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Thanks! So appreciate the efforts the albergues take to keep us all safe. And I hope all pilgrims practice good health safety to help keep everyone they meet safe from COVID. I know this is a fluid situation, but what is your best guess: what protocols do you think will be in place this spring? Will there be a reduced capacity?I help to run three albergues on the Caminos, we take a very keen interest in this question! Throughout the Covid waves we have seen several cases of Covid discovered among pilgrims, but every one I know of arrived with an active case already in progress. These were duly isolated and sent home. Up til now, NO ONE is known to have caught Covid-19 while walking the Way... every possible precaution has been put in place to keep it that way.
Let's hope we can continue to say so!
Can you clarify for us? You are in Moratinos... not typically a starting point... so if people *arrived* there, would they not then have logically contracted COV from some earlier point?I help to run three albergues on the Caminos, we take a very keen interest in this question! Throughout the Covid waves we have seen several cases of Covid discovered among pilgrims, but every one I know of arrived with an active case already in progress. These were duly isolated and sent home. Up til now, NO ONE is known to have caught Covid-19 while walking the Way... every possible precaution has been put in place to keep it that way.
Let's hope we can continue to say so!
Exactly. The majority of pilgrims in 2021 were Spanish.Your premise is skewed. Not many Spaniards, or Spanish residents, start their Camino via an international airport. Many Europeans can easily travel to Spain without encountering sanitary border controls and it’s a reasonable supposition that many have. Indeed we’ve experienced enough plonkers posting on here advocating such evasion.
I just looked at the statistics for the past month. Unsurprising that pilgrims recorded are overwhelmingly from Spain and Portugal whose travel has been less closely restricted. Very few arrived from outside mainland Europe. I think that being an English-language forum sometimes skews our perceptions of the Caminos and our fellow pilgrims. "Fog In Channel: Continent Cut Off!"Exactly. The majority of pilgrims in 2021 were Spanish.
Put peregrinos "camino de Santiago" Covid into Google News and you will find a number of articles in the Spanish press, mostly from the summer when the number of people walking was high. The cases that made it into the regional or national news usually concerned groups of pilgrims who had travelled together and had arrived as a group at their starting point, groups of 8, 22, even 52 in one case. They had arrived from Mallorca, Madrid, and other Spanish towns. People get infected when they are in contact and interact with other infected people. There is nothing Camino specific about it.so if people *arrived* there, would they not then have logically contracted COV while walking from some earlier point?
Precisely. Nothing Camino-specific about it... was kind of my point -- that when people are in transit from one place to another and test positive mid-way, that it has to have been brewing through contacts with others.Put peregrinos "camino de Santiago" Covid into Google News and you will find a number of articles in the Spanish press, mostly from the summer when the number of people walking was high. The cases that made it into the regional or national news usually concerned groups of pilgrims who had travelled together and had arrived as a group at their starting point, groups of 8, 22, even 52 in one case. They had arrived from Mallorca, Madrid, and other Spanish towns. People get infected when they are in contact and interact with other infected people. There is nothing Camino specific about it.
I have seen lots of threads about COVID and I have done a search but have not found where anyone says they caught COVID while walking the Camino. My daughters and I are planning to return to Spain to walk the Camino spring of 2022. In our planning discussions, they asked if anyone has caught COVID while walking. It is likely that someone has but has anyone relayed the experience on this forum? I don't think the answer, either way, will change our planning but we are curious.
I walked the Camino Frances from Sept 22 to October 27, 2021. I did not see or experience anyone with Covid or displaying any signs of illness the entire time. Sunshine, exercise, positive energy and an open spirit on the Camino is better than being stagnant at home. My outlook is to take all necessary precautions and live life to the fullest. You only have one physical life in this world, live, experience & love.I have seen lots of threads about COVID and I have done a search but have not found where anyone says they caught COVID while walking the Camino. My daughters and I are planning to return to Spain to walk the Camino spring of 2022. In our planning discussions, they asked if anyone has caught COVID while walking. It is likely that someone has but has anyone relayed the experience on this forum? I don't think the answer, either way, will change our planning but we are curious.
I am with Rebekah, if you take extra extra care on travelling (an N95 mask, I also use a foldable plastic shield on top) and are carefull not stay inside in an unventilated space with many people, also considering the many safety measures taken by the hospitaleros, you should be just as safe or safer on the Camino compared to home, if you are fully vaccinated/boostered. A risk remains of course, but I have checked my insurance company on providing cover for quarantaine, just in case. Carry a few antigen test, repackaged they weigh just a few grams.I help to run three albergues on the Caminos, we take a very keen interest in this question! Throughout the Covid waves we have seen several cases of Covid discovered among pilgrims, but every one I know of arrived with an active case already in progress. These were duly isolated and sent home. Up til now, NO ONE is known to have caught Covid-19 while walking the Way... every possible precaution has been put in place to keep it that way.
Let's hope we can continue to say so!
I appreciate your effort to prevent virus spreading, but the statement above is highly misleading. Any travel during pandemics increase viral propagation and infection probality. If the governments could they would ban the recreational travel completely. Thanks goodness they can not afford such restrictions yet..... you should be just as safe or safer on the Camino compared to home, if you are fully vaccinated/boostered ...
Oh no, hope you will soon be feeling better.My husband and I are experiencing Covid at home right now, and it is clear to me that this could happen anywhere. My brother arrived from Los Angelos Tuesday before Christmas with a cold. I insisted on a PCR test that day which came back positive two days later. We tried to isolate him to our basement, use N95 masks, etc, but this current variant is so highly transmissible it is difficult to quarantine in the same home. I can think of all kinds of coulda, woulda, shoulda actions we could have taken. My husband tested positive 3 days later and I started having symptoms yesterday. Everybody involved has been twice vaccinated and boosted. We are not very sick, but even cold symptoms like cough and sore throat and the highly transmission rate of this variant would be a two-week inconvenience on the camino.
We're booked for May 2022. My hope is we will be further protected, but that's only hope, no hard data yet. Before my own Covid experience, I was already willing to go anyway, just knowing that the above scenario can happen at any time and you have to be prepared to deal with it (mostly in terms of time and money) to take care of yourself and isolate from other people while you are contagious.
Bottom line is you just have to make the best decision closer to the time you are going and travel with a back-up plan.
Yes, very high in my mind as I plan my trip! I’m travelling from NZ and as part of my “risk assessment” am wondering what happens if I get COVID on the Camino. Will an albergue put me up while I get better???I have seen lots of threads about COVID and I have done a search but have not found where anyone says they caught COVID while walking the Camino. My daughters and I are planning to return to Spain to walk the Camino spring of 2022. In our planning discussions, they asked if anyone has caught COVID while walking. It is likely that someone has but has anyone relayed the experience on this forum? I don't think the answer, either way, will change our planning but we are curious.
In a shared space in an albergue? I think not. You would need to find a private room to quarantine in.Yes, very high in my mind as I plan my trip! I’m travelling from NZ and as part of my “risk assessment” am wondering what happens if I get COVID on the Camino. Will an albergue put me up while I get better???
Wow, That’s the first I’ve seen about that. That’s really quite something and wrapped up in their tourism campaign to encourage visitors.If you should test positive in Galicia you can take advantage of the free Covid insurance that Galicia offers which provides:
I knew about it because it had been mentioned on the forum before. Perhaps it deserves its own thread. (which I'll startWow, That’s the first I’ve seen about that. That’s really quite something and wrapped up in their tourism campaign to encourage visitors.
Where do you get those?Carry a few antigen test, repackaged they weigh just a few grams.
Hi Annie - Here in Australia, you can buy Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) at pharmacies or online (I've done both) - though at the moment they are in short supply - but that will settle I'm sure - a bit like face masks and loo paper in the early days of covid. I imagine in the US you'd also buy from pharmacies and / or online - but I'm not sure. I thought I read something about Joe Biden saying they would made available for free.Where do you get those?
At the moment here in the US the home test kits are near impossible to find. I bought a few a some a couple of months ago "just in case." It may be easier to find the home kits that come with a telehealth component that makes them acceptable for travel requirements.Hi Annie - Here in Australia, you can buy Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) at pharmacies or online (I've done both) - though at the moment they are in short supply - but that will settle I'm sure - a bit like face masks and loo paper in the early days of covid. I imagine in the US you'd also buy from pharmacies and / or online - but I'm not sure. I thought I read something about Joe Biden saying they would made available for free.
Hi -At the moment here in the US the home test kits are near impossible to find. I bought a few a some a couple of months ago "just in case
I don't think that's known for sure. I have read that there have been more false negatives with Omicron, but as usual it's an evolving situation.Hi -
Do we know whether the home test kits pick up readings of the omicron variant?
I’m visiting USA west coast right now and wondering whether I need to do more.
Do we know whether the home test kits pick up readings of the omicron variant?
Thankyou @trecileI don't think that's known for sure. I have read that there have been more false negatives with Omicron, but as usual it's an evolving situation.
I'm no doctor, but those symptoms sound viral (cold, flu, Covid), not bacterial.My symptoms feel just like a bacterial infection (sore throat ., cough ,etc ) but do also have sniffly nose
Henrythedog ...by playing a banjo?Seriously you might as well ask if anyone has contracted covid in Spain whilst playing the banjo. It’s a numbers game based on proximity, frequency and duration of personal contact.
It is highly improbable that nobody has become infected whilst on Camino given the current and recent overall number of cases; but the activity is wholly irrelevant.
Walked the Camino del Norte from mid September and left first week in November from PNW via Germany back via Germany where I stayed for a week then back home. Met no one with covid and most of the pilgrims were from abroad.I have seen lots of threads about COVID and I have done a search but have not found where anyone says they caught COVID while walking the Camino. My daughters and I are planning to return to Spain to walk the Camino spring of 2022. In our planning discussions, they asked if anyone has caught COVID while walking. It is likely that someone has but has anyone relayed the experience on this forum? I don't think the answer, either way, will change our planning but we are curious.
Living in Alberta Canada. Our Chief Medical Officer said this week if you do a rapid test and you have symptoms and get a positive test, isolate; if you have symptoms and you get a negative rapid test, assume you DO have Omicron and isolate until you have no symptoms or the isolation period required. The tests are not that sensitive. I repeat if you have symptoms you are most likely infected test or not. Not my opinion, just repeating what I heard.Hi -
Do we know whether the home test kits pick up readings of the omicron variant?
I’m visiting USA west coast right now and wondering whether I need to do more.
Shouldn't be surprising. Spain far outnumbers all other nations every year. In 2015, more than 46% were Spanish. Second place was Italy, with only eight percent.Exactly. The majority of pilgrims in 2021 were Spanish.
Pilgrim's Office statistics
But with respect, how would you know? Individuals could have been infected but presenting as asymptomatic. Or suffering only mild symptoms.Walked the Camino del Norte from mid September and left first week in November from PNW via Germany back via Germany where I stayed for a week then back home. Met no one with covid and most of the pilgrims were from abroad.
They do Annie, but the are not 100% accurate, for any strain of the virus. But still useful. Was so informed by the head of infectious diseases at a major city hospital. By the way, there are a number of manufacturers of the RAT's, so it is wise to choose one that is approved by your national health authority, if you intend to use the result for purposes other than informational (eg. accessing aged-care facilities). However, the PCR test remains the definitive one.Hi -
Do we know whether the home test kits pick up readings of the omicron variant?
I’m visiting USA west coast right now and wondering whether I need to do more.
It picked up mineHi -
Do we know whether the home test kits pick up readings of the omicron variant?
I’m visiting USA west coast right now and wondering whether I need to do more.
Agree with your comments. Debating doesn’t help. I am planning on finishing my Camino del Norte in mid March provided I can get there via whatever route will be available.The question asked was whether anyone has knowledge of covid cases on the camino. People are pretty much sticking to that topic, but please remember that the forum is not the place to debate whether people should be walkng now. We know there are lots of very strong opinions on both sides of that question, and those discussions always end badly.
According to Dr. Fauchi, a PCR test is more reliable than taking one home antigen test. But if you take, an approved (not now recalled test) home test, a couple of times over a couple of days,the results have about the same reliability as the PCR Test.Thankyou @trecile
I’m doing a home test now.. but will book in for a pcr test in the following days regardless. I’m flying from Vegas to visit relatives in Dana Point (flying to Long Beach ) on jan7 and allow time for result - as I’ll stay here if need be.
It seems pointless to buy more home test kits though if omicron is so sneaky and undetectable.
My symptoms feel just like a bacterial infection (sore throat ., cough ,etc ) but do also have sniffly nose … so must rule out covid.
Yes… and making sure the method for sample acquisition if done properly. (We are volunteers with local testing programmes. We set up the kits and teach people how to use them. Spouse delivers to those unable to purchase them, not connected to people with supply etc. Many people simply don’t self-test with proper technique. Human failure is a big piece of RAT inadequacies.)According to Dr. Fauchi, a PCR test is more reliable than taking one home antigen test. But if you take, an approved (not now recalled test) home test, a couple of times over a couple of days,the results have about the same reliability as the PCR Test.
I posted this before but worth repeating. Binax has a good video on how to use their test correctly. I actually made a mistake the first time I didi it and realized the test results would be invalid. So if you can, when you can puchase them, get a few extra.Yes… and making sure the method for sample acquisition if done properly. (We are volunteers with local testing programmes. We set up the kits and teach people how to use them. Spouse delivers to those unable to purchase them, not connected to people with supply etc. Many people simply don’t self-test with proper technique. Human failure is a big piece of RAT inadequacies.)
I used a Binax test in Santiago — a gift from a departing pilgrim. It was a little stressful, but thanks to the calm souls in Pilgrim House, I got it done. It is a bit complicated to do with a phone, ideally you would have a computer with its greater stability. The internet connection actually was disrupted for a few minutes, but they certified the results anyway!I posted this before but worth repeating. Binax has a good video on how to use their test correctly. I actually made a mistake the first time I didi it and realized the test results would be invalid. So if you can, when you can puchase them, get a few extra.
Good to know about the strong surge in capacity for labs all over the place. I know I am to return home via Madrid, but I don’t know yet which route I am walking, or whether I will finish with time for testing in SdC before leaving for Madrid, so I’ve purchased the equivalent “SWITCH” brand of RT-LAMP test kit, with public health certification for the DIY…I used a Binax test in Santiago — a gift from a departing pilgrim. It was a little stressful, but thanks to the calm souls in Pilgrim House, I got it done. It is a bit complicated to do with a phone, ideally you would have a computer with its greater stability. The internet connection actually was disrupted for a few minutes, but they certified the results anyway!
Two of these tests currently cost $70 US. Plus you have to carry them with you. IMHO, given the ubiquity of labs in Spain, unless you are going to be in a smal/remotel place when testing needs to be done, I think a lab test is easier and cheaper. Spain and Portugal have really upped their covid testing game. In Lisbon, I had a choice of about 8 labs within a 20 minute walk of our hotel.
No worries. If you read my post, we were merely curious. Our decision to go (flights already booked) does not rest on the responses to this post.I'm sure your odds of catching Covid on the Camino are the same as anywhere else. You're highly unlikely to get it while walking outdoors. More likely to get it if you stay in an albergue vs. a private room. More likely to get it if you dine indoors vs. outdoors. It's up to you to decide how much you want to limit your activities to reduce exposure. Unless you stay home locked in a room you won't eliminate the risk.
Ain’t we all. Indeed, without that curiosity the biggest venture any of us would have ever undertaken would have been “this tree? next tree?” somewhere in the SerengetiNo worries. If you read my post, we were merely curious.
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