I haven't been especially unwell but I've had a couple of bouts of abnormal fatigue and I don't feel quite right. That feeling odd and tired bit is the one thing uniting my late November 2022 experience and the October 2023. As such I don't have a sore throat, no cough, and I'm barely nasally congested. So far November 2022 was worse, although maybe it's better now because I had it almost exactly a year ago.

General COVID observations:

I have no fever and would be quite capable of working/mixing with other people. It would not be easy but it wouldn't be difficult. That has to aid its spread and current policy in the UK almost guarantees that.

Compared to a cold it's odd. I feel weird, for want of a more specific description. It's COVID weirdness - something I had the last time. A cold almost feels familiar and normal. COVID feels alien and surreal. It's hard to explain.

I had flu last year and I'd strongly suggest a 'bit of flu' is probably not influenza. Flu was the sickest I've felt as an adult. I couldn't get out of bed, I had a fever, and felt like a giant had used me as a cushion. And I had a cough that took a couple of weeks to clear.

With this bout of COVID, I have a specific autoimmune condition, there doesn't seem to have as much immune suppression. Last time autoimmune disease activity stopped during, and for some time after, the COVID infection. Correlation does not equal causation and I'm very wary of drawing any conclusions from individual, subjective, experiences including my own. Maybe my body recognises it this time.

Now there is population level immunity I don't wholly disagree with UK government policy to basically let it run its course. It does worry me a little that COVID could be a bootstrapping code for flu or RSV because of its immune system effects and that as monitoring COVID has reduced it's going to be harder to spot. Although if COVID was bootstrapping other stuff a person would expect excess deaths to go up, but not from COVID because population immunity to COVID exists.

It's all very interesting. I'll be better soon. Excuse any typos or grammar errors. I like people but not enough to check.