting the increase in patient workload.
It it not unusual at the moment for an ambulance to be sat outside a hospital for a couple of hours with none time critical patients.

[Vitamin c]

Don't believe you can't get it twice and the jury is out on weather you can get long covid twice.

My local hospital was turning ambulances away because it was full this was not reported in local paper .

You can most definitely become infected several times by the same variant and of course other variants as they are exactly that, a different (albeit slightly) virus. I know several people who have had covid multiple times.

As for hospitals, this is simply too common to be newsworthy.
Hospitals get fined for turning ambulances away or "being on divert" so they try to avoid it.
The first step is a "soft divert" or "border divert" where patients from the edges of a hospital catchment will be taken to the neighbouring hospital. This usually occurs when the receiving hospital has little movement of patients i.e. few who can be discharged and ambulance delays are already several hours. Time critically ill patients are still accepted.
A full divert is when everyone is sent to a neighbouring hospital as the receiving hospital has no capacity.

However time critical patients are usually still accepted and it is very rare for children or obstetric patients not to be accepted.
A divert being in place relies on another hospital having capacity and accepting the increase in patient workload.
It it not unusual at the moment for an ambulance to be sat outside a hospital for a couple of hours with none time critical patients.
[/quot

Thanks for taking the time sam.

[Bijela]

Glad you ok. I've no idea if I've had it. I've always worn a mask when the shop is open. There's seems to be 4 of us that have dodged it or only asymactic. Don't think any of my family have had it either.

[jansman]

Don't believe you can't get it twice and the jury is out on weather you can get long covid twice.

My local hospital was turning ambulances away because it was full this was not reported in local paper .

There is a myth that you cannot get chicken pox more than once. My doctor DOCTOR told me that it all depends on the initial severity of infection- after I got ill with it for the third time in my life.

I suspect COVID is similar.

[Mad Scientist]

You never get rid of chickenpox, the virus goes dormant and “sleeps” on nerves. It can “awake” years later, maybe if you’re run down, so you don’t get it twice/three times, per see it’s the original infection that has re-activated.

[Frnc]

Don't believe you can't get it twice and the jury is out on weather you can get long covid twice.

My local hospital was turning ambulances away because it was full this was not reported in local paper .

There is a myth that you cannot get chicken pox more than once. My doctor DOCTOR told me that it all depends on the initial severity of infection- after I got ill with it for the third time in my life.

I suspect COVID is similar.

Definitely, I've had COVID twice. Had my 4th booster yesterday, 12 hours later I was throwing up for 6 hours.