I'm pretty sure I have COVID.

[CF DolFan]

I never got diarrhea from a cold.

But very quick but also not particularly foolproof way to determine common cold vs Covid ---- how is your sense of smell? Covid frequently results in loss of smell.  Cold and most other stuff not so much.  Not nearly as accurate as an actual test, but if you loss smell probably Covid.

Omicron doesn't cause you to lose your taste and smell nor does it typically cause respiratory problems.

[Dave Gray]

I've still got symptoms.  It's just urge to cough a little bit, some sneezing here and there, and fatigue.  I slept a lot today.  It's my 3rd day of symptoms.

[Pappy13]

I've still got symptoms.  It's just urge to cough a little bit, some sneezing here and there, and fatigue.  I slept a lot today.  It's my 3rd day of symptoms.

The coughing I had with my case of Covid lasted over a month. Consider yourself lucky if it's gone in a week. Obviously the Omicron variant is a lot different now than it was.

[pondwater]

I never got diarrhea from a cold.

But very quick but also not particularly foolproof way to determine common cold vs Covid ---- how is your sense of smell? Covid frequently results in loss of smell.  Cold and most other stuff not so much.  Not nearly as accurate as an actual test, but if you loss smell probably Covid.

I never get sick, but actually on Miami's bye week I got sick. I went to the grocery store that Friday and got sorta drunk that Friday night, lol. Aside from a mid range hangover, I was fine Saturday. Sunday I got up and by the time the games started I started feeling bad and felt cold. So around 1-1:30 I got on the couch until about 11 am the next day. Only got up to use the bathroom and take a few bites of food standing over the kitchen sink, then back to the couch. The diarrhea started about 6 pm that sunday and lasted for about 20 hours.

Anyhow, my symptoms were cold/sweats, headache, and diarrhea. Never took my temperature, so not sure if I had fever. 24 hour stomach bug, food poisoning, or Covid? Hell, I don't know, but it was a miserable 24 hours. How long do Covid symptoms last?

[masterfins]

I think I may have gotten the Omicron variant because there have been plenty of cases in the region I live in.  Came down sick Christmas Day with all the symptoms, except diarrhea, also had a severe sore throat for a couple days.  After five/six days I'm feeling good again.  I wanted to get tested today to check on whether I actually had it, but appointments are filled up for another week, and home test kits are out of stock for at least another week.  Plus I had my booster just under two weeks ago and was told that you can get false readings within two weeks of the booster, so I guess I'll wait another week and maybe get tested then.

[fyo]

I think I may have gotten the Omicron variant because there have been plenty of cases in the region I live in.  Came down sick Christmas Day with all the symptoms, except diarrhea, also had a severe sore throat for a couple days.  After five/six days I'm feeling good again.  I wanted to get tested today to check on whether I actually had it, but appointments are filled up for another week, and home test kits are out of stock for at least another week.  Plus I had my booster just under two weeks ago and was told that you can get false readings within two weeks of the booster, so I guess I'll wait another week and maybe get tested then.

You absolutely CANNOT get a false positive on a PCR or lateral flow / antigen (home kit / rapid test) test.

The vaccine causes your immune system to produce ANTIBODIES. The tests are looking for the virus (specific pieces of the virus). The antibodies have nothing in common with the virus, other than being able to attack it, so there is no way the test can make that mistake.

Now, it's certainly possible to get an ANTIBODY test, which is rarely done and only useful in limited circumstances with covid. Both the vaccine and the disease cause the body to make antibodies.

[Downunder Dolphan]

Stay safe guys! Get vaccinated and your boosters, use your masks in public spaces.

We are going though a Covid explosion here in Australia at the moment, and because the majority is the omicron variant they are basically gambling the level of vaccinations will be enough to keep people out of hospitals, and ICUs, and needing ventilators to cope...

It all hinges on enough people not being sick enough to overload the whole health system. During Xmas and New Year, when a lot have time off and there's a lack of contact but also testing and people in hospital to treat them... but it is summer here which is an advantage. Like I said, it's a massive gamble we've taken here, the whole bet is on one side of the table. Fingers, and everything else crossed.

[Dave Gray]

also had a severe sore throat for a couple days.

Anecdotally, all of the cases I've known recently (and there are lots of them) started with a sore throat.

[Dave Gray]

Hey all -- update from me and my family.

I'm good.  I had very mild symptoms.  Mostly a little bit of a sore throat/lump in my throat that led to general sniffles and being tired.  That lasted about 2 days and then it was recovery.

I do still have bouts of that dryness or walnut in my throat feeling, but good otherwise.

The rest of my family is pretty much fine.  I think my daughter's symptoms were a little more than mine for one day, but not much.  My other daughter never caught it or didn't show symptoms.


I never tested positive.  I tested negative, but pretty sure that I had COVID.  It doesn't really make sense that I wouldn't considering I had the same illness as my positive daughter, one day lagged.  I think I just tested a day too early.  Either way, I couldn't get another test and I had to quarantine anyway, so I guess I'll never definitively know.


Around me, everyone has this.  Everyone.  Nobody has it terrible that I know of -- my friends circles and family are all vaccinated (I only know a couple of holdouts), but most people I know have a breakthrough case directly or within their circle of exposure.  Nobody can get tests here.  They don't really have accessible lines and we are moving away from testing politically, so the numbers are probably through the roof.



I think that we are on the road to being done, though.  Between vaccines being readily available and everyone having the ability to get one that wants one, the fact that this variant seems less deadly in general, but especially not deadly at all in vaccinated and particularly boosted populations, and that Pfizer has this drug coming out that reduces fatality after symptoms of 90%, that would kinda be it.

I don't know how the science will play out, but a yearly COVID shot (like the flu) for at-risk populations, coupled with continued partial immunity from contagion seems likely -- this might just be something we deal with from here on out and kills old people like the flu.

[Fau Teixeira]

I don't know how the science will play out, but a yearly COVID shot (like the flu) for at-risk populations, coupled with continued partial immunity from contagion seems likely -- this might just be something we deal with from here on out and kills old people like the flu.

This is my prediction as well, it might even be rolled in with the flu shot so we can get a 2 dose, 1 shot deal yearly

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I don't know how the science will play out, but a yearly COVID shot (like the flu) for at-risk populations, coupled with continued partial immunity from contagion seems likely -- this might just be something we deal with from here on out and kills old people like the flu.

I am thinking the same.  Been getting the flu shot every year for about the last 10.  Getting two shots instead of one every fall seems likely.  But early indications are Covid immunity only lasts 6 months.  I can stop at the pharmacy at CVS or Costco for 15 minutes in the spring as well.  No biggy.