Covid Choice

[francovendee]

Two weeks ago as I was getting off the ferry at Portsmouth I had a message from my daughter to say my grandson had tested positive for covid.
The timing was awful and I chose not to visit in case I caught it. I've escaped catching it so far and with a 10 year old eager to give his grandad a hug and a kiss, plus we were staying for 5 days it felt very risky.
An added problem was that we were meeting up with other people, some who were elderly and had health issues.
Since returning home I'm not sure if I should have taken a risk or if I did the right thing? I've had friends who've said I should have just taken a chance with others who said they'd have done the same as I did.
Sadly I won't get to see them before Christmas but have bought air tickets for them to visit me in February.

[mjr]

An added problem was that we were meeting up with other people, some who were elderly and had health issues.
Since returning home I'm not sure if I should have taken a risk or if I did the right thing? I've had friends who've said I should have just taken a chance with others who said they'd have done the same as I did.

The current dominant variant is no fun at all and felt much worse to me than the spring one lots of people caught and thought mild. I think you did the right thing, especially with the risk of spreading it to vulnerable people. It's a shame to his out on seeing people, but hopefully there will be many more chances.

[roubaixtuesday]

Two weeks ago as I was getting off the ferry at Portsmouth I had a message from my daughter to say my grandson had tested positive for covid.
The timing was awful and I chose not to visit in case I caught it. I've escaped catching it so far and with a 10 year old eager to give his grandad a hug and a kiss, plus we were staying for 5 days it felt very risky.
An added problem was that we were meeting up with other people, some who were elderly and had health issues.
Since returning home I'm not sure if I should have taken a risk or if I did the right thing? I've had friends who've said I should have just taken a chance with others who said they'd have done the same as I did.
Sadly I won't get to see them before Christmas but have bought air tickets for them to visit me in February.

I don't think there's any wrong or right with covid, save it's definitely right to get vaccinated.

It now seems we're in a situation with waves of variants which only abate when they've induced sufficient immunity in the population, and they're coming very frequently.

Covid is extremely transmissible, so most people will get covid multiple times, regardless of personal precautions taken. The less recently you've had it, the more vulnerable you are to the latest variant, so not getting infected increases your future susceptibility.

The main reasons to take particular precautions are, I think if either you're about to visit highly vulnerable people or you've something personally important coming up you don't want to be ill for.

If I was, say, soon to go to my grandma's 100th birthday celebration, for instance, I'd probably minimise contact for a week or two beforehand.

For your circumstances, it's just your own judgement.

Just my personal views, there doesn't seem to be any expert consensus.

[Psamathe]

An added problem was that we were meeting up with other people, some who were elderly and had health issues.
Since returning home I'm not sure if I should have taken a risk or if I did the right thing? I've had friends who've said I should have just taken a chance with others who said they'd have done the same as I did.

The current dominant variant is no fun at all and felt much worse to me than the spring one lots of people caught and thought mild. I think you did the right thing, especially with the risk of spreading it to vulnerable people. It's a shame to his out on seeing people, but hopefully there will be many more chances.

I would agree. My brother (fully vaccinated) caught it recently and was out for a week and still has a disastrous cough to the point where often talking in not practical as it initiates a coughing fit.

Plus there is a period between catching and symptoms when you wont know if you have it and will be spreading it around others.

I would agree, don't take the risk. It is still a nasty infection and spreads to others readily.

Ian

[wirral_cyclist]

You did exactly the right thing, though considering the good of others is an alien concept nowadays.

[Nearholmer]

Good call if either you are potentially more vulnerable than most, or you if you would have risked spreading it to others who are.

The difficult truth though is that bar living the life of a hermit, catching if is practically unavoidable, just as catching a cold at some stage is practically unavoidable.

It’s definitely not a fun illness to have at “grandparent age” though, even if you are fit, strong and well vaccinated. I had “proper ‘flu” in 2010, and Covid was significantly less fun.

[Dingdong]

You did the right thing. I avoided it completely for two years, then caught it roughly 8 weeks ago. Even though the fever experience was short lived, I'm still having symptoms and bizarre after effects. I'm still producing a lot of discoloured catarrh and have problems with sleeping, constipation, nervous tremor, rapid onset extreme fatigue and concentration. I'm taking some time out from work to deal with these effects, and would advise anyone who is not fully vaccinated, to do so as quickly as possible.

Covid, in its latest iteration might not kill you, but it can make you very miserable indeed for months at a time. It really is best avoided if at all possible. We had a month booked in Portugal this winter, in the cheaper off season, but that has definitely gone for a burton

[reohn2]

Your choice was the correct one IMHO.

[horizon]

... would advise anyone who is not fully vaccinated, to do so as quickly as possible.

Kind, well-meant advice is always appreciated though on this occasion (as is sometimes the case) it must be politely and respectfully passed up.

[Dingdong]

... would advise anyone who is not fully vaccinated, to do so as quickly as possible.

Kind, well-meant advice is always appreciated though on this occasion (as is sometimes the case) it must be politely and respectfully passed up.

Your choice entirely! But from recent experience, post COVID is about the worst thing I've ever experienced, and I've been through the mill!

[roubaixtuesday]

... would advise anyone who is not fully vaccinated, to do so as quickly as possible.

Kind, well-meant advice is always appreciated though on this occasion (as is sometimes the case) it must be politely and respectfully passed up.

Your choice entirely! But from recent experience, post COVID is about the worst thing I've ever experienced, and I've been through the mill!

The good thing about vaccine refuseniks is that given the overall state of the pandemic, the main damage they're doing is to themselves, rather than other people, though they do make a significant impact on the difficulties the health service is in, so we all pay for their choice in that way.

[horizon]

... would advise anyone who is not fully vaccinated, to do so as quickly as possible.

Kind, well-meant advice is always appreciated though on this occasion (as is sometimes the case) it must be politely and respectfully passed up.

Your choice entirely! But from recent experience, post COVID is about the worst thing I've ever experienced, and I've been through the mill!

Dingdong: just for clarity, am I right to assume that you weren't vaccinated, had covid and post-covid but now are?

[Dingdong]

Kind, well-meant advice is always appreciated though on this occasion (as is sometimes the case) it must be politely and respectfully passed up.

Your choice entirely! But from recent experience, post COVID is about the worst thing I've ever experienced, and I've been through the mill!

Dingdong: just for clarity, am I right to assume that you weren't vaccinated, had covid and post-covid but now are?

I was fully vaccinated, the actual 6 day fever wasn't so bad, like a normal flu, but since then I've had a veritable deluge of problems, some of them embarrassing to talk about. Make no bones about it, COVID is the virus that keeps on giving....

[gbnz]

my daughter to say my grandson had tested positive for covid.
The timing was awful and I chose not to visit in case I caught it.

I'd say you were right not to visit, in the same manner your daughter did the right thing to notify you. I'm aware covid is "over" (I.e. joined another million medical issues we can all develop), but it's still better to try and avoid catching it or passing it on

[cycleruk]

Both my wife and I caught Covid off one of our visiting grandsons last Christmas. He just assumed it was a cold but it turned out to be Covid. My wife, who is on the "at risk" list received a special infusion and was testing negative after 3 days. Myself, I was still testing positive at 10 days and had flu-like symptoms, shivering, hot & cold with a heavy cough. Fortunately overall no lasting ills but we have had all the injections which may or may not have been a benefit.
So in my experience don't chance it.
You may be lucky, as in our case, but on the other hand there can be some very nasty after effects.