I have the covid. What's the procedure now?

JackieChang

I'm sorry but I can't read 5000 threads and posts. I know the info is there somewhere but it's full of arguments and debates.

I just came here from google.

So I tested positive on an antigen test today. I'm fully vaxxed but not boosted yet.

Do I HAVE to take a PCR test now? Note: I work from home.

If I don't have to, should I?

You seem to be already isolating, keep doing so.

https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/restricted-movements/how-to-self-isolate/

The recommendation has been to get a PCR test, but that means exposing yourself to others on the journey to a centre of you can manage to get a slot these times.

Thos is what I personally plan to do when I get Covid, and I know it’s only a matter of time. I live alone, I don’t intend to subject anyone else to the virus if I can help it, so when symptoms/antigen test suggests I have the virus I’ll take it I have the virus & act accordingly. Quite frankly I don’t intend to go hunting out a PCR test. If I am a rare case to get very sick I’ll seek medical advice. I have neighbours/relatives who could drop any supplies in an emergency. I will inform anyone I know I was in contact with that I am probably Covid positive.

To me (though I’m not actually advising anyone else to follow suit) the PCR test is now academic, the virus is so widespread that the contact tracing exercise it is pretty pointless IMO.

I hope you feel better soon, and that you are able to get supplies as needed. Keep in contact by text with relatives/friends.

It’s not absolutely necessary, no. And honestly very unlikely you’ll manage to get an appointment considering how hard they are to get now!

as above self isolate and just wait it out! If you feel like you may end up getting quite sick and be unable to work for a while you SHOULD get a PCR - as it’s required to apply for PUP or sick leave etc.

i think Maxine Magnificent Fog is dead on I’m saying it’s just a matter of time til we all catch it with how it’s spreading at the moment. I’m actually back to feeling the same way I did back in early 2020 haha.

touts

There is an 8 day waiting list for PCR tests through a GP and the self referral system has collapsed. So forget the official system. That is overwhelmed.

Here is what we did in my family when we had a couple of positive antigen tests last week (Last Wednesday. Got one PCR appointment for next Wednesday and another for Thursday so 8-9 days waiting time).

1. Assume you are positive.

2. Self isolate. If you need to get someone to drop food etc to you do that. Also ask them to get you additional Antigen tests. Test yourself every day for a week.

3. Let your close contacts know that you tested positive and advise them to test themselves and follow the official advice on what close contacts should do.

4. Phone your GP. You might as well join the 8 day queue in case the government pull their heads out of their arse and fix the system somehow (unlikely but hey why not). When you get a test sometime next week or early the following then you will know.

5. If you have any symptoms also let the GP know. Take this seriously. If you feel it is getting worse then let them know. You have to be unlucky to be seriously ill but there are hundreds of unlucky people in hospital.

6. If you are awake at midnight you can join the lunacy of the booking system. Some people are getting slots but it's like winning the lottery at this point.

7. Take care of yourself. You will be ok.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118406252#Comment_118406252

That’s like having a 10 month waiting list to give birth in a Mater it’s hospital 😂

Mrs OBumble

How old are you? Do you need to claim welfare?

Yes, it's relevant.

JackieChang

Thanks for the tips.

I'm 35 and don't need to claim welfare. I'm back to work on Tuesday, but I can work from home. I'd honestly feel guilty calling in sick with these symptoms.

Sore throat (Lemsip makes it better) Bit of a dry cough. When I say a bit, I mean I cough every 2 or 3 hours. Foggy head from not sleeping great. That's the worst part - the sore throat wakes me up in the middle of the night. No fever.

People have said to inform your GP if your symptoms are bad. Well, GPs close at 5pm so that's great.

Anyway I don't feel like it's getting worse. Have had this sore throat for a few days now with no change.

charlie_says

To not be a burden on that health system get no treatment for the deadly pandemic and if you get worse then go to hospital.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118406625#Comment_118406625

People have said to inform your GP if your symptoms are bad. Well, GPs close at 5pm so that's great.

They’re usually not open Sundays either! Which I always thought was odd. Hospitals are open 24/7, surely GP offices could be opened on weekends.. at least Saturday! But I digress.

regardless OP if you find you need to speak with a Doctor urgently and the GP isn’t open (which they probably won’t be until Tuesday) go with the out of hours doctor or phone the emergency number provided if there is one. Usually it’s on the voice message if you phone the office when they’re closed.

Sounds like you’ve got a fairly minor dose of it in fairness. I highly recommend before bedtime (around 15 mins before) take a paracetamol and nuerofen if you have any. (provided you haven’t had any Lempsip in the previous 4 hours) the ibeprofun you can take alongside paracetamol.

i had strep throat over Christmas and found I slept through the pain much better when I took pain killers right before heading to sleep!

spaceHopper

Book an antigen test from the HSE they post them out. There is a link in the below page

https://covid19test.healthservice.ie/hse-self-referral/

By getting a HSE antigen test hopefully you can log the result to get a certificate of recovery as if you want to travel you will need one

cosanostra

You'd need a pcr to show you had covid and recovered as you will not be able to get your booster thus could make travelling and socialising difficult

JackieChang

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118415554#Comment_118415554

It is literally impossible to get a PCR test. I guess by the time a test is available, I'll be recovered.

Why can't I get booster? I won't get one now, but maybe in a few weeks time.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118415637#Comment_118415637

if you do nothing, you can get a booster when you're recovered

if you go get a PCR test and test positive you will not be able to get a booster until 3 months have elapsed (assuming it's checked in your case).

Bawnmore

Worth mentioning that it might not be the same with backlogs in every part of the country. My wife had 2 positive antigen tests yesterday evening - I waited up until 12 to book her a PCR online but missed it by trying to figure out what I was doing at 12. Tried again for 12.30 and got one for today at 2PM (not our closest one, about an hour away). She called our GP this morning and they referred her for an appointment in our closest one for 7PM this evening.

Kumejima

Does anybody not find it inexplicable that in the middle of the deadliest pandemic for 100 years, where we've been told relentlessly to try at all costs to avoid catching this thing and given endless reminders to wash hands, social distance, avoid large crowds etc, that the official advice once you get covid is essentially "Go home, isolate, get under the covers, let Covid have its way with you and cross your fingers that you don't end up in ICU in 3 days time."

Like, nothing? Vitamin C? Fluids? I don't know. Berrocca?

Isn't early intervention in most diseases vital? Why are people being left with no guidance on measures they can take to get over this thing quicker or hopefully reduce the symptoms?

erlichbachman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118416126#Comment_118416126

The advice is not to get it, but once you've got it then don't spread it, and once you recover then don't get it again, but once you've got it again then don't spread it again, and so and so forth, ad infinitum 😷

opinionated3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118416126#Comment_118416126

I had very mild symptoms indeed, but when they started, I immediately went on nurofen cold and flu tablets. I thought they were very effective ( in my case anyway). I read somewhere that the only treatment was to treat it as a normal cold/ flu, so that's what I did. As well as isolating of course. Should also add that I'm fully vaccinated and boosted so I'm sure they helped me as well.

The irony of all of this is that my relatives/ friends who are anti vax for whatever reason, haven't got COVID yet! I'm shocked tbh but I still reckon they'll pick it up eventually. I hope they have as easy a run of it as I have had.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118416126#Comment_118416126

It's a virus. There isn't much they can do for you. There are some anti-viral drugs coming down the line. HSE have had guidelines up since the start

https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/symptoms/treat-symptoms-home/

Shoelaces

Sorry for the potentially idiotic question. Tested positive through antigen test last Thursday and have been isolating since. Does my isolation period end this Thursday dependent on a negative antigen test result? Thank you for your patience.

Buffman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118418922#Comment_118418922

Here's the 'simple' answer to your question. https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2022/0104/1269760-covid-ireland/

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118419501#Comment_118419501

That's a handy graph but it doesn't answer his question. He tested positive. The time periods on that graph are all for close contacts who have not tested positive yet.

Heckler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118424719#Comment_118424719

I tested positive tuesday night (vaccinated and boostered). I'm gonna isolate till next tues (as per HSE guidelines) then provided I have no symptoms and neg antigen I'm gonna consider myself good to go. Not bothering with the PCR.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118424743#Comment_118424743

I think getting a PCR is part of the guidelines. I don't think what you are suggesting is there is it?

cuttingtimber22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118424749#Comment_118424749

The problem is that there are no PCR tests available. I would think it is Responsible to isolate and test negative out of it.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118425008#Comment_118425008

I'm not aware of any guidelines that say you can stop isolation after 7 days based on a negative antigen test

Hellrazer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118425185#Comment_118425185

I rang the HSE after testing positive on Tuesday - basically as there are no PCR tests availabel the steps they told me to take were

1. Isolate assuming you have it.
2. Join the queue for a pcr test with GP.
3. Test every second day with antigens.
4. After 7 days ( boosted ) and no positive antigen test you are good to leave isolation and resume normal activities.. If you arent boosted then its 10 days isolation and antigen tests every second day and again assuming no positive test you can resume normal activity.

If you do get a pcr test you can attend to get it so you can get the recovery certificate or need it for social welfare. For return to work etc you take the first day of your positive antigen test as day 1 of the isolation period.

cuttingtimber22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118425185#Comment_118425185

Glad to assist - https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/testing/positive-result/

Booster post 7 days - 7 days isolation.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118425297#Comment_118425297

Fair enough, but it isn't as simple as the original poster stated. It depends on you being boosted more than 7 days ago plus not still feeling unwell on day 7.

bloopy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118416778#Comment_118416778

I am curious about this also. With all the people I know who came down with the virus over the Christmas, none were unvaccinated.

I think, though, it might be a case of the unvaccinated group being so small that it is not useful as a metric now when it comes to spread.

Also, anyone I know who is unvaccinated has been especially careful over the last two months - they are terrified of getting caught up in an outbreak somewhere and getting the blame, so they've pretty much been sticking ridgidly to the social distancing and avoiding large groups.

With one group, however, there was an outbreak after a Christmas house gathering where pretty much everyone caught the damn thing - except the one guy who had refused to get the vaccine. Not sure what to make of that one.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118416126#Comment_118416126

Yeah, its the same up here in NI. The wife and I had it in Nov, loads of advice up to the point when you're positive, then all contact ends. We phoned the docs office to inform them (to have it recorded I suppose) and apart from telling me I couldn't get a booster for 28 days, again no advice. They even sent me an appointment letter for my booster a week later, so even by this stage after 2 years of covid their process is a bit naff.

Heckler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118425259#Comment_118425259

This.

Basically the PCR is only going to confirm what I already know. If I can't get PCR for week or so its probable i'd be testing neg with antigen and am not transmissible but as the PCR can detect Covid for up to 90 days after infection I'd be isolating and missing work for no reason.

89897

Hi All, partner tested positive on an antigen, isnt boosted but fully vaccinated and cant get a PCR.

If he doent get a PCR, isolates for the 10 days and tests negative/ no symptoms to come out of isolation, how would this affect him getting the booster?

Heckler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118426106#Comment_118426106

I think but could very well be wrong but I think it might be a 3 month wait to get the booster. Please check this on maybe the HSE website as this is something I just kinda remember reading.

Rket4000

On this afternoon's Department of Health briefing, Colm Henry said its 3 months after infection for the booster. However if you've only had one dose of the initial 2 doses, you can get the 2nd dose one month after the infection.

They were asked about people who test positive on antigen only (no PCF) and how this would work for vaccine passport, but they didn't have an answer.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118428092#Comment_118428092

You'll test positive with a PCR for a few months. All you'll need is a PCR test taken 2 weeks or more before whatever it is you need it for.

89897

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118427243#Comment_118427243

Thanks Heckler. Managed to get a PCR for this afternoon so it'll be a recovery cert or booster if hes negative. Appreciate the response