Hi there
How is everyone feeling about the latest developments with the new Covid variants ?
I am due to have my booster next week and the plan was to have the grandchildren round on Christmas Day .I was so looking forward to it but now I’m not so sure . What does everyone intend to do now ?
Not panicking yet, am waiting to hear what JVT has to say about it.
Yeah I like him as well He seems to make most sense
He is the only one I trust.
Who is JVT?
Jonathan Van Tam one of the medical people that gives advice he’s very good
How can I get access to his information?Thanks
He was on the ITV news last night He used to be on the Downing Street press conferences but I don’t think he does them anymore
I’m also waiting for JVT :). I noticed on Etsy that you can buy JVT cards and mugs etc . I’m now adding those to my extensive Christmas list 
Had a long conversation with my GP earlier this week, she recommends strongly that As I am classified as severely immuno suppressed due to the abatacept and have dodgy lungs I should make every effort to avoid people😣. My lovely son rang from Scotland this morning to suggest I buy and use FFP2 masks if I go anywhere with groups of people......he's a doctor so guess I will be taking both of their advise and try to stay safe.At Christmas I am cooking for my mum, brother and sister in law who we have bubbled with since the start as we share mums care.
Yeah I agree about the FFP2 masks I had to go to my daughters graduation on Friday and as there was lots of people in an enclosed space for quite a few hours I wore one for the first time . I think I will continue to now as well with the new announcements .
Congratulations to your daughter especially during covid!
What are FFP2 Masks and where can you get them?
They are the type used by hospital doctors dealing so patients in hospital who may have covid symptoms, they are thicker and fit tighter than the flimsy paper ones. I got mine from Ama**n, this kind of thing:OptiPro FFP2 Particulate Respirator (x10) – CE & EN Certified Individually Wrapped Face Masks
They are better at excluding airborne particles such as the moisture droplets expelled when we breath, cough etc, which carry the virus.
Thanks
Congratulations to your daughter, it's a really special "mummy" day isn't it? I hope you had a wonderful time. X
Thank you Yes it was wonderful just tinged with a bit of sadness as I lost my Dad six weeks ago and I kept thinking how proud he would have been .
That's sad, the same happened to me the year my son graduated as a doctor and I was ordained in Lichfield cathedral, my dad had died just a few months earlier. It's bitter sweet, but we carry them with us and they shape who we are. My condolences on your loss.
I am trying to bring forward all appointments to this coming week and then plan to wait patiently (yet again) until we get more news on this new variant. Having had the third vaccine, I had just started to see friends again but it looks as though that will have to wait until the picture is clearer. As far as Christmas is concerned, we had planned to have Christmas Day on our own and see friends during the following week but now who knows. Hope we hear more soon.
Yes just a case of waiting again I suppose I didn’t qualify for the third dose as I’m on 15mg Methotrexate but getting booster on Saturday
Good luck on Saturday. I read this morning that even if this variant is better at getting around the vaccine, the higher antibodies the third vaccine / booster will give us should help.
Thank you Lets hope it’s just a blip on the way out of this Take care
I haven't really changed my habits much even when restrictions were lifted. I do meet friends occasionally but only one to one.I've continued to wear a mask and avoid crowded places.We don't usually do much for Christmas anyway, apart from meeting up with brothers in law and partners for a meal
Think I’m going to wait and watch but with a view to Christmas being cancelled again this year. I’ve got a horrible feeling it will happen. In the meantime we’ll carry on wearing our masks - might get some FFP2 masks although recently I’ve been wearing two. I will carry on with my country walks, avoiding crowds and hand-washing. I’m just hoping ‘nothing happens’ before I can get my very much needed haircut on the 7th. I think I wish the restrictions had been a bit tighter though. I mean why not stop planes coming in from S Africa now - why wait until Tuesday when everyone there who wants to return will pile into planes?
My Christmas was ruined last year when we went into lockdown at almost no notice at all. Announcement was lunchtime - lockdown midnight so I can’t see why other arrangements give so much time.
Yeah same here Just saw the grandchildren on Zoom so we thought this year might be different I think you’re right though I’ve got a horrible feeling of Deja Vu at the moment !
I think masks should have remained mandatory throughout in food shops and on all public transport...that would have lessened the risk of transmission. Our GP was on the local BBC news last week during which they interviewed a man in his seventies, with Covid, who had stopped wearing a mask because everyone else had...so he thought it was all pretty much over! I ask you! He didn't LOOK to be in his dotage. xx
I’ve heard so many people say that ‘it’s all over’. My art group couldn’t wait to get back together - I didn’t go - they all ‘thought it was all over,’ they are retired but definitely not in their dotage. As for not wearing masks in public places - well my husband and I still wear ours as do a lot of people we know. My old father used to say ‘just because everyone else does something, doesn’t mean you have to do it too.’ 😉
My mum used to say ‘if someone told you to jump off a cliff would you?’ 😁❤️
Exactly! Used to say that to my own kids.
I could give some suggestions as to whom I might push ……!
🤣🤣🤣🤣👏👏👏
I’d have a big wind machine behind a few people .....
Mass ideas do take hold!
FFP2 masks are the way to go, especially for the vunerable. I've been using them on public transport and in shops etc for the past 6 months or so. I did buy some at the beginning of the pandemic as I knew they offered more protection than other types of mask, but they were expensive and difficult to get hold of back then so I only used them in more risky places. They are readily available now if a little more costly than the common or garden blue 2 /3 layer types. It should be said that FFP2 masks can be less comfortable and restrict breathing a bit more than other masks.
I've got this far by being careful so will carry on and I just waiting for the advice from NHS. Not going to panic though and not stopped the mask in shops and not been on public transport anyway. So in this time as 4 weeks till Christmas is a long time, will make plans when more is known. My DIL parents just got back on Friday from Namibia and it wasn't till they landed at Heathrow they knew anything was wrong in Southern Africa. They are isolating and so far so good. But this shows how the world needs to be vaccinated not just the richer countries. It wasn't an unexpected change but this just feels a bit more scary at he moment.
Hope your daughter in law continues to remain well. You are so right about the need to vaccinate the whole world. So many people are struggling to find clean water and basic food as it is without having this virus to contend with, and it will come back to haunt us if we don't.
Hope they are okay!
Just waiting to see what emerges over the next few days / weeks.
I hope you don't mind me asking, are you immunocompromised, in the CEV grouping ?
I am booked to come to the UK in 10 days time!! First time in 2 years, but prompted to come by family crisis.
So not ideal!
All the way through I have been careful, but continued to live my life. (I am on MTX and a Biologic) Masks, double masks or FPP2 masks as appropriate. I will carry on that approach.
We were invited out to lunch today and accepted. It's the first time we have socialised sharing food indoors with anyone other than family since this all hit off.. I soooo hope this becomes more possible not less. Being ultra careful is really hard going isn't it?
I don’t know your own situation Sue, but I’m on methotrexate hydroxy and sulphasalazine…. I isolated early last year, but after a few weeks decided to return to my job as an Early Years Practitioner in an infant school. I’m surrounded by young children, and last week a class I work with had a covid outbreak which required the whole class and staff to get PCR tested…. I didn’t catch it. What is different to last Christmas is that we do all have access to lateral flow tests to do at home, so I would plan to go ahead with Christmas, but asking your family to take lateral flow tests in the preceding days. This new strain may end up changing things, but I plan to be with my family this year, and I hope you are able to too x
I think the lateral flow tests are the key here. I am still being extremely cautious...and have been feeling a bit guilty for that...but whenever my husband and I have been with family we have all tested that morning to ensure, as best we can, that we are all safe. x
We have been doing the same. Trying to keep ourselves and loved ones safe. 😉
It is too early to know what will happen at Christmas yet. I just try to take each day at a time. I have ordered my usual amount of food for Christmas and hopefully it will be needed, if not it can be frozen so no problem. On saying all that, it is a worry, not so much about Christmas but about the health of everyone. God willing, it won't be as bad as suggested.
I’m getting on with stuff to be honest. One of my close friends surprised me when she said I should stop listening to propaganda and living in fear.
It made me chuckle as I’m the only one in our group that’s actually going away anywhere and I’m on a cruise over Christmas. Not sure if that’s living in fear 🙄🙄🤭🤭🤭
Perhaps if everyone had a bit of ‘living in fear’ we wouldn’t be in the situation we are?
I think there's 'fear' and 'with care'. Fear is never healthy for anyone as that creates long-term issues that are hard to get rid of.
True… I’m very pessimistic at the mo. Can’t shift a cough and cold I’ve had for 3 weeks now. I’m usually an optimist 🤦♀️ Had antibiotics last week as classed as immunosuppressed. 3 days after finishing them I’m feeling worse again 🤦♀️ Waiting for doc to ring me again. With care is nicer. X
I do wish people were more careful. I think the majority are to be fair. Some are plain numpties! Unfortunately, they're the ones that don't give a hoot about anyone else and until something happens to them or someone close, they'll continue their behaviour.
Not nice having a cough for that long. Hopefully you'll be back to feeling better again very soon.
I had a cough for five weeks. Blood tests showed it was bacterial pneumonia! Goodness knows how I caught it I have not been in a shop for 14 months. Two lots of antibiotics sorted it I have now turned a corner so hang on in there and get well soon!🌺
Aw Green so sorry to hear that. Doc just rang and said if it was bacterial the doxycycline I had last week would have sorted it, so she says it’s viral, but if I get worse to contact her again to be reassessed. Xx only place I’ve been is the hospital for 2 appointments before I got this and m akways so careful. 🤦♀️You Take care. Xx
The doctor gave me doxycycline and amoxiclav to shift my cough. Huge horse tablets. He said because I have not been out I have not built up more normal immunity. Also I am on baricitinib which is a suppressant. He gave me vit D and Zinc to help me too!
Sending feeble hugs not strong enough to send big ones. Keep warm and drink plenty. Get better soon 🎄
Morning. Read an article today that stated that the NEW variant symptoms were different. Extreme fatigue and an increased heart rate. Yay!
I’ll continue to have minimal contact with the outside world, but am going to meet up with people ‘near’ Christmas who I haven’t seen for an age. Was really low the other day when I realised that I had not seen some people for about 2 years 
Going for double filters as my ‘new thing’. Will feel less stressed. It is hard when you live by yourself and everyone else belongs to their own ‘bubbles’..
Had my ‘third’ jab and my flu one a couple of weeks ago, and that helps psychologically [the following day felt like the worst hangover ever]. Harsh for those with severely compromised immune systems who have no or very low antibodies. They should test us all really.
I had an awful headache too - a bottle of wine and two ciders type although I had not had a drink!!
Unless someone tells me that I can't, I'm going ahead with my Christmas plans. Were going to SiLs , there will be 9 of us including my Sister in Law's mum who is elderly. We had already agreed that we would all do a LFT on Christmas morning and obviously only attend if negative.I'm triple jabbed and intend to isolate for a few days in the run up to the big day. So fingers crossed.
Yeah that’s a good idea The problem I’ve got is more with my young grandchildren I don’t feel I can put through a test as they’re only 7and 5 ?
My 2 grandsons (aged 7 and 2) have had a very large number of tests with only a few tears, although the wee one cries as soon as he sees the test site as he knows what's coming, bless.
Both parents are A&E Consultants (mum specialises in pediatrics) so every time one of the boys is unwell they need to be tested as mum and dad can't risk going to work without being sure they aren't taking covid in to hospital with them. And a 2 year old at nursery a few days a week and cutting teeth etc is often running a temperature and/or coughing. So I wouldn't worry too much about putting your grandchildren through a single test if it's to keep everyone safe. They will be absolutely fine, and if you explain why it's being done they will feel good about doing the right thing.
I had my booster on Saturday. Dr said you would not go jousting on a horse without armour would you? Personally I could not get on a horse but I get his meaning - protect yourself as much as you can. 😁
Is he a rescue dog in your pic? Lovely!
Me and my husband have never stopped wearing masks, but what I don't understand is that they have to be worn in shops and on transport, but I can go in a pub, club, restaurant or mix with 1000's at a football match and don't have to wear one! Who makes these rules up???
Lost my dog Tia two months ago. Tried to get a rescue Jack Russell but we also have a cat and centres are not keen. Miss her very much. 🎄
I work in Nottingham,where they have found a case and I'm just going to take usual precautions. Never stopped wearing a mask and hand gel etc so not doing anything different x
I’m not in the extremely vulnerable category as on 7.5mg methotrexate weekly but will continue to be careful and do an LFT before meeting up with friends and family - they all do one as well. This weekend I decided to go ahead with my plans to see Marillion at the Hammy O (Hammersmith Apollo for younger people!) and bought FFP2 masks. It was my first time in London and a big crowd since the pandemic started. Although very few people wore masks, I was glad that I went and had the most fabulous time.
As I’ve said before, we all make our own risk assessments and do what we feel comfortable with and that looks like continuing for a good while.
Best wishes x
Hi, there will always be variants, it's how the cold/flu virus works which is the basis of COVID. This is why we need a flu jab every year, because of the variant of flu. No need to worry or panic, they haven't even figured out if it is worse than other variants yet, that will take around 2-3 weeks - it's all panic inducing news with no actual factual data as yet. Best thing to do is get your booster, some protection is better than none 😊
Are you vaccinated?
I wouldn't worry too much about it, you are going to have the booster, and I assume you are already taking vitamin D.I've seen mixed reports on the new variant, some doctors are saying that its not as bad as the delta variant, while the newspapers/media outlets are saying it "could", be the fourth wave crash what's left of the NHS
Covid has got me !!!
Bloody Covid
methotrexate covid booster
Testing for Covid 
