Coronavirus - how is it/has it affected you?

Foxholer

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Billysboots

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SocketRocket said:
Yes I do and in general it's in response to posters like yourself who keep telling us there's nothing to be concerned about and how we just need to get on with it.
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To be fair, I’m not sure anyone is saying there is nothing to be concerned about. I’m certainly not.

But equally I do think that Covid is no longer the terrifying disease which first emerged in late 2019/early 2020. A lot has been learned about the virus, how to treat it and, indeed, how to prevent it. And it seems undeniable now that it is no longer as severe as it once was.

There are an awful lot of people, here and elsewhere, who seem to be struggling to keep things in perspective. And I do wonder how much this is to do with the press and media scaremongering, which has been so prevalent throughout the pandemic.
 
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Billysboots said:
To be fair, I’m not sure anyone is saying there is nothing to be concerned about. I’m certainly not.

But equally I do think that Covid is no longer the terrifying disease which first emerged in late 2019/early 2020. A lot has been learned about the virus, how to treat it and, indeed, how to prevent it. And it seems undeniable now that it is no longer as severe as it once was.

There are an awful lot of people, here and elsewhere, who seem to be struggling to keep things in perspective. And I do wonder how much this is to do with the press and media scaremongering, which has been so prevalent throughout the pandemic.
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I don’t believe there is anyone on here that views Covid in the same way they did 12 or 24 months ago, I’m not sure how you can say they seem to be struggling to keep things in perspective, people have been affected in different ways, ie, had covid once or twice, lost loved ones, struggled mentally or financially or even had very little impact on their lives, whatever they’ve gone through everyone agrees on getting back to some sort of new normal, it is purely the timescale that has different opinions.

Some of those on here who appear to be quite blase about the situation could be asked if they’ve took to much notice of the facebook/twitter covid experts during the pandemic and have difficulty seperating fact from fiction.
 
SocketRocket

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We all want to get back to a normal way of life, does anyone believe people want this horrible situation to continue a day longer than necessary

What some are saying is that we need to remove restrictions carefully and not in a way that has the potential to create new surges in infections/deaths/NHS collapse.

At this time we are not in a lockdown situation, the rules we have to abide by are not Draconian so the public aren't being asked much of.
 
AmandaJR

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Personally I need to focus on the positives in restrictions being lifted. I'm working this week in a primary school and then on Thursday is the funeral of a friend who died from Covid. I'm trying not to stress about both things in terms of "what if I get it" and "what if I spread it". I'll take precautions in terms of face mask, sanitising and social distancing where possible but will try not to get so anxious about the possible outcomes. It's just not healthy or sustainable.
 
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pauldj42 said:
I don’t believe there is anyone on here that views Covid in the same way they did 12 or 24 months ago, I’m not sure how you can say they seem to be struggling to keep things in perspective, people have been affected in different ways, ie, had covid once or twice, lost loved ones, struggled mentally or financially or even had very little impact on their lives, whatever they’ve gone through everyone agrees on getting back to some sort of new normal, it is purely the timescale that has different opinions.

Some of those on here who appear to be quite blase about the situation could be asked if they’ve took to much notice of the facebook/twitter covid experts during the pandemic and have difficulty seperating fact from fiction.
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Really? I’m not going to trawl back through every post on this thread, or indeed others where the issue of Covid has been raised, but there are contributors here who won’t go to a pub, restaurant, cinema, football match and so on, because they are terrified to venture out.

Whilst absolutely acknowledging that some have really good grounds for keeping themselves out of harms way, equally there are others who really are being ultra cautious when they perhaps have little valid reason. How do I know this? Not least because I was one of those people. I believed what I read, saw and heard and, because I have a mild underlying condition I was absolutely terrified Covid would kill me. Yes, seriously.

I accept everyone has their own stance on what is right for them, but maintain that too many are really struggling to view the general threat posed by Covid, as well as the threat to them personally, in any sort of perspective. Recent weeks have seen around 100k reported infections every day. They are the ones we know about, and clearly the true figure is way, way higher. And yet the deaths WITH Covid are a fraction of that. A tiny fraction.

In two years I have only come across one person who has lost someone known to them as a result of Covid. That’s despite working in an organisation which employed around 6,000 staff. None of my social contacts knows anyone, or knows anyone who knows anyone, who has lost someone because of Covid. That does not dismiss the fact that there have been Covid related deaths, but when you consider there will be tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, just like me then maybe you can start to see why I start to question perspective. Less than 1% of those known to have been infected with Covid in the U.K. have died with it. The true percentage of those actually infected with Covid who have died because of it will be far less. That is undeniable.

So maybe, just maybe, the decision makers are right to start easing restrictions. And maybe, in a couple of months, they will be right to relax the requirement to self isolate. There can’t be many people left who either haven’t had Covid, or aren’t fully vaccinated. A good number fall into both categories.

So I repeat the question I raised a day or so ago. To those who think the relaxation of restrictions is happening too quickly, just how long do you want to retain them? I wholeheartedly agree the restrictions are not onerous but that is not the point. My point is how long do you think we should retain them?

If those sections of the press/media who have peddled their scaremongering articles for two years dipped into this forum at times, they really would be rubbing their hands in smug satisfaction at what they have achieved.
 
Ethan

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Billysboots said:
Really? I’m not going to trawl back through every post on this thread, or indeed others where the issue of Covid has been raised, but there are contributors here who won’t go to a pub, restaurant, cinema, football match and so on, because they are terrified to venture out.

Whilst absolutely acknowledging that some have really good grounds for keeping themselves out of harms way, equally there are others who really are being ultra cautious when they perhaps have little valid reason. How do I know this? Not least because I was one of those people. I believed what I read, saw and heard and, because I have a mild underlying condition I was absolutely terrified Covid would kill me. Yes, seriously.

I accept everyone has their own stance on what is right for them, but maintain that too many are really struggling to view the general threat posed by Covid, as well as the threat to them personally, in any sort of perspective. Recent weeks have seen around 100k reported infections every day. They are the ones we know about, and clearly the true figure is way, way higher. And yet the deaths WITH Covid are a fraction of that. A tiny fraction.

In two years I have only come across one person who has lost someone known to them as a result of Covid. That’s despite working in an organisation which employed around 6,000 staff. None of my social contacts knows anyone, or knows anyone who knows anyone, who has lost someone because of Covid. That does not dismiss the fact that there have been Covid related deaths, but when you consider there will be tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, just like me then maybe you can start to see why I start to question perspective. Less than 1% of those known to have been infected with Covid in the U.K. have died with it. The true percentage of those actually infected with Covid who have died because of it will be far less. That is undeniable.

So maybe, just maybe, the decision makers are right to start easing restrictions. And maybe, in a couple of months, they will be right to relax the requirement to self isolate. There can’t be many people left who either haven’t had Covid, or aren’t fully vaccinated. A good number fall into both categories.

So I repeat the question I raised a day or so ago. To those who think the relaxation of restrictions is happening too quickly, just how long do you want to retain them? I wholeheartedly agree the restrictions are not onerous but that is not the point. My point is how long do you think we should retain them?

If those sections of the press/media who have peddled their scaremongering articles for two years dipped into this forum at times, they really would be rubbing their hands in smug satisfaction at what they have achieved.
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I will be going to see the Select Car Leasing Stadium this afternoon to watch Reading slump to yet another ignominious defeat (at the hands of the hated Huddersfield). I am more terrified that we will get some more injuries and further deplete our virtually non-existent forward line, and fall further into the relegation zone than I am of catching Covid, but I am still going to try not to catch Covid. On the way, I will drive and will put my seatbelt on in the car. I guess that means i am terrified of smashing my face into the windscreen, and to be fair, I would rather not do that, even though it is quite unlikely.

But it seems I need to say it again. IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT DEATHS! A stay in the ICU, A stay in the ICU, the hospital, a week in your own bed with borderline hypoxia, long Covid, subclinical damage that later mean you need dialysis, killing your granny etc etc are all to be avoided.

A lot of hope is invested in the idea that Omicron is mild and is Covid's last hurrah. Neither one might really be true. On your question on when relaxation should occur, I answered PNW some posts ago to say when hospitalisations fall below 1000, and I would keep masks even then for a bit longer. Numbers may kick up again when WFH stops.

Language that refers to people who advise caution as scaremongering and those who follow it as terrified is neither helpful not accurate.
 
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Ethan said:
I will be going to see the Select Car Leasing Stadium this afternoon to watch Reading slump to yet another ignominious defeat (at the hands of the hated Huddersfield). I am more terrified that we will get some more injuries and further deplete our virtually non-existent forward line, and fall further into the relegation zone than I am of catching Covid, but I am still going to try not to catch Covid. On the way, I will drive and will put my seatbelt on in the car. I guess that means i am terrified of smashing my face into the windscreen, and to be fair, I would rather not do that, even though it is quite unlikely.

But it seems I need to say it again. IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT DEATHS! A stay in the ICU, A stay in the ICU, the hospital, a week in your own bed with borderline hypoxia, long Covid, subclinical damage that later mean you need dialysis, killing your granny etc etc are all to be avoided.

A lot of hope is invested in the idea that Omicron is mild and is Covid's last hurrah. Neither one might really be true. On your question on when relaxation should occur, I answered PNW some posts ago to say when hospitalisations fall below 1000, and I would keep masks even then for a bit longer. Numbers may kick up again when WFH stops.

Language that refers to people who advise caution as scaremongering and those who follow it as terrified is neither helpful not accurate.
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Again, I agree with much of what you say. Apart from hating Huddersfield, obviously.

I never want to catch an illness. I much prefer good health. And I’m in absolutely no rush to wind up in ICU, I assure you. Please be reassured that I am in no way dismissive of those who have suffered directly because of this awful virus, either those who have fallen ill or died, their friends and loved ones, or those in the NHS who have worked so hard. Nobody will ever forget the awful TV images which appeared on our screens in the spring of 2020.

But we are no longer in the spring of 2020. We have moved on. As of yesterday there were fewer than 700 in ICU. The virus is still with us, but there is no denying it has evolved, as has the way we treat and prevent it.

What hasn’t evolved in too many cases is our view of it, and what it means, both in general and to us as individuals. A bit more perspective is required.

EDIT: And certain sections of the press haven’t been advising caution. They’ve been scaremongering, pure and simple, and I hope at some point they will be censured for their behaviour.
 
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Fade and Die

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Billysboots said:
To be fair, I’m not sure anyone is saying there is nothing to be concerned about. I’m certainly not.

But equally I do think that Covid is no longer the terrifying disease which first emerged in late 2019/early 2020. A lot has been learned about the virus, how to treat it and, indeed, how to prevent it. And it seems undeniable now that it is no longer as severe as it once was.

There are an awful lot of people, here and elsewhere, who seem to be struggling to keep things in perspective. And I do wonder how much this is to do with the press and media scaremongering, which has been so prevalent throughout the pandemic.
Click to expand...

The pandemic is over. And the world is now divided into those that know it and those that don’t want to know it.
 
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Bunkermagnet said:
I will continue to take precautions and wear my mask when inside anywhere other than my own home, and whilst i accept CV19 is diminishing in potency and it's lethal nature, I don't think the rapid removal of measures being taken is anything other than a diversion for certain actions of others.
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And the reason the rest of Europe is opening up? All part of the diversion?

https://www.euronews.com/travel/2022/01/17/what-s-the-latest-on-european-travel-restrictions
 
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