How to avoid catching it in the long run

[Therabble]

Just that really. Pretty easy to avoid catching it during lockdown but once normal things start happening again how will we be able to avoid catching it over the next 12 months?

It's important to avoid getting it right now because 1. It will burden the nhs and 2. Your life may be more at risk if there isn't enough hospital equipment and you need critical/intensive care.

But your likelihood of getting really sick from it isn't going to be different if you catch it now or in 6 months time, presumably. Does this mean we will have to avoid seeing grandparents etc for a year/until a vaccine is out?

[wheresmymojo]

I'm fully planning to keep myself in a state of semi-lockdown as far as possible.

I won't be going to anywhere with crowds. I'll be avoiding public transport if I can. I won't be going to restaurants/pubs/anywhere with groups of people.

I will go back to visiting friends but on a one-to-one/small group basis only.

[refraction]

Also the longer you take to catch it the more research has been done on the virus. The more antivirals and other treatments will have been investigated and as you said more chance of not crowding the NHS.

[SquashedFlyBiscuit]

Im wortied about this. High risk and cant seeit being any safer once lockdowns over....

[CheesyHousePlant]

It wont be circulating as much. We will have some sort of an immunity test or vaccine of some effectiveness. Also we are aware- six months ago how often did you wash your hands? Post lockdown anxiety will be common but the risk wont be as high.

[Matildathehun77]

Well I'm a bit of a miserable bugger so that's in my favour. Don't like crowded places, pubs or clubs and am much happier sitting in with one or two friends..... so I'll do that. Also not a massive touchy feels person so I can quite easily keep a decent distance from people. Apart from that though I don't know. Stay healthy, have good hygiene habits and hope for the best I suppose 🤷‍♂️

[quirrels]

I'm resigned to not leaving the house until there is a vaccine. I have lung damage and on immunosuppressive drugs.

[BirdieFriendReturns]

It might take two years for a vaccine and then it will take YEARS to vaccinate 70 million people. Not sure how the vaccine will be paid for when nobody will have a job to pay taxes.

[SquashedFlyBiscuit]

I could not leave the house but I can't keep my kids off school when they are told to go back. Or my husband from work..

[Therabble]

I don't think a vaccine will be ready for a year or so though right? And you can only get immunity if you've had it... and even then possibly not from what I've read (eg if you have it mildly or there's more than one strain?)

So yeah, I get that hygiene will be better and it will be circulating a bit less but still the risk will be there won't it... just scary to think you'll be taking a risk every time you so any thing and risk of passing it on to see parents/grandparents 😕

[NurseJaques]

I'm so interested in this discussion. I'm working on a covid ward now so resigned to the fact I'm likely to catch it and have to take my chances. But what about the people who've done as they were asked and stayed inside? People will have to come out eventually!

Todays estimate is less than 10% of population have had it so we are a long way off herd immunity and as far as I'm aware there has never been a successful vaccination for a coronavirus

[Therabble]

Sorry cross post. But yeah, I feel like the fallout from all this is going to be worse than anyone can imagine. How will I ever freely see friends again? Kids at school etc surely it will keep circulating

[BirdieFriendReturns]

I don’t have any suggestions but I do know that we can’t all stay inside for the next decade. Not sure what the plan is.

[Wagsandclaws]

This is my biggest fear. I have severe asthma and diabetes and I have my 80 year old Mum living with us ... I'm 48 and if either her or I get it there is little hope.

My DH has to go back to work though eventually and my dc's ( 7 & 11) have to go back to school. I'm also resigned to someone bringing it home even if I stay in.

I'm sorting out a will with DH next week, it should have been done anyway but now there seems a little more urgency

[BirdieFriendReturns]

By the time they find a vaccine and everybody is inoculated, they’ll be a new disease coming along.

[NurseJaques]

@Wagsandclaws the chances of surviving for people over 80 is still about 90% and we have had patients with multiple health risks recover well too so theres plenty of hope

[LastTrainEast]

Hopefully those who had it will be immune and if so a good proportion of the people you interact with will be safe. It won't be 100% but if you're in a queue or on a bus and the 4 people closest to you are immune that is a huge improvement on your chances.

[ChipotleBlessing]

I think essentially we’re all going to have to adjust to lower life expectancy. Lockdown can’t continue forever, a vaccine is at least two years away. Probably 80% of us will have it before a vaccine comes. We can take some precautions, but eventually most of us will have to go through it.

[Growingboys]

Eh? @ChipotleBlessing Lower life expectancy?

[BestOption]

My job involves contact with children at a boarding school - loads of international children who will come flooding back once school reopens, so I don't think I can avoid it, unless I give up my job 😫 so, some tough decisions coming up.

My biggest fear of getting it now is not getting any/enough/the correct treatment in hospital. Once things have calmed down a bit, I don't think I'll be so scared of getting it.

I'll remain fastidious about washing my hands (both frequency & thoroughly) and staying on top of my (diet controlled) diabetes & high blood pressure.

I'll continue to avoid eating/drinking out. I'll avoid busy cities for a while.

I'll use bleach/dettol more frequently than I was ore this on door handles/flushes/remotes/worktops etc. I had deliberately stopped using so much product

Biggest risk will be starting to see SO again. He's nowhere near as careful as I am, but I miss him!

[Mixitupalot]

I am a key worker, I work housing doctors. What they have explained to me is so frightening, despite my efforts I am pretty sure I’ll have it within the next few months.

I vaccine is at least 12-18 months away and the lockdown will have to be lifted then put back in place (2nd wave). I really wish I could be at home I’d feel much safer but apart from work I havnt been anywhere in 4 weeks. In the long run I don’t think it’s realistic to live like this.

[ChipotleBlessing]

@Growingboys If a lot of extra people die a lot earlier than they would otherwise have done, average life expectancy goes down. Sorry, I didn’t think that would need an explanation...

[AmelieTaylor]

@NurseJaques -any fat diabetics with high blood pressure?!

It's ok to lie to me 🤣

[PuzzledObserver]

Not sure how the vaccine will be paid for when nobody will have a job to pay taxes.

Money is a confidence trick. The government can just create it. As long as the banks go along with it - which they will - the government can pay for the vaccines, support businesses etc. So people will be working and paying tax. And by the time our grandchildren retire, we might have paid it back.

[Slychomping]

It's a good question. I think more people died in the October of the year of the Spanish flu outbreak in 1918, than in the March when it first struck. However, we (hopefully!) have better testing and tracking capabilities nowadays and will have a vaccine eventually.

Governments will presumably learn from one another as to how best to gradually return to semi-normality again but all the science bods seem to be saying there is still lots to learn about this new virus. The early signs from the Far East is that some countries have apparently had to reimpose some lockdown measures again after initially relaxing them, as Covid-19 is proving difficult to contain. The question is, is this because the virus reactivates after a while in people who have had it, or are the majority of cases people getting it anew?

Personally I will be restricting my travel and I am praying my DH will do so too! He's self-employed and travels a lot for work but I worry that if there are different strains of the virus in different parts of the world, he could potentially become vulnerable to another strain abroad. I'm no expert though so I'm not sure about this.

Personally I think it's best to proceed with extreme caution though until we know more... .

[NurseJaques]

@AmelieTaylor I can honestly say plenty have done OK!

My hospital has 7 cases in icu, less than 50 on wards and 67 discharged and recovered patients. Our eldest recovery so far was a lady of 101 many of our recovering patients are from high risk groups xx