Oct 15, 2020, 6:45 pm
Local lockdowns in the UK
Feb 9, 2022, 9:17 am
#9151
Join Date: Apr 2012
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Feb 9, 2022, 9:43 am
#9152
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Manchester, United Kingdom
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I hope you recover fully soon. At least you will have the full set of NHS certificates in a few days. I tried a large glass of port to cure it. Completely ineffective but it did not stop me trying it again and again. A bit like the governments red list and hotel quarantine.
I was just pinged for the first time ever by T&T after a flight I might have been on a couple of days ago. After a cancellation I had 2x PLF for different flights an no way to know if the one that pinged me is the one I was on. Dumb system! So some rapid tests for the next few days.
I was just pinged for the first time ever by T&T after a flight I might have been on a couple of days ago. After a cancellation I had 2x PLF for different flights an no way to know if the one that pinged me is the one I was on. Dumb system! So some rapid tests for the next few days.
Feb 9, 2022, 9:55 am
#9153
Join Date: Apr 2010
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Any word on the border rules? Articles mention that Johnson is planing to remove all "domestic restrictions" but so far I didn't find anything about borders.
It doesn't make sense. The way I understand it, right now a person without a vax certificate (accepted by the UK) has to take a covid test on day 2. But if positive test won't lead to an isolation after 21st February, what's the point of making people test themselves?
It doesn't make sense. The way I understand it, right now a person without a vax certificate (accepted by the UK) has to take a covid test on day 2. But if positive test won't lead to an isolation after 21st February, what's the point of making people test themselves?
Feb 9, 2022, 10:00 am
#9154
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
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From 11 February you won't need any testing for coming to the UK, just fill in the PLF. This was announced a few weeks ago.
Feb 9, 2022, 10:27 am
#9155
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Kent, UK
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That is only for the recognisably vaccinated. Someone with one of he Russian vaccinations would still need the tests. They spend quite a lot of money here, so failing unilateral recognition of those vaccines getting rid of the requirement would be good. Hopefully that is not too far off.
Feb 9, 2022, 10:33 am
#9156
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: M&S Elite+
Posts: 3,658
Thanks DaveS I got my Covid passes back today, and whilst the temptation to go and sample all the pub's whiskies for medicinal purposes is there it doesn't feel overly responsible.
Has anyone any thoughts on whether continuing to test positive on Day 11 should mean continued isolation? My understanding LFDs find viral protein which is likely to be infectious, so I should continue isolating. Would this also cause concern that should seek medical advice by this point?
Has anyone any thoughts on whether continuing to test positive on Day 11 should mean continued isolation? My understanding LFDs find viral protein which is likely to be infectious, so I should continue isolating. Would this also cause concern that should seek medical advice by this point?
Feb 9, 2022, 10:40 am
#9157
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
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Thanks DaveS I got my Covid passes back today, and whilst the temptation to go and sample all the pub's whiskies for medicinal purposes is there it doesn't feel overly responsible.
Has anyone any thoughts on whether continuing to test positive on Day 11 should mean continued isolation? My understanding LFDs find viral protein which is likely to be infectious, so I should continue isolating. Would this also cause concern that should seek medical advice by this point?
Has anyone any thoughts on whether continuing to test positive on Day 11 should mean continued isolation? My understanding LFDs find viral protein which is likely to be infectious, so I should continue isolating. Would this also cause concern that should seek medical advice by this point?
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/corona...ptoms-at-home/
Feb 9, 2022, 11:22 am
#9158
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
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Feb 9, 2022, 11:37 am
#9159
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: London/Glasgow
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Commonsense tells me that you are probably infectious and should be isolating. For the reasons explained upthread, throat testing is probably the better test at the moment. In hindsight it would have been better for you to have been given antivirals earlier on, since laboured breathing at this stage is worrying me, however you are not in the age group to get them in normal circumstances. I would call your GP or 111. If the breathing makes reading a book out aloud in a distinct voice difficult after a minute or two, then it's 999. Back pain is a feature of laboured breathing in this context. On the other hand, keep calm and chilled out, it's easy to get a panic attack, which then causes a problem which doesn't actually exist.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/corona...ptoms-at-home/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/corona...ptoms-at-home/
Feb 9, 2022, 11:59 am
#9160
Community Director
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Even with 3x Pfizer, in my early 30s, BMI slightly overweight, male, Covid isn't very pleasant. For me, it's lingering, with different symptoms each day, and test-to-release after 5 days was a distant dream. I have faint LFD lines after 8 days on my throat swabs and strong immediate ones on my nose swabs even now, I'm at the point where I don't know if I should stop self-isolating on Day 10 even though the guidance says to stop testing then.
My symptoms have gone:
Day 0 (mid-afternoon): headache and slight sore throat, assumed work stress was the cause. 2x negative LFDs, both nose as per instructions.
Day 1: Croaky voice, sore throat, occasional headache. Booked PCR. 2x negative LFDs, both nose as per instructions.
Day 2: Did PCR, same symptoms
Day 3: Positive PCR overnight. Continuing sore throat, some nasal/sinus congestion. Some fatigue. 1x positive LFD from throat swab, 1x negative LFD from nose.
Day 4: Symptoms easing, no Lemsip or Strepsils needed. Bored of isolation. 1x positive LFD from throat swab, 1x negative LFD from nose.
Day 5: Symptoms OK, light fatigue, occasional cough and sneeze. 1x negative LFD from throat swab, 1x positive LFD from nose with an immediate T-line before fluid hit the C line.
Day 6: Symptoms of a mild head cold and fatigue came back. 1x negative LFD from throat swab. 1x positive LFD from nose with strong line.
Day 7: Worse head cold symptoms, back on the Lemsip. Same tests as the last couple of days.
Day 8 (today): Head cold eased but breathing now about 5-10% more difficult and lower back pain appeared. 1x throat LFD faint positive, 1x positive LFD from nose still with a strong line.
For me, Day 10 will be the earliest release. The breathing being a bit tough today is concerning, as is the fact I've not shaken it off yet. Throughout this has been very much a mild illness, but a mild illness for 8 days and counting with the frustration of isolation really isn't fun.
My symptoms have gone:
Day 0 (mid-afternoon): headache and slight sore throat, assumed work stress was the cause. 2x negative LFDs, both nose as per instructions.
Day 1: Croaky voice, sore throat, occasional headache. Booked PCR. 2x negative LFDs, both nose as per instructions.
Day 2: Did PCR, same symptoms
Day 3: Positive PCR overnight. Continuing sore throat, some nasal/sinus congestion. Some fatigue. 1x positive LFD from throat swab, 1x negative LFD from nose.
Day 4: Symptoms easing, no Lemsip or Strepsils needed. Bored of isolation. 1x positive LFD from throat swab, 1x negative LFD from nose.
Day 5: Symptoms OK, light fatigue, occasional cough and sneeze. 1x negative LFD from throat swab, 1x positive LFD from nose with an immediate T-line before fluid hit the C line.
Day 6: Symptoms of a mild head cold and fatigue came back. 1x negative LFD from throat swab. 1x positive LFD from nose with strong line.
Day 7: Worse head cold symptoms, back on the Lemsip. Same tests as the last couple of days.
Day 8 (today): Head cold eased but breathing now about 5-10% more difficult and lower back pain appeared. 1x throat LFD faint positive, 1x positive LFD from nose still with a strong line.
For me, Day 10 will be the earliest release. The breathing being a bit tough today is concerning, as is the fact I've not shaken it off yet. Throughout this has been very much a mild illness, but a mild illness for 8 days and counting with the frustration of isolation really isn't fun.
At one point, sometime around day 6, I was actually testing negative on a throat plus nasal, but still strongly positive on a nasal only. I decided not to go out at that point just in case as it didn’t seem especially responsible. The negatives must only have been due to scraping insufficient material for the test, because at day 8 I’m down to the absolute faintest of lines on a throat + nasal, but something a little bit more prominent on a nasal only, but at least declining in intensity.
If I only do a throat swap, everything comes up negative, which is suppose is logical for Omicron given it’s an upper respiratory tract infection in the main.
Now given this confusion, I actually rang 119 to ask for advice and they were completely perplexed by the test results, to the extent they wanted to put a note on the system in case it ever got queried again. I was beginning to wonder if I was somehow unique, so I’m pleased there’s at least a couple of us!
Still, as I can’t go to watch any football tonight, I’ve decided that my recovery to date merits a bottle of beer given I’m not likely to be driving for another day or two
. It’s certainly more pleasant than the old fashioned head over menthol crystals to clear anything hanging around my nasal passages I’ve been employing.I hope you recover fully shortly.
Feb 10, 2022, 6:42 am
#9161
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,553
On throat I was negative much sooner but on nose, following how you're meant to do the test, I was positive until the morning of day 12.
Feb 10, 2022, 9:13 am
#9162
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: M&S Elite+
Posts: 3,658
Daily data:
Cases 66,638 (88,171 last Thursday)
Deaths 206 (303)
Patients admitted 1,308 (1,398 on the 30th)
Patients in hospital 13,126 (14,884 on the 2nd)
Patients in ventilation beds 432 (483 on the 2nd)
Vaccinated up to and including 9 February 2022:
First dose: 52,468,730
Second dose: 48,666,801
Booster: 37,650,239
The rolling seven day daily average for cases is now down 25.2% on the previous week and the same measure for deaths is down 20.1%. The rolling 7 day daily average for deaths is 204.1 today. Scotland changed their case reporting today so that rapid tests are included. That has increased the Scottish cases figure by 3-4k. It was still not enough to counter the improvement in cases in England which fell by more than that continuing the downward trend.
Cases 66,638 (88,171 last Thursday)
Deaths 206 (303)
Patients admitted 1,308 (1,398 on the 30th)
Patients in hospital 13,126 (14,884 on the 2nd)
Patients in ventilation beds 432 (483 on the 2nd)
Vaccinated up to and including 9 February 2022:
First dose: 52,468,730
Second dose: 48,666,801
Booster: 37,650,239
The rolling seven day daily average for cases is now down 25.2% on the previous week and the same measure for deaths is down 20.1%. The rolling 7 day daily average for deaths is 204.1 today. Scotland changed their case reporting today so that rapid tests are included. That has increased the Scottish cases figure by 3-4k. It was still not enough to counter the improvement in cases in England which fell by more than that continuing the downward trend.
Feb 11, 2022, 2:24 am
#9163
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: London, UK
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If one wanted to be super careful and isolate for a few days + take a test (even PCR) before seeing some vulnerable people, how much of a buffer would you leave? I was thinking 4-5 days plus test should do it.
Feb 11, 2022, 3:49 am
#9164
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
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Day1 = enter into self isolation - don't meet anyone from morning of day1
Day2 = first test (just because if this is positive you may as well abandon the attempt to meet the person concerned).
Day3 = maybe no test
Day4 = second test
Day5 = third test - and you haven't met a soul since day1.
And bear in mind in the UK at the moment perhaps 3% of the general population have COVID at the moment. If the first and second tests are negative then you are well below a 1 in a thousand chance of having COVID. By the third test it's a 1 in 10,000 chance or well lower than that, maybe another zero. Now I've made up those numbers, so they are not precise but demonstrate an approximate order of magnitude. Even day4, no symptoms and a bit of social distancing will give a high level of protection.
Feb 11, 2022, 9:06 am
#9165
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
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Omicron watch - England stats
Last 7 days
Delta = 0.02%
Omicron BA.1 = 98.74%
Omicron BA.2 = 1.24%
and unusually no other variants, usually one or two creep in via travellers, but not in the last week.
However BA.2 is slow for us to sequence so it's probably understated - some of Omicron BA.1 will turn out to be BA.2. So if we use a PCR proxy analysis, rather than sequencing, then BA.2 is now about 18.7% of cases on 5 February, compared to 5% a fortnight previously. Over half the cases are in London and the South East and very little in the West Midlands and north of England. This is in the context of cases falling, but they are falling faster in the north of England and West Midlands. In other words, this may (repeat may) explain the steps in the graphs - a sharp fall at the end of January as BA.1 started to weaken, and now a second downward step with BA.2 weakening.
Some other snippets that have emerged. We haven't had a single case of anyone getting both BA.1 and BA.2, accepting that only travellers and NHS staff would get 2 PCRs in a short time period. Vaccines and anti virals are as effective on BA.2 as BA.1. Symptom onset for both BA.1 and 2 is now confirmed to be a lot faster - after first infection - compared to Delta. For Delta the mean was 4.02 days, BA.1 is 3.72 days and BA.2 is 3.27 days.
So the risk assessment has been updated for BA.2 and these are the top lines:
Last 7 days
Delta = 0.02%
Omicron BA.1 = 98.74%
Omicron BA.2 = 1.24%
and unusually no other variants, usually one or two creep in via travellers, but not in the last week.
However BA.2 is slow for us to sequence so it's probably understated - some of Omicron BA.1 will turn out to be BA.2. So if we use a PCR proxy analysis, rather than sequencing, then BA.2 is now about 18.7% of cases on 5 February, compared to 5% a fortnight previously. Over half the cases are in London and the South East and very little in the West Midlands and north of England. This is in the context of cases falling, but they are falling faster in the north of England and West Midlands. In other words, this may (repeat may) explain the steps in the graphs - a sharp fall at the end of January as BA.1 started to weaken, and now a second downward step with BA.2 weakening.
Some other snippets that have emerged. We haven't had a single case of anyone getting both BA.1 and BA.2, accepting that only travellers and NHS staff would get 2 PCRs in a short time period. Vaccines and anti virals are as effective on BA.2 as BA.1. Symptom onset for both BA.1 and 2 is now confirmed to be a lot faster - after first infection - compared to Delta. For Delta the mean was 4.02 days, BA.1 is 3.72 days and BA.2 is 3.27 days.
So the risk assessment has been updated for BA.2 and these are the top lines:
- There is evidence of a growth advantage for BA.2 compared to BA.1 in more than one country
- It is plausible that transmissibility and/or a shorter serial interval is contributing to the growth advantage
- There is evidence of a small antigenic distance between BA.1 and BA.2 but no evidence of a difference in vaccine effectiveness in English data
- Insufficient data for infection severity analysis.