How was your Omicron experience?

[backtothebeach]

With Omicron sweeping through the globe, a fair bit of people reading these boards must have (had) it.

 

I started to have a sore throat last Sunday. It lasted for 3 days. Today, Thursday, it is gone. Still gonna rest a few more days.

 

Other symptoms: Upper and slight lower back aches, slight joint aches. Very little runny nose.

 

A weird thing: One day in, I felt a little soreness in my left upper arm exactly at the spot where I got the Pfizer shots (second shot 4.5 months ago). Felt exactly like it felt about a week after the shots.

 

I did not bother to get tested, because it is fairly obvious. Maybe I'll get my antibody levels tested later on. Probably caught it at an airport or on a flight where quite a few people where sniffling and sneezing.

Edited January 7, 2022 by backtothebeach

[longlake95]

wicked sore throat for 3 days. Then it was like the worst cold I've ever had...beyond my usual man cold. still have runny nose. 

[Castanza]

I thought I had it about two weeks ago. Sore throat, fever, chills, developed a dry cough. Did an at-home test (inconclusive results), then did CVS PCR the next day and tested negative. Likely just the flu which is also going around in my neck of the woods. Only about 3 days total. 

 

My FIL did have it and had nothing but mild cold symptoms. No fever or chills, just a slight cough and a runny nose for a few days. 

 

1 hour ago, backtothebeach said:

A weird thing: One day in, I felt a little soreness in my left upper arm exactly at the spot where I got the Pfizer shots (second shot 4.5 months ago). Felt exactly like it felt about a week after the shots.

 

My coworker had it recently and said the same thing...weird. I think he had Moderna though. 

[glider3834]

I received positive result yesterday for my partner & I but we have had symptoms sore throat, headaches, fatigue for a few days now. Starting to improve a bit & we need to isolate for 6 more days. It feels like the flu.

 

We have both had Pfizer vaccine (2 doses) but not the booster - we were actually due this week!

[Parsad]

We had a run of it with family and friends during the holidays.  All had mild to medium symptoms...similar to the flu...some with fever, some with no fever...sore throat, fatigue, body aches.  They were all fine after a couple of days.  I've had two vaccines, plus the flu shot and had no symptoms during the holidays, even though I met with some of the infected when they would have been contagious.  Frankly, I think I had Covid right during the beginning of the pandemic when my grand-uncle died from it.  I was sick around then, and have not been sick since, even though I do everything a normal person would...no flu, no cold, nothing!  Knock on wood!  Cheers!

[rkbabang]

43 minutes ago, Parsad said:

We had a run of it with family and friends during the holidays.  All had mild to medium symptoms...similar to the flu...some with fever, some with no fever...sore throat, fatigue, body aches.  They were all fine after a couple of days.  I've had two vaccines, plus the flu shot and had no symptoms during the holidays, even though I met with some of the infected when they would have been contagious.  Frankly, I think I had Covid right during the beginning of the pandemic when my grand-uncle died from it.  I was sick around then, and have not been sick since, even though I do everything a normal person would...no flu, no cold, nothing!  Knock on wood!  Cheers!

 

 

Yes, it is amazing how few colds/flues you get when you are cautious like we've all been the last few years.  Since the fall of 2019 I've had exactly 1 cold, I was sick for a few days this past July (tested negative for COVID) I had a runny nose and was sneezing for a few days.  That is it.  I've never gone 2 years with so little time being sick before.

 

[Gregmal]

Pretty much everyone I know has had it in the last month. 
 

One person, double vaxxed last June got it and was tired for 2 days. Held out of work for 10. Works for a union in NYC doing built to suite offices.
 

Another person, full blown Q Anon type, unvaccinated construction guy, got it “from a vaccinated liberal asshole who insisted I wear a mask at his house for the job estimate”. Said he slept for 5 straight days. Modest fever and chills. Then back to work since he works for himself.
 

 My kids have all passed around runny noses since basically back to school. 
 

Mother in law, double vaxxed plus booster went to a Billy Joel concert at MSG late in December and tested positive later. Had a cough and sore throat for a week. Father in law no symptoms

 

another friend, double vaxxed plus booster had a fever for one day and a tickle in his throat for a week. His wife the sniffles. 1 year old kid a fever for 2 hours then congestion for a day or two. 
 

I’ve probably had it during this time as I’ve hung out with all these people and had a throat tickle and on/off runny/stuffy nose. Haven’t bothered getting tested though. If everyone wasn’t running around yelling COVID I wouldn’t know the difference between any other winter season of my life. And if I actually got sick and felt that bad I’d just go to the doctor.

 

 

[boilermaker75]

Daughter flew from LA to Indiana to visit us on Dec 17, tested positive the next day. She had the Moderna vaccine and the Moderna booster. Her symptoms were similar to when she is around dogs, which she is allergic to. My wife and I did not get it. We took the heterologous approach, the Moderna vaccine and then the Pfizer booster.

[Gregmal]

I can also say, in an unofficial non medical capacity, that Wild Turkey Rare Breed, weighing in at 117 proof, is highly effective treatment for the sore throat. In case anyone was wondering 

[backtothebeach]

11 hours ago, backtothebeach said:

A weird thing: One day in, I felt a little soreness in my left upper arm exactly at the spot where I got the Pfizer shots (second shot 4.5 months ago). Felt exactly like it felt about a week after the shots.

 

9 hours ago, Castanza said:

My coworker had it recently and said the same thing...weird. I think he had Moderna though. 

Glad to hear that, I guess I'm not crazy then!

[Parsad]

6 hours ago, Gregmal said:

I can also say, in an unofficial non medical capacity, that Wild Turkey Rare Breed, weighing in at 117 proof, is highly effective treatment for the sore throat. In case anyone was wondering 

 

Absolutely true!  Sipping some nice brandy works too.  Helps with any chest congestion and clears the sinuses!  Covid, flu or nothing at all...highly recommended. 

 

We've had a ton of snow since Christmas, and it's been nice having a drink every couple of days while you watch the snow.  Cheers!

[ERICOPOLY]

A bunch of local coffee houses and restaurants are closing at the moment for in-house dining (takeout only) because the staff is out sick.  My daughter's cheerleading practice and competition shut down this week because both coaches out sick with covid. 

 

Should all be back to normal in a few weeks, but it's no wonder the jobs report is bad.

[LC]

Flew back to NYC over the holidays, flight attendants asking "are there any medical professionals on board?" Five minutes later they break out an oxygen tank for some dude a few rows up.

 

Needless to say: Runny nose and sneezing for a day, and a cough the next day. Maybe a slight headache the next few days but could've been hangovers...tough to tell. Gave it to the entire family too (assuming I was the patient zero) 

 

Same story here in Colorado - lots of restaurants without dine-in service because people are covid+. Girlfriend (MD) caught it independently as I was out of state, and says hospital beds are at 93% capacity in the state.

 

Not sure how effective liquor is vs. the coronavirus but I'll make sure to keep testing. 

Edited January 7, 2022 by LC

[Gregmal]

See that’s part of the thing though. When does that sort of nonsense stop? Of course if you are really sick then take care of yourself, do what you’ve gotta do. But in the same light, people are staying home, for 10 days at a clip, in many cases, for no reason. Like if this was 2015 most of these people would have just gone to work without even thinking about it.

 

Last year folks were jokingly saying the next step of this COVID evolution would be for the clowns like the teachers unions to demand virtual classes because of flu season and stuff like that. But that’s now reality. Everyone has their socially acceptable fallback response related to “COVID” and “better safe than sorry”. But if you ask them to be honest and describe what’s going on without the word COVID, the insanity really emerges.

 

I stayed home from work for 10 days cuz I had a runny nose.

 

I cancelled Christmas because nana stuck something up her nose and it said positive 

 

I need to quarantine because my throat is sore

 

 

LOL, WTF, and well, Where does this shit end?

[LC]

Yeah I mean I'm definitely over the scare tactics and checking all the data and such. I wear the mask where people require it, I'm vaxxed and boosted, so now it's just whatever. I've done my part. 

 

That said I took a look at the CDC's excess deaths in Colorado for 2021 and it's definitely outside the average band. NYC however it is barely a blip for 2021. But then again CO has more never-vaxx than I think NYC would. 

[Spekulatius]

You can’t stay home with a runny nose, you need a positive test result to stay home.

 

You can call us wussies, but when since the positivity numbers have been creeping up in Mid December, we have curtailed social activities. My son still does his stuff (swimming, school etc) but there have been cancellations due to infection clusters (several people with positive test results). No dining in restaurants or anything with several people in a room etc for us.

 

My wife works at local hospitals here and they definitely have seen surge in COVID-19 related admissions. It’s mostly unvaccinated that are having a hard time as well as some with the JNJ vaccine (without boosters ).

She had a potential exposure early this week so I went to our guest bedroom until she gets a negative test result from a swab at least 3 days after her exposure (a Colleague of her working in the same room tested already already positive).

 

I have seen cases at work (we get notifications) but I am pretty much alone in my room and we have mandatory mask anyways, so risk of exposure there quite small, if you avoid break rooms (I get only coffee there and then bail) and do hand washing.

 

I do expect this to get back to normal in a few weeks. I personally only watch the positivity number in our state as the main KPI. If it’s below 3-4% again, we go back to normal. Right now we are at 22% , which is almost a record. This means you are most assured to get exposure if you are in room with a dozen people a couple of times. Not worth it for me.

 

So far, none in our family have gotten COVID-19, despite more exposure than many others (teenager going to school, wife working with COVID-19 in hospital, me going to office).

Edited January 8, 2022 by Spekulatius

[ERICOPOLY]

25 minutes ago, LC said:

That said I took a look at the CDC's excess deaths in Colorado for 2021 and it's definitely outside the average band. NYC however it is barely a blip for 2021. But then again CO has more never-vaxx than I think NYC would. 

 

I'm not sure if we're there yet, but at some point excess deaths won't be a reliable indicator because covid has pushed many people into the grave early, and most of them were going to die anyhow within a few years.  In other words, we should be expecting excess deaths in 2022 to be lower than normal (because they already died in 2020-2021).  I'm talking about those people with existing severe health problems who keeled over after contracting covid.

[Gregmal]

I think its fine if people are genuinely serious about their concerns. But whats happening is the same shit that occurred with the PPE loans. Its overrun with scammers. If we were fining people who were just trying to operate their small businesses, or threatening folks walking alone on the beach at one point, lets return the favor.

 

If you're one of the scoundrels with the teachers union pushing for virtual classes, you damn well better be masked up in your house, 6 feet from another person. If not, boom, fine. None of this teaching from Puerto Rico or Sanibel Island shit. How'd you get there? Plane? Boom, fired. If you're telling your boss you cant go into the office cuz you're scared. Cool, I support that. If I catch your ass at a restaurant or bar? Boom, fired.

 

If you are genuinely operating out of safety concurs theres nothing to worry about, but we need to rid the majority of folks who just want to return to normal from the leeches like the unions and 9-5er who is just posturing out of self interest. If you dont want to go to the office, negotiate a new employment contract, dont claim you're scared of a cold. 

 

[ERICOPOLY]

My wife was telling me yesterday that Monday should be interesting because those people who are out 'sick' will no longer be paid during their absence from work.  That program of paying people to be out with covid ends today.

[ERICOPOLY]

Personally I think people will just keep working despite knowing they're sick.  Just hide their sniffles to avoid the loss in pay.

[Gregmal]

3 minutes ago, ERICOPOLY said:

Personally I think people will just keep working despite knowing they're sick.  Just hide their sniffles to avoid the loss in pay.

Yup. And it will be OK. So let’s just get there already. The people whom are uneasy will get used to it once they see there’s nothing to worry about. 

[Sullivcd]

1 hour ago, ERICOPOLY said:

My wife was telling me yesterday that Monday should be interesting because those people who are out 'sick' will no longer be paid during their absence from work.  That program of paying people to be out with covid ends today.

Is there a federal program that ends or something? I saw walmart said they will cut paid leave in half starting Monday. I've wondered why so many people are lining up for covid testing.

[ERICOPOLY]

5 minutes ago, Sullivcd said:

Is there a federal program that ends or something? I saw walmart said they will cut paid leave in half starting Monday. I've wondered why so many people are lining up for covid testing.

 

I asked her to clarify:  OSHA ETS.  Her company extended it through today (but it expired in December).  I don't know how many other companies extended it. 

[ANP301191]

Just got out of the omicron variant. Runny nose, slight fever etc. like what everyone is hearing. A couple of years ago, I would have still been at the office if I felt like this but Belgian government rules are 10 days quarantine if you test positive. Honestly, not a scientist, but this feels a tad bit overdone. I know that the elderly or those with comorbidities may be more at risk than myself but I am sure there are better ways to protect them than just forcing everyone to work from home again. Not to sound political, but a semblance of common sense and a return to "normalcy" is needed, not every industry can "work from home" and as @Gregmal indicated, schools shutting down or taking half days does a huge disservice to kids who have already had months if not a year off regular schooling.

[Cigarbutt]

^Anecdotes are interesting and it's entertaining to see how individual 'right' to choose may, at times, override the right choice, especially on a tribal level.

 

Before anecdotes and if into post-mortems, look here:

Disclosure: potential bias for choice of countries; used only as an illustration and using covid-death rates as a proxy for covid disease burden

-----

Many variables involved (fundamental and sentimental) but vaccines (and vaccine hesitancy) eventually became major differentiating factors (less so going forward assuming an expected transition to lower grade and variable endemicity). 

Here's a reasonable 'model' (one can argue about extent of effect but they're in the right ball park; pre-omicron) revealing the previous benefits of vaccines:

The U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Program at One Year: How Many Deaths and Hospitalizations Were Averted? | Commonwealth Fund

-----

On an anecdotal level, covid (especially with impressive omicron spread) reached a majority of people in my extended circle but my inner core has remained, so far, covid-free despite significant real-world involvement. Our in-laws, with whom we visit daily (basic care with a limited number of fair quality life years left) to help with residual autonomy, will likely catch it at some point but the disease burden risk has become quite manageable, especially at this point.

On an anecdotal level, i've spent a considerable time 'fighting' stupidity on the internet (not here anymore) and it has felt, at times, like Don Quichotte. Also, i've volunteered for vaccination efforts (99% of people who come now have already been vaccinated; the vaccine fear hysteria is relatively low around here but has been growing also).

Personal note to American friends. i live in a socialized medicine world and, historically and when still involved in hospital care, January was always a difficult period for hospitals (elective care postponed etc) because of the flu disease burden (Canadian hospitals have basically inexistent excess capacity) and it's mind-boggling (opinion) to see so many US hospitals being over-burdened by such a benign virus as omicron. i'm afraid you have become socialized and have not realized it ("Don't touch 'my' Medicare").

Final note:

i visited Belgium in 1996 (and liked it). i remember well because we were driving around a lot and my wife often had bouts of nausea which eventually prompted a pregnancy test. The rest, as they say, is history.