Topic: Coronavirus outbreak

@Tasuki She might not have known if it wasn't for the windows being close.

@Snatcher Yeah as I said she thought it was a bad head cold but when her husband came home from work and was assaulted by paint fumes he asked her why she didn't have a window open. She said she didn't smell anything. At that point it clicked and she went to go get tested. But as I said other then a bit of congestion and a slight fever she said she didn't feel to bad.

Basically my entire town has it right now.

Thankfully the vaccines have greatly helped in reducing the symptoms of everyone, since its been largely just "a flu" on everyone. At the same time.

They really picked a good moment to get the third shot on the elderly people, it was almost a month before the big spread happened. So I'm certain that saved a few lives.

Yeah, all the sudden, lots of my parent's friends got covid. One couple (in their 60s or 70s) didn't get vaccinated. The wife was hospitalized on christmas eve. The husband wasn't hospitalized, possibly out of stubborness, but he's still in bad shape two+ weeks later. My parents other friends said it was like having a cold - they were vaccinated, also 60-80 years old.

For some perspective, here in the US,
New case numbers for my county have more than double the previous record new-case-count set last winter. New case numbers in my brother's county, bordering DC had trippled the previous new cases count record. Their previous record was was like 1,800 new cases from last winter, but after xmas and new years this year, they hit 6,200, and then like 7,100.

It's finally found it's way into our household (my mother has it), so it's only probably a matter of time until it spreads to the rest of us. Luckily, when I spoke to her this morning she said she was feeling a bit better than she did yesterday.

We've all had the first two shots, but haven't yet been boosted.

My 2 sisters both got it over Christmas/New Years so that was interesting to put it mildly. Ironically, I'm the one in my family with auto-immune difficulties (the guy who gets sick the easiest) and I didn't even get it ONCE. I guess I'm just really good at following guidelines, huh? I've had all my vaccine shots and my booster as well so hopefully I'll be grand until all of this blows over.

So it finally happened - I tested positive for Covid today.

Felt like I was put under a lot of pressure from a lot of the rhetoric, so I made a rare exception and went out for a meal with a bunch of friends. I have gone out during the pandemic, but mostly when I was abroad with my family, as I frankly feel their the response to Covid has been much better than the UK's fairly nonchalant, shrug of the shoulders, response. However, despite living as a borderline hermit for the last two years, only really venturing out to do some exercise, I still pulled the card.

Funnily enough it seems like I was the only one who got Covid in our group, but I assume it has to be that meal where I caught it, because I didn't go anywhere within the timescale to catch it before then unless I like caught it off some mail or something? Although I know a fair amount of mystery still remains around who catches it and why, with whole households getting infected bar one stories circulating all over the place.

I guess it was only a matter of time and I feel blessed to be triple jabbed, as I am on day four of symptoms and feel pretty human again already. I had two days were it was like I had a bad cold, but otherwise I am okay. I dread to think what might have happened had I not been, given I have both asthma and sinus issues.

Probably the worst symptom for me and a symptom I don't see a lot of people talking about, is since I started developing symptoms, I can no longer sleep properly. I have these really vivid dreams, the kind where you are aware you are dreaming, so I am just restlessly tossing and turning. Constantly waking up. Waking up with my bed absolutely soaked through in sweat, so I have to get up and change all the bedding. And when you're not able to properly rest, it just makes everything else seem worse.

Honestly though, I think the real fear for people in my age group, who aren't necessarily at risk directly, are around the mostly unknown long term side effects. With some people having their lives completely altered by it, just by getting it once. I guess I will have to see what happens over the next three months and beyond.

Covid case numbers are moving toward low risk in my region, and less people are wearing masks. I want to stop wearing my mask when it's not necessary. However, occasionally, I drive a neighbor/friend of the family to dialysis (the building is mandatory masks because of cancer patients). She's 80ish, was even my sixth grade teacher. And, my sister in law just got diagnosed with cancer for a second time, very healthy eater, exerciser (diagnose early, fortunately). It's honestly amazing how many people I know that are young and healthy, and have gotten cancer. My buddy, a very avid skier, was diagnosed with cancer at 30-ish. A bmx ramp riding acquaintance, strapping lad in his mid 20s, died of cancer. If you still see people with masks when it doesn't seem necessary, I think it's possible a good number of these people may have family/friends that have cancer or immunity issues. It's just that now, the pandemic has made these people more easy to spot.

Everything is opened up here now. No masks or 1 meter rule or anything.
I had covid about a month ago, and I'm mostly fine again. The only thing is I still get tired much more easily, and I get sleepy much earlier. I go to bed at around 9PM instead of the usual 11PM/Midnight.

Oh yeah, that was annoying. I felt like I dreamt the same thing on repeat for like 20-30 times, and I woke up and was super warm and sweaty. Lasted for about 5 days or so.

Wow, so that happened to you as well? I had the looping dream issue too. Mine only lasted about three days and I have been able to mostly sleep as normal again since.

Honestly, I had what felt like a pretty bad cold for two days and then the symptoms eased off considerably. I guess the benefit of the three vaccines. Weirdly in the three days following, I have just stayed the same. Have mild cold symptoms (occasional cough, stuffy nose, foggy head) that seem to not be getting any worse but not really going anywhere, either.

I am sorry to hear about your lack of energy, I do understand that is one form of long covid. Hopefully in the coming weeks that'll start to ease off. I seemed to always be tired all the time before Covid, so I wouldn't probably notice much difference.

Insomnia and strange dreams, and sweatiness are some of the symptoms that often come up with the full blown infection, I assume it’s mostly due to the affected breathing, and high temperature making you hallucinate a little.

Good to hear your symptoms were short lived, my brother was unable to sleep properly for weeks.

Yeah, you have to count your blessings where you get them I suppose. Would have rather not had Covid, but I am glad so far at least it wasn't anything more than a medium.

I definitely did feel worse during the night, I guess cause you are laying on your back, not taking in any fluids etc and if you are then losing fluid through sweat it is probably not a healthy cycle.

I am sorry to hear it affected your brother worse. I hope they fully recover.