Has anyone here personally tested positive for the virus?
No, but I know of 3 people who got it, and all three died.
One was a man in his early 30s who works with a friend of mine. He travelled to the UK to watch a sporting fixtures. He was contacted afterwards to say that someone else on the plane had tested positive. He was later diagnosed and died. It’s possible that the plane trip is unconnected and he contracted it elsewhere; no way to say for sure.
The other two were nursing home residents.
that doesn’t stop me analysing if I think all parts of it are effective.
I doubt anybody disagrees with that, because the methods of transmission in practice are either unpublicised or poorly established.
But a trip to Iceland or New Zealand where I do a COVID test on arrival and 1 day in quarantine and for the rest of my holiday I get to forget about COVID, is quite attractive.
Except, on a plane with 300 Brits, you have a good chance to catch it. I am sure airline flights are out for me this year. TB20 flights are fine 
I will be off to Croatia in a few days; per other thread.
dublinpilot wrote:
but on arrival you have to under go a COVID test
You may change your mind when you hear about how the COVID test is done. A colleague of mine had to do it, and it’s pretty unpleasant (involves swabbing in the throat till you gag, then having a swab stuffed up your nose such that it feels someone is scraping the back of your brain with a pickaxe – that’s what his description was).
alioth wrote:
You may change your mind when you hear about how the COVID test is done. A colleague of mine had to do it, and it’s pretty unpleasant (involves swabbing in the throat till you gag, then having a swab stuffed up your nose such that it feels someone is scraping the back of your brain with a pickaxe – that’s what his description was).
My mother-in-law was admitted to hospital several times this spring for reasons unrelated to Covid-19. Each time they did a test on her. Her description of the test is similar to the one your colleague gave.
Peter wrote:
A complete lockdown would have totally eliminated the virus in a few weeks.
YES.
The Daily Trash has revealed that up to 20% have caught in in hospital.
With maybe 50% catching it in care homes nowadays, that leaves maybe 30% getting it via the other routes.
Mooney_Driver wrote:
Peter wrote: A complete lockdown would have totally eliminated the virus in a few weeks.YES.
As well as starving a not insignificant portion of the population.
Mooney_Driver wrote:
Peter wrote: A complete lockdown would have totally eliminated the virus in a few weeks.YES.
Not Italy’s experience where it was pretty strictly enforced as well. I doubt a few week is enough with an incubation of up to two weeks , and then the invetable background cases between essential workers and lockdown breakers. With tracking, testing and a very strick regime indeed, I think it could be achievable in more like 6 weeks, but even then with a few background cases to mop up, and with huge care if you suddenly relax that small pockets dont start up again.
