Covid and Work, Covid Advice and General Chat

[JTL]

I can't cancel hospital appointments they may not be so easy to get the way things are going so I'm holding on to those.

 

[Max68]

Hi All, thanks for the advice. I postponed it for a month and they were absolutely fine so will see what the situation is then and go from there.

It was the text I got yesterday which came through a bit late which said to only attend if advised to and as this was an appointment my GP suggested I make back in June things have obviously changed slightly! If it had been December I would have gone in but the Receptionist said the Government had advised them to only see people if absolutely necessary so even she thought it was probably right to postpone. My cholesterol and triglycerides were up in June but my HBA1c had come down but both are like a rollercoaster anyway so we joked that an extra month would help me "walk off Christmas!" Considering I couldn't walk for a month with with my foot and no exercise it's a kick up the butt to get moving with 4 weeks to be a bit more sensible.

Talking about my foot I must say it was incredible last week. I had a telephone appointment with a consultant who then sent me a video link on my phone to have a look at my feet. Incredibly by just watching me stand with my feet pointing at the phone he said my gait was off, probably due to my arthritic hips overloading one foot with all the walking I did over summer. And the say exercise is good for you!! He has sent me some orthopaedic insoles which were very comfortable but the sight of a consultant lying down on his consultancy room floor via video link doing hip flexor exercises with his glasses falling off will live with me for a very long time. My lip hurt from biting it to stop myself from laughing as I have never seen something quite so surreal. The poor fella must be exhausted at the end of each day if he has to perform a work out to each patient on his books! Step aside Joe Wicks!

 

[Max68]

Well quite shocked today. Having real problems getting click and collect slots at the local supermarket. You have to really sit by the PC, refresh page every so often then you might get a lucky break with slots available. Managed to get one for today.

Turned up and I kid you not I was the only one there. I was gobsmacked as I assumed it would be busy considering it's so tough to get slots online. I asked one of the guys what on earth was happening and he said they were all talking about it as people keep telling them there are no slots available and yet half the time they sit there with no work to do! He had two theories. One was that the supermarket (allegedly) prefers offering online delivery slots rather than click and collect because they make more money. That doesn't make sense though because a Super Save is only £1. The other theory is that (again allegedly) some people are getting several slots then selling them on to people. So Supermarket Slot Ticket Touting then?!

Not sure what the reason but it certainly was shocking to see no one else there when many vulnerable are probably desperate for a slot.

 

[Hopeful34]

How strange. I agree with you though Max as my shop on Tue is actually free delivery, I don't mind late delivery, so ideal for me. You can only have one slot booked at the moment in my area, whereas before Christmas I had my next two booked.

I was shocked to see Sainsbury's had cancelled deliveries due to snow in some areas. That will really be a problem for a lot of people.

 

[Max68]

I've managed to book a couple of click and collects a week apart but I was on the site for a few hours. I used to drive for sainsbury years ago and those vans aren't easy as they are rear wheel drive and most of us I think drive front wheel drive cars, so not easy in the ice and snow.

 

[Max68]

Well was just about to walk out of the front door to go and see mum at her care home when the phone rang. Two Staff members have tested positive so they are fully closing doors to try and protect residents, staff and visitors. They test staff members regularly so hopefully this has shown up before those staff have passed it on but who knows. I suspect that there will be extra testing at the home within the next week. The residents have their first vaccine jabs tomorrow.

I'm surprised that they kept it out for so long to be honest, not far off a year without any cases but the fact that two staff have tested positive rather than just one is a concern unless they are related as I know they have staff from the same family there. But what can you do?! Hope staff recover quickly and fingers crossed for everyone else.

 

[HSSS]

The very flawed daily testing instead of isolation of close contacts in schools has been “halted”.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...ng-in-schools-from-phe-and-nhs-test-and-trace

 

[JRT]

Hello everyone! I just found this thread again by accident,I thought it had been deleted!
Nice to catch up and see some familiar faces.
It's also quite interesting to read back about issues over the past few months such as the new strain,schools opening/closing etc. I have found before when I had to go back through WhatsApp messages for a piece of info that seeing messages in a block rather than daily brings home how complex and at times confusing the world we live in is.
I must admit it feels grim that a year on it feels as if we are in a worse position.
The new variants are of great concern. Vaccines offer some hope IF there are no supply issues/no problems with how they spread doses.
Over the past few weeks I have strictly limited my access to news as it just seemed overwhelming. I still have my weekly date with Independent Sage.
I was fortunate enough to secure a new job with civil service. I was really pleased to get it and in ordinary times would have been doing cartwheels.
Of course the current situation causes major reservations. Now is not the the easiest time to consider entering a work environment when only minimum interactions for a year.
I must admit I have been vastly reassured by communications from new employers.
Wish me luck!

 

[Max68]

Beast of luck JRT, good to have you back. I think the moving of the thread has thrown a few who were on here which is a shame and I think others may have thought it had been deleted as well.

Very best of luck with the new job although I sympathise with your concerns. I'm getting very worried now as I'd planned financially till around October/November in the "hope" that things would be a bit easier by then but as you say it all seems to be worse right now! Doubled edged sword with me leaving back in October because now my old school is back to where it was between March and September with a bulk of online learning of which back then I was working from home and getting paid a three day a week wage, so would "probably" be doing the same now. However would I have avoided Covid between October and now if I had carried on at the school because there were a couple of cases!? Will never know!

I try really hard to stay off online news certainly as the comments pages wind me up. There seems to be far more "conspiracy" posters online than there were earlier in the pandemic with the mixed messages from the Government not helping that cause. You could fill a page with all the U Turns from the Government from "schools are safe" to "schools are closed till Easter" etc and it plays into peoples hands. Certainly a lot is different this Lockdown compared to last March. Far more people on the streets and cars on the roads with more businesses open. Having said that I only walked in the woods back then whereas it's a bit soggy for that at this time of year, so have to pound the local pavements along with a lot of others!

I can't personally see any light at the end of the tunnel at the moment where I was quite positive late in the year with the news of the vaccines. I think the only way out of all of this is for a treatment to come through to stop people getting seriously ill but there doesn't seem to be any on the horizon and with the failure of the Blood Plasma trials it seems that the virus really does have the upper hand.

 

[zand]

My little grandson is self isolating due to his keyworker having caught Covid-19 from a child who didn't self isolate.

 

[HSSS]

Beast of luck JRT, good to have you back. I think the moving of the thread has thrown a few who were on here which is a shame and I think others may have thought it had been deleted as well.

Very best of luck with the new job although I sympathise with your concerns. I'm getting very worried now as I'd planned financially till around October/November in the "hope" that things would be a bit easier by then but as you say it all seems to be worse right now! Doubled edged sword with me leaving back in October because now my old school is back to where it was between March and September with a bulk of online learning of which back then I was working from home and getting paid a three day a week wage, so would "probably" be doing the same now. However would I have avoided Covid between October and now if I had carried on at the school because there were a couple of cases!? Will never know!

I try really hard to stay off online news certainly as the comments pages wind me up. There seems to be far more "conspiracy" posters online than there were earlier in the pandemic with the mixed messages from the Government not helping that cause. You could fill a page with all the U Turns from the Government from "schools are safe" to "schools are closed till Easter" etc and it plays into peoples hands. Certainly a lot is different this Lockdown compared to last March. Far more people on the streets and cars on the roads with more businesses open. Having said that I only walked in the woods back then whereas it's a bit soggy for that at this time of year, so have to pound the local pavements along with a lot of others!

I can't personally see any light at the end of the tunnel at the moment where I was quite positive late in the year with the news of the vaccines. I think the only way out of all of this is for a treatment to come through to stop people getting seriously ill but there doesn't seem to be any on the horizon and with the failure of the Blood Plasma trials it seems that the virus really does have the upper hand.

I'm sharing the doomy outlook this week. It’s so hard to remain optimistic now. Every hopeful piece of news seems quickly snuffed out with concerns and limitations. The tunnel still seems so very long.

 

[JRT]

Thankyou Max68.
I think the worst aspect of all of this is the uncertainty. I think it has been said many times on this thread that being high risk doesnt mean we are more likely to catch covid,just suffer badly(although the new strain is a game changer ). Its always felt like a game of Russian roulette.
It's always tricky knowing when to jump so to speak. It must be so frustrating for you when you could still have been employed,but seeing the the horrific way the government have handled the schools situation I think you made a wise choice. If nothing else the constant uncertainty is almost impossible to live with.
I had planned to keep my head down until Spring when savings ran out. I think most of us thought things would have improved by then. The post I have got however was just to good to not apply for. I didnt really think I'd get it and was stunned when did! It is initially a years post,but may be extended. It will give me a chance to boost my savings a bit in case does end.
I was contacted by manager to say they are working from home as had a covid case on building. That was a day ago,they are keeping me constantly updated and will call today or tomorrow in person. I may have to go in Monday for induction but training will be done at home.
I may not even have to go in Monday. For me the most overwhelming feeling is one of being treated with respect. I think in the early days of this thread it became very clear the impact of working in the private sector as opposed to public sector, it could be literally a matter of life and death.
I'm not saying public automatically equals good and private bad,but its different and very unequal.
I watched the USA presidential inauguration and was greatly moved. Yes,they have unbelievable problems but they have a glimmer of hope.
I think the issue we have in the UK is a government that has crushed hope and no one seems to be effectively challenging them.
In the past year they have have been one step behind doing anything that could make the situation better. Although pleased about vaccine my gut feeling was let's see how they screw this up. Their lack of firm leadership and mixed messages have bought us to where we are.
The constant speculation in the news and just about any live show is exhausting. At times it really does feel like project fear.
Unfortunately the people its aimed at will continue to do as they wish whilst those that are vulnerable and following the rules become more anxious.
Cases in my area have gone through the roof over the past few months. We have gone from being the lowest in the country to in top 20 highest cases! Our local council controversially implied that step out of front door unnecessarily and either you or someone else died(or words to that affect).
I would never disrespect attempts to convey how serious this situation is,but it does make formulating a balanced decision very hard!
Apparently it was revealed that our cases are high due to infections in care homes,which is tragic beyond words.
Cases in our area are also falling.
So yes on Monday I could be taking a risk,but maybe not quite as deathly as assumed.! Time will tell.

 

[JRT]

I'm sharing the doomy outlook this week. It’s so hard to remain optimistic now. Every hopeful piece of news seems quickly snuffed out with concerns and limitations. The tunnel still seems so very long.

I think many many people are feeling deflated. The problem I think is we have been given unrealistic hope through cavalier promises by a government led by someone who is a people pleaser.
The medics behind the AskZoe App feel it will be better by Easter.
It's a long road ahead. I think all we can do is take the endless promises with a pinch of salt,stay as safe as we can,and keep putting one foot in front of the other. Tbh at the moment it is difficult to predict what might happen in the next few days let alone months. Living in the present and valuing the moment never been wiser.

 

[HSSS]

I think many many people are feeling deflated. The problem I think is we have been given unrealistic hope through cavalier promises by a government led by someone who is a people pleaser.
The medics behind the AskZoe App feel it will be better by Easter.
It's a long road ahead. I think all we can do is take the endless promises with a pinch of salt,stay as safe as we can,and keep putting one foot in front of the other. Tbh at the moment it is difficult to predict what might happen in the next few days let alone months. Living in the present and valuing the moment never been wiser.

The Zoe app has been effectively bought out by the government and are on their hymn sheet now. I have much less faith in their independence and objectivity now than I did. I did see evidence of this “takeover” but didn’t keep it and can’t quote it now I’m afraid. I’m not sure I ever fully believed anything the government said so haven’t particularly fallen for the people pleasing.

My son has just been told uni is online and to stay home til after Easter (halls rebates agreed though so that’s something). Now we have 5 adult sized people in the house full time. 1 working, 2 studying and us parents not working (I’m injured again and off sick). We barely leave other than walks. The young adults too!

I’m particularly bad with uncertainty and my reserves, physical, mental and financial are stretched this week. Let’s hope next improves.

 

[JRT]

The Zoe app has been effectively bought out by the government and are on their hymn sheet now. I have much less faith in their independence and objectivity now than I did. I did see evidence of this “takeover” but didn’t keep it and can’t quote it now I’m afraid. I’m not sure I ever fully believed anything the government said so haven’t particularly fallen for the people pleasing.

My son has just been told uni is online and to stay home til after Easter (halls rebates agreed though so that’s something). Now we have 5 adult sized people in the house full time. 1 working, 2 studying and us parents not working (I’m injured again and off sick). We barely leave other than walks. The young adults too!

I’m particularly bad with uncertainty and my reserves, physical, mental and financial are stretched this week. Let’s hope next improves.

Oh dear that is really bad news about the Zoe App.
I think the majority are exhausted by stress and uncertainty in a way that is different to first wave.
I live on my own,sometimes I quite envy those with a household bubble,other times not so much.
I hope things improve for you soon.

 

[Max68]

I have a minute bit of sympathy for the Government. We had a saying in football when I was a manager that you pick your team at quarter to three rather than quarter to five. Basically saying that hind sight is a wonderful thing. However an awful lot of "outcomes" could have been seen a mile away, and a lot of us on here were better at predicting outcomes than the Government were! There is a lot about this new strain but this upturn in cases and sad deaths are surely linked to Christmas where the Government seemingly were quite happy for people to mingle. We all saw the vast volumes of people getting out of London days before Tier 4 came in and you have to wonder how many families sadly regret that now! Now we have Boris wanting to close travel corridors when this should have been done last January/February. Far too many reactive decisions where they have always hoped for the best but not prepared for the worst!

 

[Max68]

Well just heard mum's care home now has cases and mum is one of 14 others positive. The irony being she received the vaccine on Wednesday but carers tested positive last week., Not sure if having the vaccine helps just as you test positive but guess we will see in the next week or so.

 

[HSSS]

Well just heard mum's care home now has cases and mum is one of 14 others positive. The irony being she received the vaccine on Wednesday but carers tested positive last week., Not sure if having the vaccine helps just as you test positive but guess we will see in the next week or so.

I’m so sorry to hear this Max. Everything crossed that she doesn’t get it too badly and that either her immune system the jab or both help her through. There are amazing and positive outcomes for the most, even in these higher risk groups. Try and stay positive. Are you able to call her by phone or video, support for her and reassurance for yourself?

 

[JRT]

Well just heard mum's care home now has cases and mum is one of 14 others positive. The irony being she received the vaccine on Wednesday but carers tested positive last week., Not sure if having the vaccine helps just as you test positive but guess we will see in the next week or so.

I'm so sorry to hear this Max68. Everything I'd crossed that she is ok.

 

[Max68]

I’m so sorry to hear this Max. Everything crossed that she doesn’t get it too badly and that either her immune system the jab or both help her through. There are amazing and positive outcomes for the most, even in these higher risk groups. Try and stay positive. Are you able to call her by phone or video, support for her and reassurance for yourself?

Thank you both. It's really difficult because we have tried video calls before but with someone with dementia it seems to be far too overwhelming. They just see you on a phone and cant understand why and mum just gets really upset. If they try and keep her in her room I suspect she will get really distressed but what can you do?! She has no symptoms bar a lack of appetite so fingers crossed they will all be ok.