Coronavirus - how is it/has it affected you?

[road2ruin]

The vaccines do work

I said ‘if’.

 

[SocketRocket]

I said ‘if’.

If my aunty had a willy she'd be my uncle.

 

[AmandaJR]

I hate lockdown but would rather an extra few weeks than undo all the hard work and "sacrifices" so far.

I've finished my first 1000 piece jigsaw and have started the guitar again - little things that break the day up or I'd go nuts.

 

[D-S]

Patients in hospital now 26k from peak on 18/1 at 39k - dropping now at a rate of 1k per day. The 'overwhelmed NHS' risk is receding fast.

 

[SocketRocket]

I hate lockdown but would rather an extra few weeks than undo all the hard work and "sacrifices" so far.

I've finished my first 1000 piece jigsaw and have started the guitar again - little things that break the day up or I'd go nuts.

How are your fingertips with the guitar strings.

 

[AmandaJR]

How are your fingertips with the guitar strings.

Well I did get some "nice" callouses but they've all gone! As it turns out though it's not too bad and I can play as long as I want to without too much discomfort. Not that I play for long!!

I was going through an online lessons course and practicing chord changes a lot so maybe got a bit stuck/bored. At the moment I'm just learning an easy song a week and trying to nail it. So currently it's Bob Marley's Three Little Birds and today managed to play along (and "sing") to the original which I was quite chuffed with

 

[Swinglowandslow]

I think you know what I mean. If you sit at home watching Netflix rather than leaving your home, you exchange the risk of contacting a case or getting knocked down by a bus for the risks associated with more sedentary activity and no contact with other humans. Life is not risk-free. People are very bad at trading off different risks, and Covid vaccination is an excellent example. People claim to be concerned about the safety of the vaccination whilst ignoring the ICUs full of people with the alternative.

Agree. But you did post in reply to my "no risk" statement , when I think you knew what I meant. ?

 

[Swinglowandslow]

I guess it depends on what the serious relaxations are - that’s over 6 weeks away and can certainly see a lot of the outdoor activities being allowed again at the same time as schools open

It’s going to be hard to keep people locked away and businesses closed when the numbers keep dropping

Yes, but they are only dropping because of the restrictions( with a little help from vaccinations,?)
If they are relaxed too soon, we may be seeing the figures start to go the other way.
I think this time, the change will be more measured.
But, yes the vaccinations are a big difference,.

As an aside, we have the figures for those vaccinated. I had a letter from a friend today - late seventies- had been in hospital over Xmas, apparently.
Found to have got Covid but had no symptoms! Now home and Ok.
Prompted a thought. How many have had Covid and recovered, and who. I presume have antibodies, and are now not at significant risk .
Add these figures to the vaccinated, and it must now be getting quite a good figure of those who are comparatively safe.?

 

[SaintHacker]

Prompted a thought. How many have had Covid and recovered, and who. I presume have antibodies, and are now not at significant risk .
Add these figures to the vaccinated, and it must now be getting quite a good figure of those who are comparatively safe.?

This is something I've wondered about. Shame they couldn't mass test people for antibodies then use that data as well to prioritise vaccines by not giving it straight to someone that basically doesn't need it yet

 

[larmen]

At the moment I'm just learning an easy song a week and trying to nail it. So currently it's Bob Marley's Three Little Birds and today managed to play along (and "sing") to the original which I was quite chuffed with

This sounds like you are using Justin Guitar videos as a tutor? I learned that one early on as well, sometime before I gave up ;-)
I think there was a discussion here as well about learning guitar. That's why I started in the 1st place.

 

[Deleted member 21784]

I'd find it extremely unlikely to think that you'd find a single person who would think that. It's just plainly a statement, there will come a point in time where people won't accept not seeing friends and families as they wish. Opening of bars, restaurants events etc are things that are more easily enforced to keep closed, but I'd like to see (not really) what a lockdown would look like if it kept on through to May/June. I don't envisage a very high compliant rate.

With the greatest respect sod opening the bars and restaurants etc people just want some face to face company

Back at start of all this when the first "roadmap" was published the following was looked into bubbles ... Like new Zealand .. none of this you can have one if you have a kid or live alone just every house could form a bubble

I really believe if each house was allowed say 1 bubble . Every house no matter who then people would cope better just for some human contact

 

[larmen]

This is something I've wondered about. Shame they couldn't mass test people for antibodies then use that data as well to prioritise vaccines by not giving it straight to someone that basically doesn't need it yet

Isn't the antibody effect 'short lasting' while the vaccine effect last a lot longer?

 

[AmandaJR]

This sounds like you are using Justin Guitar videos as a tutor? I learned that one early on as well, sometime before I gave up ;-)
I think there was a discussion here as well about learning guitar. That's why I started in the 1st place.

It is indeed and I was also in the previous chat which may have been hundreds of pages ago on this thread.

I found a nice tutorial with a sing along and worked with that for a couple of days before trying the original. I'm finding that singing along is really helping my ability to keep time/count somehow which is something I'm pretty poor at.

https://www.laurenbateman.com/three-little-birds-chord-chart

I've already planned "Leaving on a Jet Plane" for next week

I also use https://www.andyguitar.co.uk/

 

[D-S]

After Lockdown 1, a proper one unlike the brief November half hearted one, the numbers continued to go down from the mid April peak until September despite the ‘eat out August‘ thing, the throngs on the beaches, lots of protest marches etc. and a continuing easing of restrictions - they only started increasing early October coinciding with school and university return and wetter colder weather. So just a gentle progressive easing doesn’t mean a boom in infections deaths and hospital admissions - then factor in vaccinations and as above more people with anti bodies and I think we can see some sort of normality returning by early summer.

 

[Deleted member 25172]

With the greatest respect sod opening the bars and restaurants etc people just want some face to face company

Back at start of all this when the first "roadmap" was published the following was looked into bubbles ... Like new Zealand .. none of this you can have one if you have a kid or live alone just every house could form a bubble

I really believe if each house was allowed say 1 bubble . Every house no matter who then people would cope better just for some human contact

Yeah, that's what my point really. You can keep bars, restaurants etc shut, but people will not adhere to lockdown when it comes to seeing friends and family, whether that be in parks or meeting up at home for bbq's etc etc.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

The issue would be that we have a vaccine so if that doesn't work then what do we do? We cannot stay in perpetual lockdown cycles so IF (and it's an unlikely if with any luck) the vaccines didn't work I just cannot see a lot of people complying. I think this would be different to people 'going off in a huff', this would be our main weapon against the weapon has failed and we cannot socially or economically go into lockdown again especially for a virus that doesn't (fortunately) affect the majority of people in a severe way.

And so what would all those folks then expect to happen...? I can guess what I think they expect to happen...they expect the vaccines to sufficiently reduce the likelihood of serious Covid-19 illness developing in an individual that hospitalisation for the vast majority catching the virus is not required - and the NHS ticks along - coping.

And yes that is fine and is hopefully just what is going to happen. But simply to state that - notwithstanding the success of the vaccines - if for whatever reason 'the' virus starts causing significant issues then tough - the public won't accept any more lockdowns. Thing is - if you say it enough times a lot of folks will believe it and think it a reasonable view for them to take also.

But as Admiral Yamamoto said after being told that Japan would rule the Pacific for 18months after the planned attack on Pearl Harbour - Then what...?

 

[Swinglowandslow]

Not seeing friends as frequently as we'd have liked and would have done in normal times.

And so to earlier today I hear from my wife that the partner of one of our closest friends - one of my wife's 'besties' who is also mum of one of my daughter's best friends - collapsed and died in town yesterday. 61...

He did have a health issue - perhaps needing surgery at some time - but not one that his consultant thought worth worrying about at the moment - something that he could manage. We don't know if this was in any way connected, but this is one hell of a shock for us. We saw them when out for a walk only a couple of weeks back...we were in town and all had a laugh about not recognising each other 'behind the masks'.

Nothing to do with the virus as such - but how the pandemic has completely thrown aspects of our lives into levels of disarray...and what that can mean. And I look to myself...and reflect that we just don't know what is round the corner of life.

Yes, life is so unpredictable. Times like these when the saying
" live every day as if it's your last", makes a strong case for itself.
Sorry for your loss, H.

 

[road2ruin]

And yes that is fine and is hopefully just what is going to happen. But simply to state that - notwithstanding the success of the vaccines - if for whatever reason 'the' virus starts causing significant issues then tough - the public won't accept any more lockdowns. Thing is - if you say it enough times a lot of folks will believe it and think it a reasonable view for them to take also.

But 'IF', again this is purely hypothetical, the vaccines were not successful again the virus then to a degree then would have to be an element of 'tough'. They cannot keep doing lockdowns as it just kicks the can down the road and unless they're going to support everyone equally (financially) then you will not get buy in to the lockdown. Whilst it sounds brutal the figures go to show that this virus isn't deadly to the vast majority so you cannot keep everyone lockdown (or expect them to accept being locked down) so at some point you have to make the decision as to whether you let people just get on with it.

Again, this is only if the vaccine side of things went pear shaped, I am more than happy to keep going for another couple of months if it means we finally get out of lockdown for good obviously with the understanding that even after that couple of months there are still going to be restrictions however there would be more freedom.

 

[funkycoldmedina]

Isn't the antibody effect 'short lasting' while the vaccine effect last a lot longer?

The vaccine creates the antibodies like the virus and in both scenarios the antibodies disappear with time as they do with any virus. Memory cells are triggered through either the vaccine or virus and this provides the ling term immunity.

 

[Deleted member 21784]

Yeah, that's what my point really. You can keep bars, restaurants etc shut, but people will not adhere to lockdown when it comes to seeing friends and family, whether that be in parks or meeting up at home for bbq's etc etc.

Ah fair enough I just jumped in because it gets my goat

For example we have 2 bubbles because of the kids

1 support bubble (in law's)

1 childcare bubble (my parents) for childcare when I'm working mostly or if eldest just needs a run around nanny's big garden keep her entertained as we can't do as much for her now twins are here

Anyways my sister has zero bubbles .. just her and her husband

Can only meet the parents (one at a time) for a walk now and again

My lockdown is much less mentally draining