Here's some more of what aquascoot's "mild respiratory virus" is doing to people.
With a bit of that awesome "personal responsibility" thrown in for good measure.
This is in the UK (where it's summer, of course) but it also applies to Australia and most of the rest of the world these days.
https://x.com/voidscream101/status/1804163670059917743 Quote:I've been working as a receptionist at a UK GP surgery for nearly a year now. Here are some observations about recurrent trends/problems I've noticed 🧵 (1/)
Here's the rest of it for those without an X account:
Quote: So many people call with unshakeable flu-like symptoms. Some have been ill for 4+ weeks straight without improving. Most at this point are demanding antibiotics and often they get them.
People with unshakeable illnesses aren't generally old or chronically ill. (2/)
Quote:They're usually 20-50 with no underlying conditions. Often they proudly tell you how fit and healthy they normally are.
Many calling with nasty coughs, fevers, body pain etc. But they can't take a GP call right now as they're at work/at a restaurant/the cinema/shopping (3/)
Quote: See also: patients desperately trying to get medication from the GP for their clearly infectious illness because "they're flying abroad tomorrow".
So many under 40s call asking for a "general health check up" (which is only offered to over 40s) (4/)
Quote:and when you dig deeper they tell you they haven't been feeling quite right and they're tired all the time.
Lots of people report they've been getting "more colds than usual" in the past year or so. They think it means they have a deficiency and ask for blood tests. (5/)
Quote: So many kids ill constantly. Babies who have been ill for more than half their short lives. Possibly one of the most heartbreaking things.
A small but notable number of "sudden behaviour changes" in children under 10 that makes you wonder. (6/)
Quote:But yes, of course theyve been ill recently. Kids are always ill.
Just as many calls for flu-like and gastrointestinal symptoms are coming through now as in the middle of winter. This stuff just isn't seasonal anymore (and is almost definitely covid in a lot of cases). (7/)
Quote: Many people haven't tested for covid when you ask.
A fair number don't think it can be covid unless they lose their taste/smell.
Those that have tested, tested once on first day of symptoms and are certain that means it isn't covid. (8/)
Quote: Care homes reporting "virus outbreaks" but say they have no Covid tests when you ask if they've tested.
Patients telling me now in June, A+E is "busier than it ever was during Covid" with patients waiting 8+ hours just to get a seat, let alone be seen by a doctor. (9/)
Quote: Patients calling up desperate and in tears because they just can't concentrate or remember anything and their boss is yelling at them and they don't understand why this is happening. It must be stress right? (10/)
Quote: Any female patient over 40 calling with classic long covid symptoms puts it down to the menopause. Even if they're 60 and have already been through it.
Patients who (ironically) don't remember to mention they've been having memory problems (11/)
Quote:until you ask when they call up with other potential long covid symptoms- fatigue, brain fog, recurrent headaches etc.
A lot of hair loss- a seriously surprising amount. And usually it's the young people - teens to 30s - who call. (12/)
Quote:Presumably because older people assume it's old age. More than half of the sudden hair loss people I've spoken to can recall having a "nasty cold" in the few weeks beforehand.
So many people with any new, ongoing respiratory symptoms (13/)
Quote:e.g. cough, shortness of breath who say it all started with a "bad cold".
A small but still significant number of young people (20s and 30s) calling for sick notes as they've had strokes and heart attacks. (14/)
Quote: A lot of scabies. To the point where I had to check Google to find out how common it's supposed to be and only then learnt there's abnormally high amounts of scabies right now.
Parents calling panicked because their kid hasn't had their measles vaccine yet (15/)
Quote:and there's a baby with it at their nursery/a kid with it at school.
So much Scarlet Fever and Strep Throat. So much.
Parents calling with kids with severe coughs that cause them to cough so hard they're sick. Many also reporting whooping cough outbreaks at school. (16/)
Quote:That about covers it. And caveat that I didn't work this job pre-pandemic so cannot personally compare.
But there is clearly so much sickness around. The impacts of Covid are everywhere.
What are public health doing???
And finally...
Quote:With this post blowing up it has found the anti-vaxxers, so I will only say this once.
90% of kids have not been vaccinated.
Most the UK population has not been boosted in 2 years.
Plenty I speak to are unvaccinated.
But they have all been repeatedly infected with Covid
Yes, this is all "perfectly normal", I'm sure. Not.