This thread hasn't had a post for a while!!
As some on here may know, my wife is one of the " clinically extremely vulnerable" group who were, and still are, advised to take all possible precautions against getting Covid. She was sent a pack of lateral flow tests about a year ago, whose bar codes are registered, with instructions to report the result of any test, whether positive or negative. A positive test would result in expensive anti viral drugs being dispatched to her, possibly by motorcycle courier, for administration within three days of the onset of symptoms.
Because of this, both her and myself have lived in not far from isolation for nearly three years, attending only a few outdoor events, and only entering enclosed public spaces, such as shops, while wearing full FFP3 masks. She's five vaccinations down, and about to get number six.
Last Wednesday week, she attended her doctor's surgery for a routine blood test, then wanted to go on to a couple of nearby supermarkets, s she usually does afterwards. She was in a rebellious mood, and after putting a mask on outside of the first one, she declared that she's fed up with wearing it, and took it off. She then went into each supermarket for about twenty minutes in the first and ten in the second.
Roll on to last Sunday week, and I remember her talking on the 'phone to someone, and apologising for sounding a bit 'croaky'. That evening she said something about a slight headache and the next morning mentioned her arm joints were stiff. As the week went on, I noticed she was coughing occasionally as well. I also realised that I was beginning to develop similar symptoms, which by last Friday were quite pronounced.
It was at that point I decided to Google the latest list of symptoms for Covid, and found pretty much a full house, so I open up a lat. flow kit to test myself. Wife spots me, and asks why on earth am I doing that?
Test showed positive in a couple of minutes, so that got her attention, and had her doing one as well, which, of course, was also positive.
By this time, most of her symptoms had disappeared, and she only reluctantly phoned her surgery to report in. Usual problems getting post the gate guardians on the other end, but we've a few years experience of doing this now, so managed to get a request through for a call back from a GP later that day, which dully came through about an hour and a half later.
Nice female GP, who we hadn't dealt with before, who was happy to chat for about five minutes, but as expected, agreed that it was far too late for antivirals, or anything else, other than just be aware of how things are going on.
By tonight, she seems to have fully recovered, and I'm past the worst of it. Had it far worse than my wife, but I've had colds just as bad.
So that's what can happen, if you drop your guard, just the once!