Well, in the last three weeks, we've been on holiday (UK), had family visitors from up North to stay for a weekend, been down to Bournemouth and out to dinner to celebrate triple family birthdays and yesterday met up with 8 friends in their garden for lunch. We've been to innumerable cafes, public loos, service stations and places of interest.
We have really enjoyed the last few weeks, it feels like we've got our life back.
We're not afraid.
Have you enjoyed yours?
If we do catch covid, you can all tell me 'told you so'.
@Lizzie27 I too am doing everything I can to get back to normal, when you are working as usual I think you need your leisure activities to break up the monotony and I am more likely to get covid at work than in a restaurant. I have never been afraid but I realise I am in the minority. The government has done a good job of frightening people. The new variant of covid is unpleasant, a bit like flu I have heard but it doesn’t seem to be a killer and I take risks every time I get into a vehicle or work in my garden or interact with other humans. I choose to take those risks as an adult and I respect others choices but don’t want them imposed on me. Things have to change back to what they were. If not now, when? Covid isn’t going away.
Wasn't the virus in India allegedly affecting younger age groups more? Presumably the medical groups this end looked into the India data to see the dominant variant there, its effect and the potential effect here if the same variant spread.
I thought I understood this. From the outset, I think I recall the Gov (and the scientists) saying that schools were not a 'vector' (I took that to mean a pool of infection). From the data it seemed to show that young people weren't getting symptomatic Covid and when they did it was light symptoms and death was rare. Fine.
For a while now, the Gov (presumably based on the science) seem to be getting close to vaccinating younger age groups - why would that be the case if schools aren't a vector? Following on from that, when explaining the reasoning behind 'Freedom Day' (reminds me of a blue Mel Gibson - painted not mouthed) they (the Gov) have said on a few occasions 'if not now then when' (isn't that a Tracy Chapman song? - hope they've paid her royalties) - quoting school holidays as a factor implying the holidays will help slow the spread. Again, if schools aren't a vector, what difference do school holidays make?
Am with you Deb's,bit ironic last summer when I said Covid would still be around this year,I was told I was barking. I am aware,I respect the virus, it not living in fear. My life wasn't changed in lockdown,2 disabled sons, single daughter I bubbled with for childcare,I went shopping,sorted out kids,meals,jabs, grandkids.
I completely agree that lots more help should be offered to the vulnerable but someone like myself, no health issues and under 60, I need to resume my normal life , I need to go shopping so that delivery slots are available for those that need them and I need to support the hospitality and arts sectors so they are still there when everyone needs them. I feel that as someone who worked all through and used public transport most days I see things differently and there is a noticeable improvement in mood at work now that life isn’t just work and sleep and never go out.
Is there a chance that the knock on effect of easing the lockdown will be a lack of or slowing down of 'real' data?
If people no longer use the NHS app (they don't want to be pinged - because they don't want to isolate), or don't get tested (why get tested if you're not going to isolate?) or don't give data to Zoe, is there going to be a dearth of 'real' data that may compare to the early months of the pandemic?
In those days wasn't there a triple layer before data collection - ie symptoms->isolate->111->Test/Hospitalisation.
So the hospitalisation and test was the indication of who had the virus and the infection rate inferred.
Is the data still flowing for the scientists (and then the gov) to react to and will it still be in two/three weeks?
I am watching this site which looks at All Cause Mortality in certain European countries. https://euromomo.eu/ EuroMOMO is a European mortality monitoring activity, aiming to detect and measure excess deaths related to seasonal influenza, pandemics and other public health threats.
It is interesting that looking at it today all the countries taking part are showing very low level death rates,you would hardly know there was a pandemic. I think it shows that concentrating on just Covid death figures does not show the whole picture. (sample graph for England below.)
“Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
I will continue to be as careful as I can when out shopping etc because I want to be able to visit my parents and friends, if they want me to (which they might not when the news comes out about vaccine protection declining). But how do we avoid being breathed on by the people who choose not to wear masks and not to keep their distance (probably the same ones who'll delete the track and trace app so they won't even know if they might be spreading COVID around)? Is my freedom to protect myself and my family while having something approaching normality less important than their freedom to do exactly as they like? Surely wearing masks and keeping your distance when the other people around you
aren't your friends, family etc, eg in the shops and on public
transport, is a small price to pay for being able to mix socially with more people in more places. I suspect Boris and his pals have their eyes on the next election and are doing what they think will win most votes. I suspect they'll have to backtrack at some point.
Sorry for the rant, I'm feeling grumpy about it today after having seen quite a few folks gadding around maskless in Tesco yesterday as if nothing was amiss, despite signs and announcements asking people to wear masks unless medically exempt.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
We've been to innumerable cafes, public loos, service stations and places of interest.
We have really enjoyed the last few weeks, it feels like we've got our life back.
We're not afraid.
Have you enjoyed yours?
If we do catch covid, you can all tell me 'told you so'.
EuroMOMO is a European mortality monitoring activity, aiming to detect and measure excess deaths related to seasonal influenza, pandemics and other public health threats.
It is interesting that looking at it today all the countries taking part are showing very low level death rates,you would hardly know there was a pandemic.
I think it shows that concentrating on just Covid death figures does not show the whole picture.
(sample graph for England below.)