Worried about getting covid

[Misty Avich]

Someone at work said her husband has covid but she hasn't. I'm not sure if she meant she took a test or if she just doesn't have any symptoms, hopefully the former.
Because covid is that catching, and her husband drives her to work every day, she probably will get it or has already got it and is now spreading it.
This is the 4th or 5th time she or her family have had covid since the pandemic started, as I don't think they ever practice any hygiene rules. I'm scared to go to work now, as hand-washing doesn't make a difference if the virus is in the air, and wearing a mask doesn't work if you're the one wearing a mask. The person with the virus should be the one wearing a mask but she won't and I can't make her.

I heard covid is still dangerous even if you're vaccinated, and I live with a vulnerable person with COPD and diabetes. He's been vaccinated (has recently had another covid jab) so not sure if that helps to lessen the severity of it. Also I don't particularly want to catch it because whenever I get a cold I also seem to get a fever that makes me very poorly, and I can't afford to take any more sick days. Also it's very cold outside at the moment.

What is covid like now? Are there as many people in hospital with it? I need some reassurance, as Google doesn't have the answers as usual.

 

[tazz]

hand-washing doesn't make a difference if the virus is in the air

Hand washing makes a big difference as Covid (and common cold etc.) is also commonly transmitted via touching surfaces and then touching your face, which we all do all the time without noticing.

Because covid is that catching, and her husband drives her to work every day, she probably will get it or has already got it and is now spreading it

I know several couples where one of them got it and the other didn't.

I heard covid is still dangerous even if you're vaccinated

Much less dangerous if you're vaccinated.

 

[AndyFBlues]

I've been fully vaccinated, but still came down with it about three weeks ago. Probably picked it up on my subway commute. I got over it, and I credit being vaccinated for that.

 

[Au Naturel]

Someone at work said her husband has covid but she hasn't. I'm not sure if she meant she took a test or if she just doesn't have any symptoms, hopefully the former.
Because covid is that catching, and her husband drives her to work every day, she probably will get it or has already got it and is now spreading it.
This is the 4th or 5th time she or her family have had covid since the pandemic started, as I don't think they ever practice any hygiene rules. I'm scared to go to work now, as hand-washing doesn't make a difference if the virus is in the air, and wearing a mask doesn't work if you're the one wearing a mask. The person with the virus should be the one wearing a mask but she won't and I can't make her.

I heard covid is still dangerous even if you're vaccinated, and I live with a vulnerable person with COPD and diabetes. He's been vaccinated (has recently had another covid jab) so not sure if that helps to lessen the severity of it. Also I don't particularly want to catch it because whenever I get a cold I also seem to get a fever that makes me very poorly, and I can't afford to take any more sick days. Also it's very cold outside at the moment.

What is covid like now? Are there as many people in hospital with it? I need some reassurance, as Google doesn't have the answers as usual.

You are young and healthy and have been vaccinated I would not worry. All you can do is be safe yourself. Vaccination doesn't eliminate the risk of catching COVID but it greatly reduces it and makes it less severe should it happen. If you and your roommate are doing what needs to be done and there is nothing more to be done, worrying will not make anything better.

I've been vaccinated against COVID 6 times: three Pfizer and three Moderna, including the latest Omicron update. The day after each one, I felt crappy. That's just the price you pay. COVID hospitalization is way down from the past but still significant among people over 65 with multiple complications.

The best evidence is that wearing a mask does offer protection to the wearer. You should wear the best quality mask you are willing to wear. The "nonsurgical" version of the N-95 is the best option. Social distancing is useful. Washing your hands after touching a public surface is also useful. It doesn't make infection impossible. You are always playing the odds.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7240a3.htm

 

[Forest Cat]

If you want to do something extra you could get a few of those N100 masks, like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/3M-Particula...F+O5021pAnSA==&sprefix=n99+res,aps,221&sr=8-6
A little better than the regular N95 that everyone is using.

 

[Misty Avich]

You are young and healthy and have been vaccinated I would not worry. All you can do is be safe yourself. Vaccination doesn't eliminate the risk of catching COVID but it greatly reduces it and makes it less severe should it happen. If you and your roommate are doing what needs to be done and there is nothing more to be done, worrying will not make anything better.

I've been vaccinated against COVID 6 times: three Pfizer and three Moderna, including the latest Omicron update. The day after each one, I felt crappy. That's just the price you pay. COVID hospitalization is way down from the past but still significant among people over 65 with multiple complications.

The best evidence is that wearing a mask does offer protection to the wearer. You should wear the best quality mask you are willing to wear. The "nonsurgical" version of the N-95 is the best option. Social distancing is useful. Washing your hands after touching a public surface is also useful. It doesn't make infection impossible. You are always playing the odds.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7240a3.htm

Is it the same risk in older people as the flu?

 

[Slime_Punk]

The general consensus is that it's still technically more dangerous than the flu, but the severity is lessening over time.

But, you know. Not to scare anyone, but driving your car is probably riskier than catching the flu.

 

[Judge]

Is it the same risk in older people as the flu?

It really depends on other pre-existing conditions an elderly person may have. Someone who isn't in the best of health prior to contracting Covid-19.

 

[Misty Avich]

My husband isn't in the best of health, and I don't think I am either. In the last 18 months I've had a severe oral thrush, glandular fever, an ear infection, a high fever with an ordinary common cold, and bouts of vertigo that come and go at random. Hence why I have completely ran out of sick days at work.
I've been vaccinated against covid but both me and my husband will probably die if we get covid.

 

[Richelle-H]

That is simply awful and I completely understand your concerns. Perhaps my own experience with the virus might offer some comfort. I have been fairly active in making sure i get each new release of the vaccine. I recently received my third booster. I did, as you have read in the news, come down with the virus the one time I went out and mingled with a large crowd without a mask. It took seven days for it to show any symptoms. I tested myself as soon as I felt a bit off and sure enough I had contracted the virus. Symptoms were less bothersome than a mild cold, thanks to the immunization. As I am 77 pushing towards 78, I had been actively wearing a mask and social distancing.

Since that unfortunate bout with the virus, a little less than a year ago, I have been less stringent about mask wearing, but then I do not go out much. If I know I am going to be near so many people that I cannot insure being able to keep a healthy distance from everyone, I make sure I am masked. It is better to wear a mask than go without one and I wore one religiously through the major part of the pandemic and beyond. It was just that one little forgetful slip that cost me.

SO, I understand your existential dread but you are letting it eat at you and that may have health consequences as well, so try not to stress. If you are prudent and make sure you always wear a mask and use hand sanitizer religiously whenever you touch something you cannot insure the cleanliness of, you should be safe. If you have not received the most recent update to the vaccine, I suggest it would be prudent to do so.

Be well and take heart, the number of cases in most areas is much decreased. You may be able to check online to see what the infection rates are in your area and use that as a guideline (the hospital admission rates for the virus may be instructive). In the past, California, Texas, and Florida were the worst states to be living in, but that may have changed since that was reported. I guess a rule of thumb is the higher the population where you live the higher the odds, but those are still very low in comparison with the worst year of the pandemic.

There are greater risks for other things to happen to you than catching Covid. You are right to question, but percentages are on your side in avoiding it entirely. You are more likely to catch this years flu viruses than Covid. I got this years immunizations for both on the same day a month ago. I do not worry about what I have taken steps to prevent. It is those things you have absolutely no control over that are the most likely sources of trouble.

I will stop now and hope my long ramble offered a tiny bit of comfort and understanding. If not, I apologize for the length of it.

 

[grommet]

Someone at work said her husband has covid but she hasn't. I'm not sure if she meant she took a test or if she just doesn't have any symptoms, hopefully the former.
Because covid is that catching, and her husband drives her to work every day, she probably will get it or has already got it and is now spreading it.
This is the 4th or 5th time she or her family have had covid since the pandemic started, as I don't think they ever practice any hygiene rules. I'm scared to go to work now, as hand-washing doesn't make a difference if the virus is in the air, and wearing a mask doesn't work if you're the one wearing a mask. The person with the virus should be the one wearing a mask but she won't and I can't make her.

I heard covid is still dangerous even if you're vaccinated, and I live with a vulnerable person with COPD and diabetes. He's been vaccinated (has recently had another covid jab) so not sure if that helps to lessen the severity of it. Also I don't particularly want to catch it because whenever I get a cold I also seem to get a fever that makes me very poorly, and I can't afford to take any more sick days. Also it's very cold outside at the moment.

What is covid like now? Are there as many people in hospital with it? I need some reassurance, as Google doesn't have the answers as usual.

I am sorry you have to worry about this.

My friend had covid after all of his vaccinations and he was sick for about a week and he said it was like a mild cold.

I got my latest covid booster two days ago and I am hoping that is what it will do for me if I get it. I hope hearing how it was mild for my friend helps you feel better. My doctor has said that is what it will be like for many people now, not dangerous like it was before.

 

[MC1Rcat]

If you are worried about catching it and giving it to your husband, it is possible for you to avoid spreading it to him if you both take precautions. My roommate caught COVID in November of last year and I did not get it from him. He either stayed in his bedroom with the door closed or was out of the house most of the time. When he was in the kitchen or bathroom, he wore a surgical mask and then wiped down surfaces with alcohol before leaving the room. I have a cat and could not keep my bedroom door closed, but used a curtain. I stayed in my room most of the time and wore a K-95 mask in common areas. We also have a HEPA air filter and left it on high in the living room, which is central to common areas, for a whole week. I was afraid I would catch it, and tested myself every 3 days until he was better. I never developed any symptoms or tested positive the whole time.

 

[Misty Avich]

They're not offering covid vaccines to people who aren't immunocompromised. My husband still gets vaccinated because he's over 60 and has health problems.

I find avoiding my own husband in our apartment very difficult, especially that he picks me up from work every day in his car. I find it stressful and exhausting to distance from each other. I wish covid wasn't so catching.

We both had a cold back in August but I'm not sure if that was covid or just a cold. I got iller with it than my husband did. But I always seem to get iller with colds, not to a point where I need to be hospitalised or anything, but just where I get a fever and swollen glands that make me lose all my energy and motivation (and I have very little motivation as it is). Maybe it's a sensory issue thing.

 

[The Pandector]

When Covid first emerged, I got sick as a dog. I later asked the doctor for antibody testing but she refused, saying that’s ‘not how they wanted to address this.’ Don’t know I had it, don’t know if I ever got it again. Don’t test myself every time I get sick.

In my early 70’s, I’m diabetic and get little exercise. I have never received any Covid vaccine.

Seems logical that I got Covid once and gained natural immunity. I don’t mask. However, I have been germ-conscious all my adult life. Every trip to town has a hundred opportunities to avoid touching public surfaces and walking through people’s cough and sneeze clouds. It is possible to develop sanitary habits that shield you from much of the danger, it’s just a matter of committing to them.

That’s not medical advice, just what’s worked so far for a moderately healthy moderately immune compromised germ watcher who wrestles with public school kids when they’re not sick.

 

[Suzanne]

Start taking vitamind D3 and if you are already, then either you will not get it or it will be just like a cold, so to speak.

Washing hands actually kills off the cells ie the lather, which is why we are urged to wash and sing a particular song.

Vaccinations are not all that. I know some who are vaccinated and got covid far worse than their partner, who was not vaccinated ( I was vaccinated 3 times and no more will I be forced).

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Well, currently, right now, I am on the tail end of my 2nd bout of CoVID, back to work and doing well. My first experience in 2020 (prevaccination) landed me in the hospital twice. The variant going around right now doesn't appear to carry as much "punch", although my wife and I (she has it now) both experienced more sinus, fever, and malaise. Both of us ran fevers in the 100-102*F range for about 3 days. It sucked, but basically felt more like a combo cold-flu.

One thing to remember, many autism variants do have a hyper responsive immune system in the form of inflammatory cytokines. So the only thing I would suggest is keep dosing with Tylenol and Ibuprofen to help keep things in check from that perspective.

I am pretty sure I actually got mine while working at the hospital. I had just finished up a 5-day stretch and the following day I started with a scratchy throat, the next day the fever, runny nose, and malaise. A handful of co-workers called in sick with the same thing about the same time.

 

[Misty Avich]

I'm just in anxiety mode at the moment and all I want to do is to isolate.

Everyone at work seems to have coughs and colds too. At first I assumed it wasn't covid, just colds, until someone said that nobody has taken a covid test. So it could be covid. Now I am constantly washing my hands, then washing them again whenever I touch a door handle. I've even put hand sanitizer on my face because I touched my face after touching a door handle.
It's so impossible to keep remembering to do all this. But this same thing happened this time last year, everyone at work passed a cold round to each other. I didn't get it though.

 

[Mary Terry]

I'm sure I had Covid in March 2020, at age 66 before vaccines and at a time when everyone was afraid of the "novel virus". There was no viable test for it at the time, but I had what we now know are classic symptoms.

It felt like a bad head cold and migrated to my digestive system which was screwed up for weeks afterward. My lungs were not significantly impacted, and I barely had a cough afterward. I've not had it again but have had the original vaccination and two booster shots. I'll probably get another booster when I get my flu shot next week. The shots did not bother me except my arm was sore for about 24 hours.

Everyone is different but please try to keep it in perspective. @RonaldZeeman's thread about covid has useful insight about who may get really sick and people who may never catch it. The vast majority of people are not hospitalized and certainly don't die from it. We now have good drugs to treat it if diagnosed early.

You could just as easily catch covid from someone at the grocery store or elsewhere as catch it at your job.

 

[Misty Avich]

You could just as easily catch covid from someone at the grocery store or elsewhere as catch it at your job.

I do try to tell myself that, but I think it makes it more worrying when you're working with a potential carrier. I guess it makes you more aware of it.

I keep having fantom symptoms (if that is the right word), where I keep thinking I have symptoms but then don't. Like I'll think my throat hurts when I swallow but when I swallow again it doesn't hurt.