Weekly COVID Thread – – 23 July 2022

28 comments

1. What’s with all the covid homework？ I just got a text from the ward office about something called HER-SYS and they want me to do a bunch of busy work when I should be resting. Safe to ignore?

2. I was going to meet up with someone last weekend and never got round to contacting them, was aiming for this weekend and found out that they’d tested positive on Monday. That was a bullet dodged.

   Visited another friend’s instead and found out that they’ve just tested positive, fortunately a couple of days outside the danger zone. This virus is really trying its best

3. I’m 37 years old and got a voucher for the 4th shot. Anyone in the same situation?

4. [removed]

5. I have elderly parents visiting from the US and they’ve asked about Paxlovid treatments in Japan (this is something you take early on upon testing positive for COVID).

   I see it’s being used in Japan now, but only dispensed through hospitals. So if they contract COVID and would like Paxlovid, do we just call up a hospital?

   Fully don’t expect to need this info, but they’ve asked, so I’m doing my research.

6. Recent return from abroad through Narita has been surprisingly smooth with the MySoS app. The app verified all the documents in a couple of hours, at the airport there were a couple of stations you had to go through, but with no queue whatsoever. Altogether it took less time than coming in before pandemic, due to zero immigration queue given less people are flying. On the downside, that you can be stuck abroad if the test comes positive still freaks me out.

7. do people get covid without the fever? I’m getting sick by the minute but no fever is showing. just throat pain, runny nose, groggy. I’ve been in close contact with a covid patient.

8. My wife just stated to me that masks do not prevent the spread of COVID-19. She only wears one because she doesn’t want to be judged for not wearing one.

   She was previously anti-vax with the COVID-19 vaccine, saying that she didn’t want to risk the long-term side effects.

   Please send help.

9. Annoyed at my so called “friend” who told me that he was positive after we last met up. He said it wasn’t a big deal – tell that to my pregnant partner and the world’s grumpiest 5 year old 😡

   Thankfully I haven’t got any symptoms or tested positive. Still f’ked up my week.

10. Got my vaccine ticket for shot #4 as soon as August 12th, but as far as I know it’s still only up to elderly + people with underlying conditions, yeah? So if the availability doesn’t change by August 12th I still wouldn’t be eligible, yeah?

11. Am I wrong for being pissed? My boyfriend came over Thursday knowing his sister was sick and got a Covid test that day (he didn’t tell me until he arrived) and she tested positive. Now he’s got a fever and sore throat and getting tested today. This is all after I just went to the doctor for heart and blood pressure issues.
    I can’t get into a clinic for a test, I went to the free testing center and got told to come back later.. I don’t have symptoms and technically not a close contact as my boyfriend hasn’t tested positive yet but I feel like I’m lying. It’s my last resort as I have to get a negative result before I go to the doctor to get my test results about my heart back!! Ugh

12. Considering going to Korea for holidays to visit friends, but I can’t find a test station that costs less than 20.000 yen here. Is there really no cheaper option? That’s more than the flight costs.

13. Got sick last week (congestion, a bit of wheezing, ear pressure) and was entirely sure I had gotten covid after avoiding it completely only to test negative on my RT PCR. Clinic mentioned it was most likely allergies and placed me on antibiotics. Symptoms went away the moment I bought an air purifier.

    Roommate then tells me that they had Covid all week. They did their part in keeping masked but suddenly I started to feel a bit of a sore throat this morning. Took a saliva test, I see a really faint line. I’m going to consider myself positive until I test again tomorrow, but it is what it is.

    I wonder if there are any care packages for tokyo residents (I can DM my ward)? So far I am okay but since I am immunocompromised, I’m definitely going to err on the safer side.

14. I have been using the Cocoa app for 554 days now, have caught COVID once, and have yet to actually be informed by the app of a close contact…. Has anyone ever actually gotten a notification from that app?

15. Finally caught it with symptoms that started Friday night. Hit me like a train, too. Splitting headache, body aches and high fever. Thankfully most of it has already gone by now and I’m just left with some congestion and low fever.

    The real kicker is how shit the system is for reporting and getting tested. I tested at home, instant positive. Called hokenjo. They said call one of these hospitals to arrange for a doctor to see you and give you a real test. Well every hospital was either booked out or straight up not answering the phones. I finally got through to the one on the bottom of the list today and whaddya know, all booked out. So since I’m basically on the mend already now, I’m fairly sure my case is just going to go unreported. Now I wonder how many more cases like mine there are!

16. Just tested positive, looking down the barrel of a full week with no pay and no easy way to get groceries. Applied for the government food package thing but apparently they’re swamped. Tried ordering on uber eats but they won’t take cash and I haven’t been able to transfer money to my debit accounts this month as I was only paid yesterday. Like I’ll figure it out but damn.

    In short, what a stupid ugly mess.

17. I am in agony right now. 31M and triple vaxxed since December. Sore throat (which will get worse), fever, lack of appetite, feeling of dehydration (even though I’m drinking fluids), insomnia (which will worsen as sinus congestion set in), body aches, etc.

    Perhaps worst is nonstop hiccups, which I always get with sore throat, that’s causing headaches, back pain, and chest pain. I am only one day into this fresh hell.

    I am too tired to leave my apartment. Any tips on what to eat or grocery delivery services? At what point should I see a doctor/call an ambulance? I live alone in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo.

18. So as I mentioned my in-laws got it, but my father-in-law’s symptoms were not what one would expect of corona for the first three days. He has stomach issues. Apparently it’s not unheard of so be aware of that.

    It’s been about a week now, and me, hubby, and baby so far tested negative, waiting on the other pcr test we done earlier for results (super delayed)

19. So I think I finally caught covid. Tried to call the helpline here to find a clinic/hospital that I can get a PCR test done to check, but the line has been busy/down since this morning. Tried calling like 5 different clinics in my area and all of them were fully booked.

    Finally called the nearest 保健所 and they gave me a list of clinics to try. Thankfully managed to get an appointment for later this afternoon.

    I guess there must be a wave in Sendai at the moment but it’s ridiculous how difficult it was to just get seen by someone.

    A side note, I tried to get a self test kit and no pharmacy seemed to sell them anymore. Crazy!

20. Finally got around to calling the fever hotline after starting to feel drained on Sunday afternoon. Currently: headache, runny nose, sore throat, cough, slight fever.

    No nearby in-person appointments for even a test until next week so I tried the UMed Healthcare app. Apparently, I’ll talk to a doctor, get sent a home test kit and get the results same-day?

21. I had posted a detailed comment about this but don’t want to get anyone in trouble. I’ll try to water it down here some

    My friend works at a government-run thing and got covid. His boss told him not to get tested or report it and to stay home, or they will have to shut down the whole office and send everyone home for 10 days

    So dude was boiling with fever, with off the shelf meds for a week and luckily no cough or serious symptoms.

    How shocking, right? Yet another vivid example of the pressure people are to underreport cases

22. Do companies have any legal requirement to protect their workers from possible infection?

23. Home testing antigen kits. 2 weeks ago a pack of ten on Amazon JP cost me 4,500 yen. Now, 8,500 yen. Price gouging based on demand. Shouldn’t be like this this long into the pandemic.

24. Finally got covid… was extremely thirsty for like 5days in a row no other symptoms. Though I had diabetes. Then out of nowhere, sore throat, fever, and coughing… so weird.

25. Japan was the top country in the world with the most covid cases last week with 969,000 confirmed cases. This wave is achieving quite a feat. 233,094 recorded just today.

26. I tested positive for COVID today and the doctor gave me fever reducers, sore throat medication, and also antibiotics. I am a bit confused about the antibiotics for treating COVID which is a virus. I feel like the antibiotics would mess up my system more than it would help. What should I do? Has anyone had a similar situation?

27. In Saitama— we have one home test that was positive and a household of people with various symptoms (mostly mild, thankfully). We are still pretty new to Japan and trying to figure things out… our food situation is good for a couple more days, but no way we will make it 10 days without getting more. What is the easiest way to buy groceries online and have them delivered— Amazon, or something else? My Japanese is pretty bad, but I can stumble by with a translator app if necessary.

    Also, is there any point to getting a PCR test? We don’t have a car so it would be a bit of a pain.

28. So, I finally got infected with covid. My family was taking so much care to not let me get it (since they had got infected), but the virus ultimately caught me. Had fever, runny nose and cough as symptoms for around three days. But starting today, every food I have has the same unique weird taste and smell to it. Did anybody else experience that as a symptom? Hoping to get these senses back soon 🙁