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Covid

What do you think life will be like if there's no vaccine or cure...

103 replies

Lou0808 · 30/06/2020 09:55

Just that really?

Will our lives be lived forever having to social distance? Always having to wear masks.
Will that just be our new normal?



I know my post is a bit gloomy, and I am trying to hold onto hope that there will eventually be a vaccine.

But seriously, what if there never is?


I was so looking forward to taking my DD to a family festival next year.
Holidays, swimming.

I hope one day we can do this but it makes me sad to think of al the things she could miss out on. 😕

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Redolent · 30/06/2020 09:59

I think countries will then have to start focusing on eliminating the virus within their borders, New Zealand style. Life there is completely back to normal.

There will probably be 30 min saliva tests for covid that will become mandatory at airports. The travel industry will take a big hit but it’ll be preferable to a cycle of damaging lockdowns.

But realistically, many scientists believe we’ll have a vaccine by spring next year. Or more than one.

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Lou0808 · 30/06/2020 10:02

@Redolent

I'm really keeping my hopes up for a vaccine.

I watched a good seminar by Sarah Gilbert for the Oxford trials. I thought it seemed positive!!

I just can't imagine what life will be like if this has to be our new "normal".

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Triangularbubble · 30/06/2020 10:09

Lots of younger or otherwise less vulnerable will decide to get back to normal life (many doing it now), life expectancy of the elderly and vulnerable will decrease and eventually it’ll just be another endemic virus. I don’t think that’s likely though. My hunch is a vacccine and treatments will be found that while not making things 100% safe make things safe enough that the vast majority of people will get on with things.

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Triangularbubble · 30/06/2020 10:10

That said, if we never went back to handshakes and air kissing for example it would be no great loss!

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FrugiFan · 30/06/2020 10:14

@Triangularbubble

Lots of younger or otherwise less vulnerable will decide to get back to normal life (many doing it now), life expectancy of the elderly and vulnerable will decrease and eventually it’ll just be another endemic virus. I don’t think that’s likely though. My hunch is a vacccine and treatments will be found that while not making things 100% safe make things safe enough that the vast majority of people will get on with things.

I agree with this. We have lived alongside viruses for thousands of years. Some much less dangerous than covid, many more dangerous. This one is new and therefore we are more susceptible to it but over time more people will have it and recover from it and it will just become another one of those diseases which comes back every year and could kill you.
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echt · 30/06/2020 10:14

I think treatment will improve and countries will lockdown. I'm in Australia and hope they'll do this, with a bubble to NZ.

I'm 65 so shitting myself a bit, though preparing to piss away my pension on whatever grey nomads' travel is left in this wide brown land.

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Grasspigeons · 30/06/2020 10:14

I think it depends if you become immune or if it goes round each year like flu. If you become immune, eventually it will get more and more normal and hopefully be something you aim to get as young as possible and things will revert to mormal. . If it goes round and round its a bit scarier and society will gradually shift to things like more smaller hospitals, more smaller schools and so on. There will be a bigger push for accurate quick testing

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TARSCOUT · 30/06/2020 10:27

I have no intention in getting vaccinated so I guess I will just have to take my chances. I have no issues with not hugging and kissing those out with my household, nor do I have issues wearing a mask. I am.auto immune and have had cancer
I have made this decision lightly.

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TARSCOUT · 30/06/2020 10:27

NOT made this decision lightly

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Isthisfinallyit · 30/06/2020 10:51

Even if tgere won't be a vaccine the treatment options are getting better and better all the time. If it's less deadly because of a good treatment then it's not a problem anymore.

Although I personally love tge no kissing, no hugs, no handshakes. Can we keep that? I hate being touched agsinst my will just because of societies customs.

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Davodia · 30/06/2020 10:53

A vaccine is worth a fortune. 8 billion doses needed, possibly on an annual basis. Not to mention the benefits to the economy of returning to normal. Governments and companies are pumping a shit ton of time and money into this - there will be a vaccine.

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AgeLikeWine · 30/06/2020 10:58

Realistically, there will be a vaccine. It’s just a case of when.

If, and it’s a very remote possibility, there isn’t then herd immunity would eventually be established but it would be at the cost of tens of thousands more lives of the vulnerable in the UK

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fortmums · 30/06/2020 11:18

Here is an article from Nature journal from 2015 where the Wuhan lab and US scientists created novel chimeric virus like sars and deliberately infected mice (through many generations to make it as infectious as possible) and the mice were very ill/died. It seems from the research that they found hardly any antibodies and no treatment.

www.nature.com/articles/nm.3985

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Lou0808 · 30/06/2020 12:56

[quote fortmums]Here is an article from Nature journal from 2015 where the Wuhan lab and US scientists created novel chimeric virus like sars and deliberately infected mice (through many generations to make it as infectious as possible) and the mice were very ill/died. It seems from the research that they found hardly any antibodies and no treatment.

www.nature.com/articles/nm.3985[/quote]
So does this suggest there will never be treatment or vaccine found?

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feelingverylazytoday · 30/06/2020 13:54

So does this suggest there will never be treatment or vaccine found?
There already are treatments - Remsdesivir, Dexemethasone, oxygen therapy, convalescent plasma therapy for example.
The Oxford vaccine is currently in human trials and is already in production. Hopefully vaccinations can begin in October. There are also many other potential vaccines being developed and researched, it's extremely unlikely that none of them will be successful.

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FizzFan · 30/06/2020 16:51

I think things will largely get back to normal but there might be localised outbreaks and things like self isolating will be here to stay. Tbh that’s probably not a bad thing, the culture in this country and workplaces of people “soldiering on” when ill and spreading bugs everywhere is pretty awful.

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Happyspud · 30/06/2020 16:53

There are already lots of vaccines just none yet that have completed safety trials to a sufficient level. They will get there but it just takes time.

So let's calm down, sit back and just be patient.

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iamapixie · 30/06/2020 17:00

Things will get back to normal because most people will eventually realise that indefinite lockdown and other rules for one virus becomes a disproportionate response over time as other issues are ignored.
There may have to be some changes of course to the economic structure of societies because we'll run out of money for the current model if this keeps going, but that could be a good thing long term.
So I guess we have to try and stay positive.

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IcedPurple · 30/06/2020 17:01

There will very likely be a vaccine, and sooner rather than later. There are about 100 projects in development, some at quite a late stage. The old MN classic about how 'there'll never be a vaccine because there isn't one for SARS which is also a coronavirus' is nonsense because SARS was succesfully contained in 2003 so spending millions on developing a vaccine made no sense.

I'm no expert - mind you neither is anyone here - other than the inevitable MNers whose 3rd cousin twice removed is 'high up in the NHS - but I'm confident that vaccinations will begin this autumn or winter. Treatment options are improving all the time too.

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FizzFan · 30/06/2020 17:06

I have a feeling there’s going to be a vaccine much sooner than we might think.

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Lou0808 · 30/06/2020 17:21

@FizzFan

I have a feeling there’s going to be a vaccine much sooner than we might think.

I hope so!!!
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Mary19 · 30/06/2020 17:34

Life might get better. We would learn to live with It . In many parts of The worldyou sleep under a net to prevent malaria or dengue. In some countries you boil your water. We would have to avoid overcrowding. No being rammed on the tube. End of rush hour as we work more flexible times.More working from home. Less poor overcrowded housing. More new builds with gardens.Smaller class sizes. Maybe later school starting age. More out door education. Less flying around the world, cleaner air.

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Cuddling57 · 30/06/2020 17:34

Everyone has skin in the game.
There will be some form of vaccine.

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Mascotte · 30/06/2020 17:38

People will just get back to normal and learn to live with it.

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TheMammothHunters · 30/06/2020 17:44

There was no vaccine to the 1918 flu pandemic. So a lot of people will die and normal life will gradually resume.
I think there will be a vaccine though.

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