I've knowingly had Sars-Cov-2 just the once, in November 2021, this was when self-isolation was still mandatory and I had many of the symptoms. It was like a moderate to bad cold; I've had many worse colds/flu in the past 20 years. The only time I've been really ill with a virus in my adult life was in December 1999 when, as a 20-something, I had the "millennium flu" and spent 2 or 3 days in bed.
I haven't knowingly had it since, but I may have had it several times as I've had several very minor colds/sinus symptoms in the intervening 2 years. I don't know. Maybe they were Sars-Cov-2, maybe they were some other virus.
However I don't really see the need to test every time you have cold/flu like symptoms, especially mild ones. It's disproportionate to continually live a lifestyle of testing and self-isolation just because you might pass it on to someone more vulnerable. Every virus has that risk. The (very low) risk to the population as a whole is simply not worth living a lifestyle of continual testing to find out if it's Sars-Cov-2 or something else, and self-isolation (with the associated disruption) if it's positive.
Instead, I tend to follow the "if you have a fever, don't unnecessarily mix with other people" rule.
Interestingly, since the start of Covid I've only had one "moderate to bad" cold, and that was Sars-Cov-2. In a normal year I'd get at least one "bad" cold, sometimes two (often at both ends of the winter season, one in Oct/Nov and the other in Feb/Mar) but for whatever reason that hasn't happened since - and long may it continue. I've made no attempt at social distancing since around the start of 2022. Is there any evidence that either Sars-Cov-2 or the vaccines improve general immunity to cold-like viruses?
I haven't knowingly had it since, but I may have had it several times as I've had several very minor colds/sinus symptoms in the intervening 2 years. I don't know. Maybe they were Sars-Cov-2, maybe they were some other virus.
However I don't really see the need to test every time you have cold/flu like symptoms, especially mild ones. It's disproportionate to continually live a lifestyle of testing and self-isolation just because you might pass it on to someone more vulnerable. Every virus has that risk. The (very low) risk to the population as a whole is simply not worth living a lifestyle of continual testing to find out if it's Sars-Cov-2 or something else, and self-isolation (with the associated disruption) if it's positive.
Instead, I tend to follow the "if you have a fever, don't unnecessarily mix with other people" rule.
Interestingly, since the start of Covid I've only had one "moderate to bad" cold, and that was Sars-Cov-2. In a normal year I'd get at least one "bad" cold, sometimes two (often at both ends of the winter season, one in Oct/Nov and the other in Feb/Mar) but for whatever reason that hasn't happened since - and long may it continue. I've made no attempt at social distancing since around the start of 2022. Is there any evidence that either Sars-Cov-2 or the vaccines improve general immunity to cold-like viruses?
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