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Makes sense, but do you test for flu, strep, etc, as well? It was never common to test for flu, strep, etc unless you went to the doctor, and still isn't. Flu and I assume strep is equally risky to those that are at-risk, if not more now that covid has taken its course.
I just don't understand why Covid is treated differently than other viruses now that it's very low-risk to most people.
Tested before I drove to MA for Thanksgiving as my dad is a heart attack survivor, had double pulmonary embolisms last Easter, has battled two types of arthritis since his 30s and is now dealing with another auto-immune disease where some enzyme that has something to do with inflammation is 9 times the normal count in his blood work and his docs can't figure out why. Thanks goodness for legal THC to take the edge off.
There are shades of gray to this m378. Treating it as all one or the other is sorta silly. Do I worry about COVID like I did? No. I've now had it twice (Memorial Day and then in December, which I have long COVID symptoms from still). But I am not testing a normal course of action (short of seeing my dad), I stopped with the first booster (as my buddy at Merck explained why he was done with the boosters and I trust his scientific opinion on what he shared) and life, perhaps shockingly, has gone on quite normally. Even though, at present, the US is still losing a 9/11 each week from it...3 years in.
Tested before I drove to MA for Thanksgiving as my dad is a heart attack survivor, had double pulmonary embolisms last Easter, has battled two types of arthritis since his 30s and is now dealing with another auto-immune disease where some enzyme that has something to do with inflammation is 9 times the normal count in his blood work and his docs can't figure out why. Thanks goodness for legal THC to take the edge off.
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I had a friend that had a similar thing. They told her to drink a lot of Gatorade which seemed to help a little. Not sure if it's the same thing, but very odd.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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Yes, I believe them. They have had an ongoing problem with bus driver shortages all year. It seems we get phone calls every few days with what routes will not be running because they are short drivers. The last few days it has been upped due to more drivers being sick. This did not come out of nowhere.
I had the flu three years ago (JUST before Covid). I had the flu about 20 years ago and it damn near killed me so as soon as I started running a fever with a cough, I went for a flu test. And got TamiFlu because 20 years later with asthma and generally crap lungs, I do not have time to be laid up for a week nor do I want to deal with a cough for 3 months like I did last time.
And if I have a sore throat and feel like crap, I go for a strep test. Strep can and has been fatal - it is not something to fool around with. My son had a strep infection on his hands once. I can tell the difference between a strep sore throat and a regular one.
I'm not really sure why you think people don't test for these things, which can and do kill people in the wrong state of health. I don't get where you think it was never common to test for these things. That's really outlandish and actually laughable. When we lived in NY the schools would actually send home a notice if someone was out with strep, so people could be be on the lookout for symptoms.
As for why people are testing for Covid, I explained it as best I could. I can't think how to make it any clearer.
I've never been tested for flu in my life, and I've only been tested for strep when I've been sick enough that I felt I should go to the doctor. As far as I know you can't self-test for flu or strep. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Covid is unique in that you can test yourself for it.
I can 100% guarantee you that you're an anomaly on that front - most people are not going to the doctor to get themselves tested for flu or strep unless they're sick enough that they feel so bad that they need a doctor to help. I'm most definitely not getting tested for strep if I have a sore throat, but I will likely go to the doctor if I see white patches in my throat. I think even that is probably more than the average person would do.
I've never been tested for flu in my life, and I've only been tested for strep when I've been sick enough that I felt I should go to the doctor. As far as I know you can't self-test for flu or strep. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Covid is unique in that you can test yourself for it.
I can 100% guarantee you that you're an anomaly on that front - most people are not going to the doctor to get themselves tested for flu or strep unless they're sick enough that they feel so bad that they need a doctor to help. I'm most definitely not getting tested for strep if I have a sore throat, but I will likely go to the doctor if I see white patches in my throat. I think even that is probably more than the average person would do.
Whatever works for YOU, m378
You're asking why people are getting tested for things and then when explanations are given you still don't understand. You ask who gets tested for things, and if people didn't , those tests would not exist. Hell I have talked to several co workers over the years who've gone for flu tests. One had type A and type B within a matter of weeks. Had a boss in NY that got TamiFlu (which you can't get without a test) and had a bad reaction.
But I realize that like every other topic on CD, you will not be moved off your position and that's fine, so this discussion is over for me now. Have a good one.
You're asking why people are getting tested for things and then when explanations are given you still don't understand. You ask who gets tested for things, and if people didn't , those tests would not exist. Hell I have talked to several co workers over the years who've gone for flu tests. One had type A and type B within a matter of weeks. Had a boss in NY that got TamiFlu (which you can't get without a test) and had a bad reaction.
But I realize that like every other topic on CD, you will not be moved off your position and that's fine, so this discussion is over for me now. Have a good one.
All I'm asking is why is Covid treated differently than other viruses that may actually be more severe to the general population, as well as those at higher-risk? If we care so much about protecting others, why have we never had at-home flu and strep tests? If Covid changed our views, why don't we have them now?
I'm not trying to work up some sort of conspiracy here, it just makes zero sense to me and I'm trying to understand.
Covid is definitely out and about (my brother and my 92 year old father with bladder cancer just got it) so I think it's great that people can test at home and find out quickly if they have it or not.
As for the flu, strep etc......our family gets tested for it. Luckily I haven't had the flu in decades but there have been times over the years where I have gone in to get a throat culture. Looks like they do have at home tests but I wouldn't be comfortable trying to swab my own throat and I really don't want my husband to do it. I prefer someone that has done it before and knows what the heck they are doing to do it for me.
And as for you "understanding" it.....I don't think you ever will. You have had your own thoughts on this for the past 3 years and no one here is going to change your mind about it. So just do what you want to do and don't worry about what the rest of us are (or are not) doing.
All I'm asking is why is Covid treated differently than other viruses that may actually be more severe to the general population, as well as those at higher-risk? If we care so much about protecting others, why have we never had at-home flu and strep tests? If Covid changed our views, why don't we have them now?
I'm not trying to work up some sort of conspiracy here, it just makes zero sense to me and I'm trying to understand.
According to the CDC, COVID-19 is responsible for 10x more deaths than the flu with pneumonia. From this it is reasonable to conclude that COVID is more severe (using your terminology), at least to those at higher risk. That would be one reason why there is a focus on preventing the spread of COVID.
Also, there are at-home tests available for COVID/flu/RSV but they are costly. For those of us who do not buy these tests, we go to the doctor to get tested.
Many of us who are older and/or immunocompromised have changed our behavior quite substantially, and are glad for those people who are taking steps to be careful in not further spreading these viruses.
And as for you "understanding" it.....I don't think you ever will. You have had your own thoughts on this for the past 3 years and no one here is going to change your mind about it. So just do what you want to do and don't worry about what the rest of us are (or are not) doing.
And you can always ignore my posts rather than worry about what I am posting.
I think my question is perfectly reasonable. If we really care about those who are high risk, we should have affordable home testing for other viruses which also put these people at risk. These other viruses and their tests have been around forever, so I’m not sure why we don’t.
According to the CDC, COVID-19 is responsible for 10x more deaths than the flu with pneumonia. From this it is reasonable to conclude that COVID is more severe (using your terminology), at least to those at higher risk. That would be one reason why there is a focus on preventing the spread of COVID.
Also, there are at-home tests available for COVID/flu/RSV but they are costly. For those of us who do not buy these tests, we go to the doctor to get tested.
Many of us who are older and/or immunocompromised have changed our behavior quite substantially, and are glad for those people who are taking steps to be careful in not further spreading these viruses.
Tried to go to that link but I think it’s broken…
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