So my wife's a COVID close contact...

[KiwiZac]

Hi all,
The weekend before last my wife Sam attended a workshop and three days later the person running it started showing symptoms, then last week returned a positive result. On Sunday they emailed Sam and other workshop attendees advising them of this and that they may have had it for up to two weeks before showing symptoms.

So we're a little worried. I had just got back from visiting my parents - including hugging my Mum!! - when Sam got the email. I was already feeling under the weather on Friday and had arranged for Rapid Antigen Tests for us (all negative so far) and will be getting more tomorrow.

It's a worrying time as my parents are immunocompromised, and on Saturday I caught up with a friend (in his car!) who the next day went to a railway society workshop. I've advised my (casual) employer and my unemployment benefit case manager as well, and will be calling Healthline today to see what the government recommendations are in this situation.

Mentally I'm feeling a little uncomfortable and physically my throat feels a bit constricted, but my last test 30min ago was negative. HOWEVER my parents told me on Sunday that they do have a fairly large margin of error.

Just wanted to let you all know. Thank goodness it's not transmissible via forum!!

[jamieg]

Get well quickly!. I hope your folks did not get it too.

[Dave W]

Zac

There was a famous Toyota TV ad in NZ many years back whose single line of dialogue after depicting various disasters was "Bugger!" and it seems apt now in light of your Covid scare. Let's hope it's just a scare.

Rest, rest and rest. That's the best remedy and don't stress who you may have met in the past week. You can't undo history, just let them know and be warned.

I'm hoping everyone is fully vaccinated but these days that's become a vain hope in some countries.

Be well and get well thoughts to your wife and yourself.

cheers

Dave Wilson
Gold Coast
Australia

[KiwiZac]

Thank you both, I really appreciate your kind words 

There was a famous Toyota TV ad in NZ many years back whose single line of dialogue after depicting various disasters was "Bugger!" and it seems apt now in light of your Covid scare.

I remember it well - being of school age at the time I recall it being somewhat scandalous! But I'm hoping the person didn't pass it on to Sam and it's all just a scare

I'm hoping everyone is fully vaccinated but these days that's become a vain hope in some countries.

My wife's parents were both nurses and mine are also common-sense folk, so we're all double-vaxxed and boosted 

[gbrivio]

I don't know wich virus variation is circulating in NZ; but incubation, in most cases is three days now, in Europe, with omicron. So I think you can be quite optimistic.
My best wishes for prolonged and total negativity for you and your family. Hope everyone to be out of this worry soon!
Ciao
Giuseppe

[Borsos]

I completely understand your worries, Zac. Both of our kids were positive and had symptoms for 10 days. Me and my wife live — of course — closely together with them and our smaller boy still comes to our bed every night. However, me and my wife stood negative all the time (got vaccinated for the 4th time some days before our kid‘s 10 days illness). So if even we didn’t get infected enough then to show positive results via Antigen and PCR tests, and I can only explain this with the vaccination, then there’s a good piece of hope that you also won’t show positive results.
I cross my fingers for you!
Andreas

[drdave]

The effectiveness of the vaccine against serious illness should reassure you. I am an Intensive care consultant here. 80% of our recent covid cases are unvaccinated, whereas 85% of the population in the UK are fully vaccinated.
Omicron binds further up the respiratory tract and is causing less severe disease. That said, it is similar to wild type covid in the unvaccinated at risk patient.

For example hospitalisations are rising rapidly amongst elderly HongKongers as the Sinovac is not very effective against Omicron and there  is a significant chunk of elderly people unvaccinated.

https://www.bmj.com/content/376/bmj-2021-069761

Just have a look at the results section.

[kensar]

I hope you have a good outcome from this scare, Zac.
I, too, was exposed week before last, being in an all day meeting with two people who had traveled from Europe and tested positive that night.  We had just rescinded the mandatory mask rule here at work the week before.  Fortunately, only those two people tested positive and the rest of us dodged the bullet.  We were all fully vaccinated and boosted (3rd vaccination shot).

[Alexis]

Scary for sure and I send my prayers your way .


Alexis

[KiwiZac]

Thank you everyone, your words of encouragement and support mean a lot to us both. Sam's always reminding me I'm a part of some very good online communities 

Dr Dave and Giuseppe - Omicron it is. One week we were at 250 or so cases a day nationwide, then it seemed a week later we were up to 20,000. It's insane - if we watched the news I expect we would be insane! I believe the person Sam was exposed to is unvaccinated and the event was mask-optional, so when she told me who it was I honestly wasn't surprised.

Above all, I'm more worried about passing it on if we have it. I'm picking up some more Rapid Antigen Tests after my morning forum trawl but up to yesterday they've been negative for both of us.

Stay safe and - as our Prime Minister kept saying in the early days - be kind 

[Monty]

Hi Zac, sending you and your family good wishes! In spite of the rapid infectivity of Omicron, there is little doubt it is a very, very much less deadly and problematic infection... so if you are OK, hang in there, you should be OK! We have been through this a month or two before you in South Africa and it really has not been That bad! Regards, Marc

[Rick_H]

Best wishes!
Rick

[jeroen_R90S]

Last year my wife and kids were positive and somewhat symptomatic, as for myself, I seem to be immune.... having been in contact with them, and others, who later tested positive as well...

Take care and best wishes!

Jeroen

[jamieg]

Last year my wife and kids were positive and somewhat symptomatic, as for myself, I seem to be immune.... having been in contact with them, and others, who later tested positive as well...

Take care and best wishes!

Jeroen

Hey Jeroen;

Please get yourself a full physical. A lot of people who thought they never had it or who were asymptomatic have since developed cardiac and lung issues and you were exposed big time.

Jamie

[andonio64]

Hi Zac, I read this thread just now...
How's it going? I had some contact with a lady whose daughter was positive but my doctor said to stay home and don't meet anybody for 5 days, if no symptom shows then it would be OK.
I have double vaccin and booster too.
So according to that procedure if you and your wife don't show symptoms after 5 days you should be OK.
By the way I was also told Rapid Antigen Tests are highly unreliable, if it shows positivity then one is positive but in the negative case there's no certainty about the real status.

I wish you both the best luck with it...

Andonio