The Omicron variant

Even if your another pcr come back negative you should stay home. Why would you want to give flu or cold to as you say medically vulnerable people in the office?

Problem here lies that if you are in low paid job without medical benefits if it is not covid then there is no enhanced illness benefit and classic illness benefit does not cover first week anyway. Payment is also delayed quite severely due to so many cases they have to deal with.

And if you are in low paid job and have misfortune to rent privately then you can not afford not to go to work even though you do have flu or cold. People in that position can be seen daily in their jobs as they simply have to carry on despite that some posters try to put some social stigma or shame on that.

Yeah being in a low paid without paid sick leave etc like the gig economy or without guaranteed hours, complicates the issue. But the principle is the same and someone with covid/flu symptoms should stay home at the moment.

The poster didn't say anything about their work circumstances said say stay home.

I like this guy.

At this point all i can say is whatever anybody has to say about SarsCov2 better be either in hindsight or with actual up to date data instead of seeking to 'inform the public about viruses', standing on one leg and juggling a few balls and feeling very smart about themselves..

Testing everfew days is not really nuts right now. If you have the tests, now is the time to use them.

I've been moving between my mother's house and my parents in law's house over Christmas so we've been testing every few days and on the morning when we move between houses.

I'm really surprised that the term 'patriotic' hasn't been used in relation to this. It's a small thing you can do for your fellow citizen to make sure you're not spreading covid. The more covid the more likelihood of greater restrictions and all the harm they bring.

It feels like terms associated with patriotism are used by people who want to cause harm and be against others. This seems like a small patriotic thing by our can do for your fellow citizen and for the country as a whole. I can't see why anyone would think it's nuts to do your but to ensure you're not spreading covid right now.

Yes, I'm vaccinated and boostered. Its about the difference between me getting sick from covid and me passing it to someone else who would be more likely to get sick from covid. I want to know if I have it so I can isolate and not pass it to my fellow citizen and the people in my mother's house and my parents in law's house. I'm not really worried about being sick myself as I'm relatively young fit and healthy so lower risk of being badly sick myself.

Didn't you get that from my post? What did you think i meant?

I just see it as an obvious small thing you can do for your country and your fellow l citizen. Isn't thst a small patriotic act? If that's not an example of a small patriotic thing to do, then maybe i don't understand patriotism. I suppose the kind of people who see doing the tests as a small patriotic act arent the kind of people who bang on about patriotism and that's probably why it isn't typically discussed in those terms.

I already said I don't fall for every new piece of evidence (and gave the reasons) and that I just taken the relatively boring approach of waiting for the preponderance of evidence and see how that evolves (and gave the reasons why I take that approac). I acknowledged the early rearsearch, treated it as early research and waited to see what the longer term research confirmed. What do you do with the evidence?

Do you see me doing any of that stuff you mentioned? Does doing a quick test to make sure I don't have covid and won't pass it to my fellow citizen (including my own mother and my wife's parents as the people I'll be in closest contact with) equate to any of that stuff you outluned in the post above?

I have taken 2 official antigen tests from testing centres before travelling abroad in the last 2 weeks. Just one nasal swab.

Oh yes, i agree. I just note the way a narrative is being created to push a message. I dont really mind individuals' opinions but i do mind official bodies either lying or misleading the public. That is much more damaging.

Maybe your immunity was weakened by some infection you fought while not registered it and this new one was the straw which broke camels neck?

It depends on a lot of things. I got cold 3x in last 2 months I cant shake it down. Kids had it too yet wife refuse to get infected. She was around cold, flu, covid you name it, even had to stay home as close contact and still nothing.

Same thing happened in reverse couple years back, everybody with high temperatures in a bed for week and that time it was me who did not get it.

"New left putting shackles on others"? What on earth are you on about?

Ireland doesn't have a left-right political system.

Do you even live in this country?

And what does any of that have to do with the Omicron variant?