Do you feel like you know so many sick people right now?

No, nobody I know, currently, is sick.

A couple of grandkids went down with the flu, one after the other, but it only lasted a day. But, kids get sick all the time.
No adults I know are sick.

It sorta feels like this to me. My nephew and his wife have Covid. A good friend of mine from school and her family have Covid. She has it really bad. I’m afraid she’s gonna end up in the hospital. A good friend of my sister’s also has Covid and has been badly sick for like six weeks. All of these people were vaxxed too. t’s scary and kinda creepy.

Literally everyone I know or come in contact with. The problem here is that there is just no easy way to get tested. There are a couple of tents you can go to get in line, but the lines are literally many hours long – before the place even opens. Note that there is no big surprise here for anyone managing this. This was 100% expected, yet here we are. Can’t even buy a home covid test.

Most people seem to be using the “I know John who had the same symptoms as me and he tested negative last week, so it’s just a cold” technique.

@product What country do you live in, if I may ask?

^ US, Massachusetts. Everyone vaccinated and boosted.

@product Ah, the US.
When you say “everyone”, do you mean everyone in your family/social circle, or everyone in the state?
The testing facilities described, and the lack of availability of home tests, made me think you were in a developing country.

@rebbel: “When you say “everyone”, do you mean everyone in your family/social circle, or everyone in the state?”

Everyone I know, many kids in the schools, people at work and their families/friends. By no means a scientific survey. I guess it just seems that everyone is sick. Plus, if you talk to doctors, they are stumped as to how to get people tested. And the lines look like something out of a dystopian movie.

I just spent five days in bed the week leading up to Christmas. I missed three days of work. The only place I had been in two weeks besides my home was my work, which is a grocery store. Some coworkers missed a few days of work before me. I did not get tested for Covid due to the long lines. Both my husband and son have been healthy and still are.

I’m not aware of anyone who is sick at the moment.

Among immediate family, friends, neighbors, and associates locally (Bay Area), long-time employees at the places I frequently shop and offices I visit, and friends and family across the continent from Mass. to L.A., Florida to Ottawa, I don’t know anybody who’s sick right now.

This is the time of year when people get sick because we’re all cooped up inside, in close quarters. It happenes every year.

Apparently, looking at this thread alone, @Dutchess_III, not everywhere.

No. My grandkids had a stomach bug right before school let out for holiday break, but they kicked it fast. Whole family doing well now. Don’t know anyone else who is, or has been, sick.

I said it happens every year @rebbel. Especially for kids. On this thread most people aren’t counting sick children.

I counted kids too.

My MIL is chronically sick (liver, kidney, diabetes, allergies, heart and arthritis), and my DIL was just diagnosed with diabetes and depression, my son and youngest grandson both have lingering Covid symptoms (brain fog, fatigue), the older grandson has Autism, but hubs and I are fine.

Hearing about lots of Covid cases in my area lately again. A friend went to a family holiday gathering and her Dad and several other family members got breakthrough cases. Another friend’s restaurant is having many staff members call in sick.

I ordered home tests online a few weeks ago. Used two before going visiting and have a pack in reserve.

I know of no sick people.

@Dutchess_III,
> On this thread most people aren’t counting sick children.

I do wonder how you know that. I, for one, counted children as people.

I get an email from the high school every day that states there’s a new Covid case in the school.

So are we talking specifically about Covid or just sick in general?

Read back through the posts @Jeruba. People seem to be referring mostly to adults they know who are sick.

I was referring to sick and people with Covid. Some may be sick with undiagnosed Covid, and some do have Covid.

In my daughter’s school, a lot have Covid now. Among my friends, I’m hearing a lot about friends and friends of friends who have Covid now. As I wrote in my post, my friend has a bad illness and was tested today. I just found out she won’t get the test results until Wednesday. Friends we visited last night have the sick son who is not getting tested, he’s just upstairs, sick and taking something (his mom is a nurse so I’m sure she is taking care of it). Everyone I talk to is talking about how they were going to do stuff for Christmas but this person couldn’t come because they have Covid, or other plans that were cancelled because of sick people. A friend who is a secretary for a local police agency told me the police did not make any arrests in the past four days, which is due to Covid (it’s a busy city where there are always arrests). I’m hearing about more sick people with Covid now than I did in 2020.

At this moment I don’t directly know anyone who is sick, but I know of sick people once removed.

My SIL couldn’t come to Christmas Eve dinner, because she was told five people at work tested positive.

Three and four weeks ago I knew several people who were sick, but tested negative for covid.

I fully expect to know about many sick people soon.

Edit: I just remembered the daughter of a friend in NJ is sick, negative for covid so far. She stayed in a separate room from the family for Christmas.

I know one – and she has the plain old flu – not even Covid.

^^Flu is picking up! I fully expect the map to be full of red within two weeks. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/usmap.htm

I’ve known quite a few that have been sick recently. But interestingly, most have NOT been Covid. Flu type A is the culprit right now.

Lots of people are calling in sick at the grocery store I work at. Every department has been hit.

Last night a woman I dance with emailed me that she’s sick with covid. She caught it from a friend.

@Jonsblond Does your store do anything to try to stop the spread? Do they have employees who worked directly with the sick employees stay home three days or at least mask and extra care cleaning surfaces? Or, does everyone wear a mask
anyway?

@JLeslie our county is the only county in Wisconsin that still has a mask mandate. We’re all required to wear a mask in the store. My boss gives truck drivers and vendors a mask if they don’t have one. Many of the drivers wear their masks on their chin. It’s frustrating. If an employee tests positive and we work directly with that person we are required to quarantine.

@Jonsblond That’s great. Hard to ask for more at this point.

I feel like crap, but just got tested for Covid and the flu. Negative on both. :)

^^Hope you feel better sooner!

Nope, none.

One more person I know where I live. She’s waiting a day to test for covid. She didn’t want to test too soon. Mostly, cold symptoms. Ruined her plans to go see her son. She’s going to wait until she is all better.

Went to a family gathering for Christmas. Found out two days later that niece was positive.

Entire family got tested yesterday, but it might have been too soon. (You’re supposed to get tested five days after exposure.)

Today had sore throat, cough, chills, fever, fatigue, and body aches. Fever broke. Will get tested again on Friday. :/

Five other family members developed symptoms around the same time. Luckily everyone is vaccinated though.

I hope you, and your relatives, will be negative.

@raum Sounds like no one is extremely sick in your family thankfully. Thank you for posting, because I’ve been curious if vaccinated people are escaping catching covid at all. They had reporter vaccinated people are 5 times less likely to catch it, but that was prior to Omicron. Five people out of how many?

Did they test fit which variant? I just read an article stating the US is 59% Omicron cases and the rest Delta.

Is everyone boosted?

Did your fever break on it’s own or you took fever reducing drugs?

Whenever I hear about people who have the covid, I don’t ask for a lot of information about whether they’ve been vaccinated, boosted, what vaccinations, etc. Most people I know who are relaying a story about someone else don’t know that info.

Thanks, @rebbel. Fingers crossed that it’s just the flu.

Six people out of twelve. Though we haven’t actually confirmed whether it’s COVID or not. Will have to wait to see after retesting on Friday (Day 5).

Niece was double vaccinated, boosted, and took two antigen tests before driving down to stay with my parents.

Guessing my niece got it from the holiday party that she went to the day before. (Taking the antigen tests the day after exposure wouldn’t register a positive.)

I was with her all day on Christmas and she didn’t have any symptoms. I heard it was just the teensiest sniffle. But my BIL tested with an antigen test to be sure. Since she’s staying with my mom who is going through radiation and down twenty-three lymph nodes from breast cancer.

She also had a PCR test to confirm the positive result.

I took Advil and Theraflu. I might have been able to ride it out without meds. But we are driving back up to the Bay Area today (from Southern California) and trying to get over the hump so this drive isn’t miserable.

I didn’t ask her which variant. She seemed really upset that she was positive. So I didn’t want to push her too much. I’ll probably ask her later when things calm down a bit.

All adults double vaccinated. All adults except one had their booster. All kids double vaccinated.

@jca2 I appreciate the consideration. Though I wouldn’t be comfortable attending an indoor gathering right now without knowing everyone’s vaccination status. :)

I’m not as worried about getting serious covid (except maybe my mom). More worried about unknowingly spreading it.

@raum: I wasn’t referring to anything you wrote. I was just making a general statement about how whenever I talk about sick people, some others will ask me for more details like were they vaccinated, were they boosted, which brand did they get, when did they get it, etc and I don’t usually have those details. I’m with you, I know who’s vaccinated which is like 95% of adults that I know.

I understood it as a general statement and not directed at anything I specifically wrote. :)

I think all of those questions IRL might be a bit much. But in the context of Fluther, I don’t mind fielding lots of questions. :)

@raum A fever “breaking” while taking Advil doesn’t really mean the fever is gone it means the drug is working. I only asked because flu would have a fever at least three days usually four, while covid sometimes seems to only last a day, but since your niece is PCR tested it sounds like you most likely caught covid from her.

Advil and Theraflu only last 4–6 hours though. I’ve been fever free without meds for probably 12 hours? I’m not out of the woods yet. Just need to be well enough to make this drive back. :/

@raum Gotcha. Yeah, sounds good, like you are getting better. Did you lose your taste? I read only about 25% of people lose taste with Omicron, but no real way to know which variant you had assuming it’s covid.

Did not lose sense of taste. I am curious which strain she has. I’m guessing omicron, as it’s the dominant strain in the Bay Area.

I’ve never had Covid and except for food, I’ve never had any taste! :P

Nyuk.

▲ I love Inuit phrases! :p

I always thought it had stoogian etymology. :P

Four out of five of us are positive (with antigen test).

The 12yo was pretty smart and masked up as soon as she heard the news. That’s 7+ hours in the car yesterday and 3+ hours today in the car with four symptomatic people. So for everyone who wonders if masks can make a difference…

@raum Hope it is not too uncomfortable for all of you!

I just got a text from my eldest son. He tested posting today for Covid. He said he started to feel ill Christmas night after leaving my house. He felt like crap for a day but now feels fine. A coworker of his had cold symptoms on the 23rd when my son was working with him. The coworker tested positive after the holiday.

So my son was contagious when he visited for Christmas. :(

@Jonsblond Healing thoughts to him.

I know two more people sick now. One can’t go to her New Years Eve plans.

@Jonsblond I think you’re probably safe. Most people are sick by day 5 with Delta and 3 with Omicron. Crossing my fingers for you.

Your son didn’t worry about catching or giving you the “cold.” That’s not a criticism, I just don’t understand why people don’t care about colds. It’s always baffled me.

@JLeslie I’d never go to work if I stayed home every time I worked next to someone with the sniffles.

@Jonsblond It’s the sniffling person who is supposed to stay home.

Because colds are not life threatening @JLeslie. Why should we “worry” about them?

@JLeslie I understand that. My point is that people are sniffling constantly where I live, either due to the weather or allergies, or possibly a cold. Nobody would be working if we all stayed home because of sniffles.

@janbb Thanks, penguin! They weren’t kidding that Omicron is contagious. One person infected nine out of a gathering of twelve. Luckily everyone already seems to be on the mend. Just isolating so we don’t help to spread it. :)

@Jonsblond I think you’re probably negative or asymptomatic. I would test today if Christmas was Day 0. (You’re supposed to test on Day 5–7 after exposure.)

@Dutchess_III I don’t like being sick with anything. I’m not talking life threatening and quarantine like it’s smallpox, but it’s nice to distance a little and try to avoid spreading it around. Meanwhile, the last two years a cold can be covid19.

@Jonsblond I understand, but usually people can tell if their nose is running from cold weather or if they are sick.

@JLeslie I can tell you haven’t been in the upper Midwest for some time. Many of us have been blowing our nose for the past several months. It’s been a guessing game. I’m sure it’s easy to tell for you when your temperature rarely gets bellow 30 degrees.

Last night 6yo got wheezy. Ended up calling the paramedics. Checked her and found wheeze in left lung. But didn’t need to be driven to hospital. Kept an eye on her. Thermometer and oximeter. And filled prescription for albuterol.

Wish us luck tonight.

You called 911 over that @raum?

I just found out I was with someone who now just tested positive for covid. I knew I was taking a risk, we had lunch, something I have only done a few times this entire time of covid. My husband and I were with him the 27th and he started to feel some symptoms the 31st. Probably safe, but we’ll see. He tested the 31st and was negative, but came up positive today, the 3rd.

I’m so glad I always take precaution not seeing my friend who has her 94 year old mom living with her. Whenever I take a risk I let her know I won’t be seeing her for at least a week.

@Dutchess_III I did.

“Look for emergency warning signs* for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:

- Trouble breathing
– Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
– New confusion
– Inability to wake or stay awake
– Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone”

Just tested positive for Covid. I am on day 15 of my “cold”, already had tested negative early on, but the cold wouldn’t go away. Saturday night/Sunday symptoms got worse and change a bit. Just got back from appointment and rapid test. Doc thought it sounded like my cold was followed back-to-back by covid.

I feel like walking death.

@product So sorry to hear that! I hope it passes soon.

It’s now two weeks later and every day I’m hearing of people whose family members are sick or someone they work with. Mostly Covid.

@product Hope you’re feeling better soon!

On Day 14 and Day 15, I got a weird second wave. No fever or chills. But felt like shit. And the strangest symptom…sweating just through hands and feet.

Did a quick Google search and apparently some people experience post-covid symptoms. About 11% experience hyperhydrosis (the weird sweating through hands and feet thing).

Did you have a period of feeling better? Or has it been fifteen days of feeling like crap?

^ On Friday during the day, I felt slightly better, and actually coughed a little less at night. But Saturday evening, I started feeling a bit weird. Thought I might have had a fever, but didn’t take temp. Yesterday (Sunday), I most definitely had a fever, really strong headache, and burning sensation in my nostrils. This morning, I had the fever, felt “odd”, intense headache, dizziness, sluggishness, and everything hurt (even my teeth and fingers). I also have a ringing in my ears, and if I move my eyes quickly, I feel very disoriented. It certainly feels different than just the cold I’ve had for so long.

I also found out that my manager at work tested positive on Saturday. I was in her office overlooking a computer standing near her for some time on Thursday. Not sure where I got it though. Could have been anywhere. Positive cases are everywhere.

@product Burning sensation in your nostril?! That’s the first that I’ve heard of that. That’s so interesting.

I also had about a day and a half where I felt better. Really thankful the night time coughing subsided enough to get one night of decent sleep in before the second wave kicked in.

“Everything hurt” sums up how I felt as well. Not usual body aches from a cold. But utterly pummeled. One giant human bruise.

My second wave peaked around Day 14 and Day 15. Yours sounds way worse. But hopefully your COVID timeline is similar and you’re over the worst of it.

I’m very confused and frustrated. I’m not sure where/how I got covid, and more importantly – how long I’ve had it. Either I had covid all along (from 12/27 to now), but didn’t test positive until today, or I honestly did have a cold that was followed by covid taking hold sometime this weekend. I have no idea.

But for now, I’m isolating as best as I can in my house, which has very limited isolating options. I am possibly isolating from my kids and wife who have more exposure to Covid than I ever did. It’s possible that they gave it to me, and they’re asymptomatic. All of the teens that have tested positive only know they have it because they took a test. They didn’t have symptoms.

I’m going to guess it’s from 12/27 exposure. I was exposed 12/25 and it sounds like my timeline is about two days ahead of you.

Sounds like you tested too early. One family member had symptoms on Day 2. We all took PCRs on Day 3, thinking it would pick it up if we are symptomatic, but they all came back negative. Antigen test on Day 6 came back positive. (You’re supposed to test on Day 5, but we were stuck on the 101.)

Second wave came after I tested negative with a PCR test. Hence the post-covid. You’re no longer contagious. But your body is still dealing with the aftermath.

If it were just me, I’d be confused too. But since 11/12 family members were also exposed on 12/25, the pattern was easier to see.

Also, my niece who gave it to everyone barely had a sniffle. Omicron is a tricky fucker.

Isolating from family is hard. :/

I wonder if we were constantly testing for rhinovirus or flu if we would find people who are not symptomatic or just a day.

Such an interesting and frustrating virus this covid19.

Woke up today with mild chest pain.

Googled and found this:
“ Although it is not the most common symptom, chest pain sometimes occurs with a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, achy muscles can occur with COVID-19. In this instance, the pain is not due to a heart issue. Instead, the chest muscles and muscles that are necessary for breathing become sore, causing the person to feel pain in this area of the body.

Secondly, some people with COVID-19 go on to develop pneumonia. Pneumonia involves inflammation of the lungs, and chest pain is one of the common symptoms.”

@raum Sounds like the gift that keeps on giving! Oh boy! Hugs (gently).

@janbb We have been joking that it’s the best present ever~ since we all got it on Christmas. :P

Just found out that my uncle who is a big Trump supporter and Covid denier has Covid and hysterically denying it. Like we are wondering if we might have to 5150 him.

I actually feel pretty bad for him. It must be really scary to get something that you didn’t think was real. :/

How is he “hysterically” denying it?

And what is 5150?

^^72 hour hold.

Within the past four days, I heard about two people that died – one is a wife of a friend and one is a woman from the Department that I used to work for. The wife was 50 and the woman from work was under 55. Both died of Covid.

@jca2 That’s terrible. Do you know if they were vaccinated?

I expect to start hearing about deaths in the coming weeks. Deaths lag behind the cases as we know. Dreading it. I hope I’m wrong and deaths are low or non-existent here.

Did you see what I posted about Bob Saget? He had a positive covid test the week before? He might have died from the very thing that worries me regarding my risks. They still haven’t released an official report I don’t think.

That’s so sad, @jca2. :(

@Dutchess_III Screaming hysterically in the background of the phone call that he didn’t have COVID. That his wife and daughter were lying about him being sick. (They all have it.) :/

Jebus.
What is a 5150

^^ @JLeslie answered that above already. A 72 hour psychiatric hold.

Oh. A psychiatric hold. That’s pretty bad. And sad.

My grandson’s community league basketball coach was exposed to Covid at work, under quarantine for a while. Had to get her son to substitute the playoff game on Saturday, after he tested clear. Otherwise, I don’t know of anyone at this particular time.

My daughter and the 9 year old twins have Covid. They’re on the mend tho.

Good grief, that is bad. Do hope they’ll be ok. @Dutchess_III

Oh they’re getting better every day. Thanks.

Good that they’re getting better Dutch!

They’re young and healthy.