Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Not sure how effective the flu shot would be against COVID. Honestly I've never taken the flu shot, I rarely get sick. And if I do it's usually only a few really bad days then on the mend again. Always happens though when we have funky changing weather. 15° one day, 40° next. Funny that I was running around Germany most of the time in a t shirt with temperatures ranging 1° to 10° over the 2 weeks and didn't get sick, come back to Aussie weather and within 2 weeks got sick.
Rank 10 - Admin
The "flu shot" is usually just a vaccine of the 2 or 3 strains that are most likely to hit the country in the winter, so it can be a bit of a guessing game (which is why they choose a few different strains in the one jab), but it usually depends on what strains were most prominent in the winter of the northern hemisphere.
As such, it will only protect you from those selected strains in the current year's jab. If you travel somewhere more exotic, or someone brings a less common strain to your neighbourhood, you won't be protected from any strain of the flu or cold not in the needle (including viruses like Covid)... so that's why it has always been a good idea to wash your hands often, not to touch your face, and avoid physical contact with strangers (including handshakes or (bro)hugs).
One of the reasons why the government (and sports) are really pushing the flu jab this year is so that it reduces the number of people needing to be hospitalised by the regular flu, so that resources are free for Covid patients... and so that people hit by the regular flu don't then catch the covid virus more easily (from others, or from the hospital if they have to go in for the regular flu).
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Perhaps DELTAprime meant that if you don't catch the flu then you won't exhibit symptoms that would require the COVID test? Because if you do get tested they still require you to quarantine yourself for up to 14 days regardless of the result since the test is not 100% accurate (as happened with my wife).
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Now that i know the flu shot only lasts 3 months not sure if i should bother.
Im wondering if cases are down because people are not getting tested as regularly as before
Banned
Well done. I strongly advocate everyone to get their yearly flu shot. It's an insurance policy & for less than $20 (some employers provide free of charge), it's a no brainer.Originally Posted by DELTAprime
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Yeah. If you get Covid like symptoms, AKA the flu, you're supposed to quarantine for two weeks. I'd prefer not to do that.
Rank 10 - Admin
If businesses or employers are to be allowed to send home anyone with flu-like symptoms, it certainly would be a good idea to prevent the regular flu, so you don't freak out others unnecessarily. Unfortunately for people like me who gets hayfever allergies over just about everything, I am constantly sniffling, sneezing and coughing, and it gets worse in winter as the cold air makes my sinuses and lungs more irritated. I get a lot of bad looks these days, at work, and when I'm out (like at the shops).
Even if it does only last for 3 months, that covers most of the high-risk months, and if enough people have the vaccine, it means less people who aren't vaccinated will catch it, as they will come in contact with less people who are infected.
It's important for the young and old to get it, as they are the ones most affected by the symptoms, but just like with the Covid virus, people who are less likely to be sick from it could still be carriers and pass it on to someone who is more vulnerable.
As for testing, if you are referring to covid testing - testing numbers are supposed to be at record numbers every day (according to the graphs on the ABC), but it does come down to who they are testing... particularly if they are only testing people with symptoms, as that would miss the majority of infected people who show no symptoms.
The QLD government website even says that if you don't have any of the listed symptoms (like dry cough, runny nose or fever), they won't test you. The only exception is if you know that you have been in contact with someone who is infected, or have just returned from overseas.
In New York city they did anti-body testing of 3000 people three weeks ago, and found that 20% had anti-bodies (which means that they already had the virus, and it was already dead in their system). That meant that about 2.7 million people in NYC could have already had the virus, even though official stats (from official testing) is only at 185,000 cases (as of today). This is because they have limited testing materials and potential. Every country is like that. Unless you are testing EVERYONE weekly, you won't have an accurate number of cases. Our state governments are boasting about 10-30 thousand tests each day, but that's still less than 0.1% of the population being tested each day. At that rate, it would take 3 years to just test everyone once, so how can we know for sure how many people are currently infected, or know when people get infected later after they have had just one test.
Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
Where does it say that?
If you get Covid like symptoms, AKA the flu, then you should get tested for Covid-19. Whilst awaiting the results, you should self-isolate. Once you're given the all clear, you're good to go.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
No that's not the case, at least not NSW and I'm pretty sure for other states. It surprised me when my wife was tested. I don't have the time to find it right now but the health authorities websites tell you to still isolate. The nurse also told my wife to isolate for 14 days when she administered the test.
Rank 10 - Admin
On tonight's episode of The Last Leg, they showed a clip of a lady in America in a convenience store, wearing a mask with a hole cut in the front... telling the person recording her that she cut the hole to help her breath easier.
Can people really be that stupid?
The mask is there to prevent or limit breathing in (virus/dust/etc) particles, so cutting a hole in the front where the mouth is, makes it completely pointless wearing it.
These are the sort of people that Darwin Awards are made for.
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