COVID-19/Coronavirus Information and Support Thread (see OP for useful links)

[Touring Mars]

With the amount of infections I hear around me and the severity of this variant, I'm getting my booster this month. I prefer a couple of hours of meh over a week of bleh.

I regret not looking into getting a booster privately - vaccines are no longer available to under-75s in the UK on the NHS, but they are still available in some high street pharmacies, albeit at around £100 a pop. That said, I would gladly have paid that to avoid the misery of having COVID again, which cost me a full week (which was meant to be a holiday) and has left me with symptoms that are lingering on now into a 4th week.

Although it's uncertain where my entire family picked up COVID this time around, it is very likely down to the schools going back - and now the Uni students are back this week, I expect a lot of people will get COVID in the next week or two. Fortunately my recent bout will hopefully act as a de facto vaccine booster, but I will definitely look into getting a shot next summer before the school's go back.

 

[Joey D]

I regret not looking into getting a booster privately - vaccines are no longer available to under-75s in the UK on the NHS, but they are still available in some high street pharmacies, albeit at around £100 a pop. That said, I would gladly have paid that to avoid the misery of having COVID again, which cost me a full week (which was meant to be a holiday) and has left me with symptoms that are lingering on now into a 4th week.

Although it's uncertain where my entire family picked up COVID this time around, it is very likely down to the schools going back - and now the Uni students are back this week, I expect a lot of people will get COVID in the next week or two. Fortunately my recent bout will hopefully act as a de facto vaccine booster, but I will definitely look into getting a shot next summer before the school's go back.

Ok, that's pretty strange. In the US, Medicaid covers the vaccine (social insurance for those 65 and older), and almost every private insurance plan covers the vaccine. If you don't have private insurance or Medicaid/Medicare, you can go to your local health department, and they'll give you a vaccine for whatever you can afford to pay. Does the NHS cover flu shots for the general population or no?

 

[Touring Mars]

Does the NHS cover flu shots for the general population or no?

Only for 65+ or people with certain conditions. Again, the rest of us would have to use a high street pharmacy (Boots) and a flu shot is £22.

 

[Jezza819]

Ok, that's pretty strange. In the US, Medicaid covers the vaccine (social insurance for those 65 and older), and almost every private insurance plan covers the vaccine. If you don't have private insurance or Medicaid/Medicare, you can go to your local health department, and they'll give you a vaccine for whatever you can afford to pay. Does the NHS cover flu shots for the general population or no?

Yeah now my doctor's office carries both the new Covid vaccine along with the yearly flu shot so I don't have to go to the pharmacy anymore for the Covid shot. And they are both covered by my insurance.

 

[Dennisch]

Only for 65+ or people with certain conditions. Again, the rest of us would have to use a high street pharmacy (Boots) and a flu shot is £22.

Here 60+ gets priority but anyone can get the shot, for free.

 

[TB]

I had my annual "make sure my meds aren't killing me" appointment this morning. Next thing I know I'm a human pin cushion getting a Covid booster, flu shot, Hep A and B shots and blood drawn.

 

[Jezza819]

I'm scheduled to get my annual Covid vaccine Friday evening. About 3 weeks ago I had a chest cold with a cough. Due to insurance problems I couldn't go to my doctor I've had for 17 years. But it got to where I thought I needed to get some medical attention so I went to one of those emergency care places up the street from where I live.

They gave me a Covid test, my first ever Covid test, and it was negative. They prescribed me some antibiotics, a cough syrup, and Flonase nasal spray. After about a week I felt better but now a week later I can still feel it a little. I'm a little short of breath and I have the occasional cough.

My point is do I need to cancel the vaccination appointment and wait until I'm 100% healthy?

 

[Joey D]

I'm scheduled to get my annual Covid vaccine Friday evening. About 3 weeks ago I had a chest cold with a cough. Due to insurance problems I couldn't go to my doctor I've had for 17 years. But it got to where I thought I needed to get some medical attention so I went to one of those emergency care places up the street from where I live.

They gave me a Covid test, my first ever Covid test, and it was negative. They prescribed me some antibiotics, a cough syrup, and Flonase nasal spray. After about a week I felt better but now a week later I can still feel it a little. I'm a little short of breath and I have the occasional cough.

My point is do I need to cancel the vaccination appointment and wait until I'm 100% healthy?

No, you can still get a COVID vaccine also long as you haven't tested positive. It might just suck more since you're not 100% feeling well. Ask your doctor since they'll know your history better, but in terms of blanket policy you won't find many health systems the reject vaccinating people with a cold.

 

[Jezza819]

No, you can still get a COVID vaccine also long as you haven't tested positive. It might just suck more since you're not 100% feeling well. Ask your doctor since they'll know your history better, but in terms of blanket policy you won't find many health systems the reject vaccinating people with a cold.

Thanks. Yeah I went ahead and canceled it just out of precaution. I don't want to have any possible side effects on top of not feeling very good in general.

The only way I can see my regular doctor is on a self pay status because they refuse to accept this new insurance that our company got after it was sold back in June. The insurance company has been trying to find me a new doctor but either they aren't accepting new patients or they refuse to take this new insurance. They've issued me a prepaid credit card to use for my regularly scheduled visit on January 7th but it's only good for that day. I've emailed them back asking what happens if I get sick before then. Do I have to ask to have the card funded that day for that visit? They haven't answered back yet. The whole thing has been one big nightmare. That visit to the doc-in-a-box could still be fully charged back to me as they couldn't verify my insurance and the drugs that were prescribed for me were not covered by the pharmacy either. I had to pay full price for them.

 

[Pupik]

After getting a few shingles and hepatitis B vaccines this year, those COVID boosters feel like nothing.

(Setting a reminder for 10 years from now to just take the week off.)

 

[TB]

hepatitis B vaccine

About a month ago I got the hepatitis A and B, flu and Covid shots at the same time. Knocked me out for a day then I was good.

 

[Joey D]

Thanks. Yeah I went ahead and canceled it just out of precaution. I don't want to have any possible side effects on top of not feeling very good in general.

The only way I can see my regular doctor is on a self pay status because they refuse to accept this new insurance that our company got after it was sold back in June. The insurance company has been trying to find me a new doctor but either they aren't accepting new patients or they refuse to take this new insurance. They've issued me a prepaid credit card to use for my regularly scheduled visit on January 7th but it's only good for that day. I've emailed them back asking what happens if I get sick before then. Do I have to ask to have the card funded that day for that visit? They haven't answered back yet. The whole thing has been one big nightmare. That visit to the doc-in-a-box could still be fully charged back to me as they couldn't verify my insurance and the drugs that were prescribed for me were not covered by the pharmacy either. I had to pay full price for them.

Check with your local health department. They might have COVID vaccines, and they take just about every insurance. Many health departments will give vaccines even if they can't get paid for them, so it's worth giving them a call if you don't want to wait. You could also try a retail pharmacy like Walgreens. Even if you have to pay, it will be way cheaper than paying for an office visit at a doctor.

 

[Jezza819]

Check with your local health department. They might have COVID vaccines, and they take just about every insurance. Many health departments will give vaccines even if they can't get paid for them, so it's worth giving them a call if you don't want to wait. You could also try a retail pharmacy like Walgreens. Even if you have to pay, it will be way cheaper than paying for an office visit at a doctor.

I can get it from the CVS. That's the pharmacy this insurance uses. I just didn't want to get it while I wasn't feeling good. I'm going back to the doc-in-a-box this afternoon to try and nip this in the bud instead of waiting around for a few days like I did before.

 

[Jezza819]

As i said on the status page, I have Covid. I knew I was in trouble after I had the swab down the throat and two in the nose, the doctor comes in with a face mask. I think the thing that kind of did me in was I had a fever slightly over 100, not 101 but 100 point something. The doctor said it was good that I came straight in today after starting to feel a little different. If I would have got my vaccine maybe a month ago I might not have caught it. That's just my speculation.

At least it's a weekend, I've got plenty of entertainment. I'll be putting my sim rig through it's paces a lot this weekend. The Gulf 12 hours race is Saturday night in Abu Dhabi. So I'm set for that. I think I've bought out my local Publix's supply of Lemon & Lime Gatorade, got plenty of water, got plenty of stuff for breakfast next week if it drags on into next week.

The one thing the doctor said that I'm going to have trouble with is sleeping as much as possible. I usually only can sleep about 3 hours max at a time. Now I can do that over two or three sessions but not all at once.

 

[Touring Mars]

As i said on the status page, I have Covid. I knew I was in trouble after I had the swab down the throat and two in the nose, the doctor comes in with a face mask. I think the thing that kind of did me in was I had a fever slightly over 100, not 101 but 100 point something. The doctor said it was good that I came straight in today after starting to feel a little different. If I would have got my vaccine maybe a month ago I might not have caught it. That's just my speculation.

At least it's a weekend, I've got plenty of entertainment. I'll be putting my sim rig through it's paces a lot this weekend. The Gulf 12 hours race is Saturday night in Abu Dhabi. So I'm set for that. I think I've bought out my local Publix's supply of Lemon & Lime Gatorade, got plenty of water, got plenty of stuff for breakfast next week if it drags on into next week.

The one thing the doctor said that I'm going to have trouble with is sleeping as much as possible. I usually only can sleep about 3 hours max at a time. Now I can do that over two or three sessions but not all at once.

Sorry to hear that and I hope you are OK. I had COVID back in August and it was not fun. I was out for the count for 5 days and unwell/unfit for 2 weeks - pretty much the same as last time.

All I would say is to be mindful of how much exertion you do and how much rest you should get - sim racing was absolutely out of the question for me, but hopefully it won't be so bad for you.

I walked to the shops (wearing masks while in the shop) some days when I had COVID, but one day in particular (ca. day 3) was a big mistake, and I was knocked out for the rest of the day thanks to my over-exertion.

 

[Pupik]

As i said on the status page, I have Covid. I knew I was in trouble after I had the swab down the throat and two in the nose, the doctor comes in with a face mask.

I just slept a lot because I was drained. In between, caught up on calling people, going for a walk outside to get some fresh air, played a bit with my PC, and that helped. Hell, even when coworkers called with questions it was good to know the "brain fog" hadn't set in.

That nasal inhaler stuff the doctor prescribed really helped a lot. Reduced headaches and I could breathe much easier.

The one thing the doctor said that I'm going to have trouble with is sleeping as much as possible. I usually only can sleep about 3 hours max at a time. Now I can do that over two or three sessions but not all at once.

I slept a lot for the first two days, only feeling awake for about 3 hours at a time, and then getting 5-6 more hours of sleep. I have to admit, that really recharged my batteries and helped overcome a lot of the coughing (which was rarely awful, more annoying) and fevers (wasn't used to multiple flare-ups in a day).

After that 3rd day or so, I was more restless but only needing a midday nap. Was pretty much over it after 5 days; tested negative but was still a little tired and slightly groggy for a few more days.

 

[Jezza819]

I just slept a lot because I was drained. In between, caught up on calling people, going for a walk outside to get some fresh air, played a bit with my PC, and that helped. Hell, even when coworkers called with questions it was good to know the "brain fog" hadn't set in.

That nasal inhaler stuff the doctor prescribed really helped a lot. Reduced headaches and I could breathe much easier.



I slept a lot for the first two days, only feeling awake for about 3 hours at a time, and then getting 5-6 more hours of sleep. I have to admit, that really recharged my batteries and helped overcome a lot of the coughing (which was rarely awful, more annoying) and fevers (wasn't used to multiple flare-ups in a day).

After that 3rd day or so, I was more restless but only needing a midday nap. Was pretty much over it after 5 days; tested negative but was still a little tired and slightly groggy for a few more days.

I was in bed last night for 9 hours but probably slept less than 2 hours. I was hot, cold, hot, cold. Covers on, covers off. Yes I was prescribed Flonase as I was the first time I went to the clinic about 3 weeks ago. But my head isn't clogged up. My lungs are a little bit. I had asthma as a kid up until I was about 18 and occasionally a cold will trigger a little difficulty breathing and I'm having that now.

Sorry to hear that and I hope you are OK. I had COVID back in August and it was not fun. I was out for the count for 5 days and unwell/unfit for 2 weeks - pretty much the same as last time.

All I would say is to be mindful of how much exertion you do and how much rest you should get - sim racing was absolutely out of the question for me, but hopefully it won't be so bad for you.

I walked to the shops (wearing masks while in the shop) some days when I had COVID, but one day in particular (ca. day 3) was a big mistake, and I was knocked out for the rest of the day thanks to my over-exertion.

Yeah I might have been a bit ambitious thinking I was going to be able to race because this morning I'm more achy than when I came home last night. I have to slide my rig from one room to another and slide a coffee table out of the way and I don't think I could do that right now. If I could only get some sleep I think I might start feeling better.

One thing I forgot last night when I was at the pharmacy is ibuprofen. I have one capsule left so I've got to get out today and get some more.

 

[Jezza819]

I'm feeling better. I'm not near as achy as I was this morning. I only cough occasionally now. Not as as much as I did last night or even this morning. I took my temperature this morning at 7am and it was 100.6F. I took it just a few minutes ago and it was 98.4F even though I feel very warm. I'll take it again in a couple of hours. Still not sleeping though.

 

[Jezza819]

I just took my first home covid test and it still shows positive but I understand it might still show positive for a few days even after you start feeling better?

I guess I need to test every 24 hours?

 

[Touring Mars]

I just took my first home covid test and it still shows positive but I understand it might still show positive for a few days even after you start feeling better?

I guess I need to test every 24 hours?

Yes, you can test positive for long after you feel better - and you can also test negative long before you feel better.

I've had both - first time I had Covid I was quite sick for 5 days, but then felt better - however I tested positive for 13 days

Second time around, I tested positive for around 6 days, but was ill for about 3 weeks.

Rule of thumb is - if you test positive, you are likely still infectious, so should take precautions around other people, esp. vulnerable people like elderly relatives. Personally I would socially isolate as far as possible and/or wear a mask in public if you are still testing positive.

-

P.S. If you are still testing strongly positive (i.e. there's a very dark second line), there's not much point in testing 24 hours later - you'll very likely still be positive and just waste a test.

 

[Jezza819]

Yes, you can test positive for long after you feel better - and you can also test negative long before you feel better.

I've had both - first time I had Covid I was quite sick for 5 days, but then felt better - however I tested positive for 13 days

Second time around, I tested positive for around 6 days, but was ill for about 3 weeks.

Rule of thumb is - if you test positive, you are likely still infectious, so should take precautions around other people, esp. vulnerable people like elderly relatives. Personally I would socially isolate as far as possible and/or wear a mask in public if you are still testing positive.

-

P.S. If you are still testing strongly positive (i.e. there's a very dark second line), there's not much point in testing 24 hours later - you'll very likely still be positive and just waste a test.

The last time the positive line was very dark was on Sunday. Monday was considerably lighter, Tuesday was very faint, and then Wednesday is when it came up negative.

As far as getting vaccinated, I can do that as soon as I became negative right?

 

[Touring Mars]

The last time the positive line was very dark was on Sunday. Monday was considerably lighter, Tuesday was very faint, and then Wednesday is when it came up negative.

👍 Sounds like you are over it, which is good to hear!

As far as getting vaccinated, I can do that as soon as I became negative right?

The CDC recommends waiting up to 3 months after infection to get the vaccine. Having just had the virus itself, you arguably don't need a vaccine anyway.

It would be a good plan to get a vaccine every so often though. I didn't bother (albeit I was unaware that I could even get a vaccine) and it cost me quite dearly. My family all got infected at the same time, but everyone else was fine because they all had recent vaccines. I plan to get a vaccine every 6 months, including in a couple of weeks time before the schools go back, and then again at the end of the summer break.

 

[Jezza819]

👍 Sounds like you are over it, which is good to hear!

The CDC recommends waiting up to 3 months after infection to get the vaccine. Having just had the virus itself, you arguably don't need a vaccine anyway.

It would be a good plan to get a vaccine every so often though. I didn't bother (albeit I was unaware that I could even get a vaccine) and it cost me quite dearly. My family all got infected at the same time, but everyone else was fine because they all had recent vaccines. I plan to get a vaccine every 6 months, including in a couple of weeks time before the schools go back, and then again at the end of the summer break.

But I can go ahead and get a regular flu shot?

I got caught in the perfect storm. Since my regular doctor of 17 years refuses to accept our new work insurance, I was told I could opt out at the end of October and pick up our old insurance that he would accept at the first part of November. However they did not tell me that because I voluntarily opted out and was not kicked out and since I was losing the employer contribution part, the rate skyrocketed to over $1100 per month out of pocket. No way I can do that so I had to go back to our HR department begging to be allowed back in which they did. But I got sick the first time right after that which was not covid so I had to wait to get over that. Once I did I scheduled the covid vaccine for that Friday evening, started getting sick on Thursday, it felt exactly like what I had before which wasn't covid, canceled the vaccine appointment and went back to the clinic on Friday, positive covid test.

 

[Touring Mars]

But I can go ahead and get a regular flu shot?

Yes, flu shot would be fine.

 

[TexRex]