Andrew Marr - slight summer cold, turned out to be Covid

MerylStreep

WhiteRabbit
As someone who lost their taste &smell in nov/dec 2019 I can tell you there is lots of talk ( on line) about this subject.
There is far worse than petrol ?
I taste and smell things that have no relation to food, drink, perfume, flowers etc etc. It’s very odd.
I’m used to it now, though. It’s been a long time. Texture is everything now, as I joke with friends and family ?

I think I had Covid around New Year 2020, although I obviously didn't know it at the time, and I didn't realise I'd lost my sense of smell until it came back. And yes, things do smell very different. But fortunately for the better. Everything is flowery now! The only downside is that I can no longer smell gas which could prove a bit dangerous.

The fourth test is that Assessment of the risks is not fundamentally changed by new variants of concern. That's not the same as there not being variants of concern, it means that they might be there but we think we can deal with them.

The vaccines are more than "reasonably" effective against the Delta variant, they are very effective indeed against the variant.

As far as I understand, the level of protection varies from one individual to another depending on your immune response, but it isn't 100%. Hopefully, if you do get infected, you are less likely to die. Obviously, as the virus mutates, there's the possibility that the vaccines may be less effective but I believe that they are still reasonably effective against the Delta variant. I hope so, anyway, as in the area where I live the infection rates are rising fast.

What I don't understand is how Johnson and Javid can say that it looks like we are on track for lifting all restrictions. I can't remember the exact date - July 19th, is it? Anyway, I thought that part of the road map was that there shouldn't be any "variants of concern." Surely the Delta variant is a cause for concern, as it accounts for nearly all new cases. How can we be on track to lift all restrictions when the infection rate is going in the wrong direction?

Agree with MissAdventure and Teacheranne - there is no gold standard with this virus and it has been around in one form or another for a long time, causing unexpected death and at the same time no symptoms at all, and the early thoughts of it being discriminatory are now found to be false because people all ages and with all sorts of medical histories are getting it. So we will have to live with this and treat it in much the same way as we have treated flu, shingles, pneumonia etc - make the decision to treat it with respect and have a booster jab if recommended, keep our social distance, wear a mask when it feels right to do so - or throw all caution to the wind. One thing's for certain - we can't have our basic freedoms continually compromised - we need to be able to go about our normal lives - I do appreciate the arguments about allowing people to do this and putting others at risk, but it's up to those who feel at risk to take all precautions - I had covid Dec/Jan, have since been doubled vaccinated, and have also participated in an antibody research programme and know I have antibodies BUT will I get on a bus or train, and will I go in a shop without a mask> No. I'm taking responsibility for my own health.

I've heard of two people who have caught it although have had 2 jabs, thankfully their symptoms weren't too bad. I think even with the booster Covid is here to stay and I know my mask will be on, hands washed and everyone can keep their hugs. Last winter was the first in a long time I never caught a bad flu and know wearing my mask and staying away from people helped that too.

You can still catch it but not as severe.Its all about taking responsibilty for your own health instead of this constant hiding behind the sofa attitude.

I dont understand why there is such a surprise, its always been known that the vaccine is not 100%.
Likewise we were told a few weeks ago that the new things to watch out for with covid are hayfever/summer cold type symptoms.

Other countries aren’t testing as much as here. Probably deliberately so they can say case nos. are lower there, so can point the finger at us like Merkel!

As I have said on another thread, a close friends son in law is currently very sick in hospital with the new variant and he was double vaccinated but also extremely healthy.

I have another of my couple friends who have both come down with Covid and are double vaccinated, hoping they don’t get very sick, and suddenly a lot of my friends are isolating from the NHS app pinging that they have come in contact with Covid positive cases.

The new delta variant is a huge worry. I hope there is a booster for it soon. I could curse Boris for letting it get in. I also wish things would stay how they are. I don’t believe opening things up while this new variant is spreading is wise.

I now know of 3 people who having had both 1st and 2nd vaccines, have taken COVID and not been at all well. Very scary how so many people - especially at these large scale events - are behaving like COVID is gone. It is NOT gone!

I know of a child, who admittedly has health problems, who is in intensive care having caught Covid from her parents who have both been double vaccinated. Very disconcerting.

Two colleagues in work both have been double jabbed have contracted covid and are very poorly. It is quite worrying

Vaccination is largely to prevent hospitalization and death - it does not necessarily prevent the disease itself: we must still be a bit cautious. I too will continue to wear a mask in public places but I am not staying cooped up at home either.

I do find this quite worrying. I have had both vaccinations but also have a number of health conditions. I think I'm going to have to go back to being ultra careful - rather than quite careful!

Now saying if you have had that vaccine won’t be allowed into the EU.

Not the case. There's a whole thread on this topic.

It’s still important to, if you do catch it, to have reduced the viral load (imo) which is why mask wearing will help people to be less ill. From what I’ve heard the new variant sheds more of the virus. Right from the beginning it’s been important to reduce the viral load. Also it used to take 15 minutes to catch the virus from someone, it can now be caught in a matter of seconds. It amazes me that more people haven’t caught the virus after being in television studios. I don’t see how sitting further apart helps much in an indoor situation.

I live I. Greater Manchester. Children are being sent hone to isolate when a child in a class proves positive. No sooner are they back in school and happens again. More worrying now is the Astrazenica vaccine produced in India. Now saying if you have had that vaccine won’t be allowed into the EU. Have house in France not visited it for 2 years n can’t see us going this sumner but better to be safe.

There has been stuff online about the different symptoms so I checked that it was on the official Covid page which it was.
We all have the option of regularly testing so we can keep this more under control if we do.
We were always told that the vaccination will not completely protect us from catching COVID but would make the symptoms less severe. I doubt we will every get rid of COVID altogether but hopefully we can make it less deadly.

How did Marr go into work last Sunday when he'd had Covid the week before? Does he have some sort of exemption?

polnan

now should I worry, my best friend has a bad cold, she is diabetic, so ... we have both had both jabs... she is early 50`s, I am in my 80`s, but overall I am in better health than she is, (so far as I know.) docs don`t want to see us do they! so I can`t get checked for health conditions

What would you need your doctor to check you for? I don’t understand. You need to do a Covid test if you have symptoms, not see a doctor.

A friend of my daughter caught the delta variant from her husband, both have had two vaccinations. They are healthy and in their forties, but both were in bed for two weeks. Their 10 year old son also caught it, but not his younger sister.

This virus is ever changing, as viruses do.
There were reports several weeks ago that the symptoms my change - but how many people over the last 18 months have had what they thought was a cold, but was actually Covid and just because the main symptoms weren't apparently present, no testing was done, hence the continued spread?
As it is a virus, the main point with vaccination is to prevent death - how many people have a flu vaccination every year, but still have it?

now should I worry, my best friend has a bad cold, she is diabetic, so ... we have both had both jabs... she is early 50`s, I am in my 80`s, but overall I am in better health than she is, (so far as I know.) docs don`t want to see us do they! so I can`t get checked for health conditions

You also have to realise that the vaccines have never claimed to prevent you getting it at all, always the object was to make the illness less severe and save lived.

He was unlucky. But had he got this before he was vaccinated chances are he would be dead.