ADs and their very long lists!

[LivinLaVidaLoki]

We were up to 999 posts so thought we needed a new thread!

Since lockdown don't seem to have had any lasting effect so far, I can't see that adding machine gun toting military, surveillance pigeons and mandatory apps is going to make any difference!

The lack of interest in things that have happened in either the UK or indeed the world that is not to do with Covid has made me furious! I studied a module on journalism in university a very long time ago and so was already aware of news values and how some things are not considered newsworthy but others are. Recently there was a 14 year old boy killed, allegedly by a 16 year old boy and 19 year old man and there was another abduction of schoolchildren in Nigeria. They both made it to the BBC website but were definitely lower down than news about the pandemic. Normally they would have been top news items surely? Actually not so sure about Nigeria but definitely young men murdering children would have been.

Checking in and you’re already on page 9. Wow!

I have a theory that the lack of interesting stufff happening in peoples lives means they are creating and clinging on to COVID drama to give their lives meaning.

Sainsburys Taste the Difference Parmesan and Garlic breadsticks.

@Worldgonecrazy

Checking in and you’re already on page 9. Wow!

I have a theory that the lack of interesting stufff happening in peoples lives means they are creating and clinging on to COVID drama to give their lives meaning.

I think that too.

I have a theory that the lack of interesting stufff happening in peoples lives means they are creating and clinging on to COVID drama to give their lives meaning.

Yes I think there is quite a bit of that happening.

Hi everyone - glad to hear so many had a nice Christmas. Mine was just about the best ever - no pressure to tidy up or cook for visiting family, everything worked for the Christmas meal and it was all ready on time. We've played lots of board games, watched stupid films, drank plenty of wine and gin and generally enjoyed being together.

I'm sure that the whole country will be plunged into Tier 4 on Wednesday despite the far too positive article in the Daily Wail yesterday about how the Oxford vaccine will mean that we will be out of tiers by February - yeah right. And pigs will fly!!

@smallandimperfectlyformed

The lack of interest in things that have happened in either the UK or indeed the world that is not to do with Covid has made me furious! I studied a module on journalism in university a very long time ago and so was already aware of news values and how some things are not considered newsworthy but others are. Recently there was a 14 year old boy killed, allegedly by a 16 year old boy and 19 year old man and there was another abduction of schoolchildren in Nigeria. They both made it to the BBC website but were definitely lower down than news about the pandemic. Normally they would have been top news items surely? Actually not so sure about Nigeria but definitely young men murdering children would have been.

Not to mention the ongoing protests in Belarus against the rigged elections result and the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict.

So glad for these threads. I'm struggling a bit at the moment.

The lack of interest in things that have happened in either the UK or indeed the world that is not to do with Covid has made me furious!
Yes! Reminds me of 9/11 & the person who said it would be a good time to "bury bad news".

The slightly good news locally is that the local news website has dropped Number Of Covid Cases In The County from its top headline spot & we are back to the usual dull stuff about planning permission, speed limits & murders. It makes a change.

The corona board is hysterical today, in't it?

@Jourdain11 I was only vaguely aware of Belarus and I had forgotten about Azerbaijan and Armenia, I am not massively into watching or reading the news at the best of times but now I'm actively avoiding it because of all of this covid taking over everything. I really should be more aware of what is going on in the world, thanks for reminding me!

@Ghostlyglow

So glad for these threads. I'm struggling a bit at the moment.

Sorry to hear that

We're here for you

Keep meaning to join this thread and the insane "we're all going to die because a hospital has declared a major incident" has finally made me. Interesting thought upthread regarding this whole thing giving people 'meaning' to their lives that they were lacking. So much of the behaviour of the covid cult strikes me as religious, and it seems to me that the biggest doomers are those middle class professionals who in their life would describe themselves as secular/agnostic at best in their day to day lives. I don't know if anyone on here has read the Tom Wolfe essay "I'm sorry but your soul just died" - seems relevant here. What is interesting is that, in the same way of cult or religion (sorry I'm conflating the two), evidence to the contrary, however presented, is simply dismissed. I told my mother in law today that current icu/hospital bed utilisation wasn't at all unusual at this time of year, and was actually lower than normal in many parts, but it was like I had questioned the existence of God. It did not compute.

Aw thanks @AcornAutumn. I'll pull myself together soon (and probably get pissed).

@Ghostlyglow I am feeling the same. My husband told me just don't look at the news, I said this was akin to saying put some frilly curtains over your prison bars so you don't see them or the exercise yard outside. They still exist.

@Anotherpointofview1 welcome

I read that thread. I don't deny that it is not a good situation and obviously worrying, but I swear, you hear of London hospitals declaring major incidents every winter!

I also wonder how many of the emergency calls relate to people who have been too terrified to go near their GP or hospital for non-Covid issues and conditions. Or people who are in crisis because they are so fed up with this situation!

[quote Jourdain11]@Anotherpointofview1 welcome

I read that thread. I don't deny that it is not a good situation and obviously worrying, but I swear, you hear of London hospitals declaring major incidents every winter!

I also wonder how many of the emergency calls relate to people who have been too terrified to go near their GP or hospital for non-Covid issues and conditions. Or people who are in crisis because they are so fed up with this situation![/quote]
Yes, I think that's the reason for some of it. A lot of people have reached breaking point, one way or another.

I work in the nhs, have done for nearly a decade. When I was last working at an acute (I have been in specialist hospitals for last few years) we "declared a major incident" and diverted our a&e at least twice per winter, largely due to consequent bed crisis when we had spent much of past years trying to reduce bed numbers to meet our CIP!

Our neighborhood watch leader is spamming death toll numbers on the local WhatsApp group. Some people love it, but also the virtue signalling as the same woman instigated a present donation system for all over 70s in our street. She claimed this was because they were alone due to covid but this is a middle class suburb. All over 70s are fairly well off in our area and definitely don't need presents and I'm sure were pretty insulted that they were perceived as charity cases. I was very tempted to say that the wrapping paper probably gave them all covid anyway

Interesting. I thought it was the case, but couldn't remember clearly enough to say for definite. It's not usually front page news, I guess!

I work in a specific area of mental health and the user demand for the main support charity has literally doubled in the lockdowns. They, and the NHS services, are incredibly stretched yet are receiving no additional funding from local or national sources and all their charity fundraising has taken a massive fall. These MH conditions, like so many others, worsen in isolation and it is incredibly worrying. I know of cases where people have been hospitalised, and you can be pretty sure that it could have been managed in an outpatient / daypatient setting in normal circumstances...

Our health board has declared majors every winter for years one hospital almost weekly. They started again in November before comments were deleted it was apparent they were pretty quiet. They had cancelled ops from March onwards not restarting them because they were prepping for winter covid. Our figures are embarrassing low compared to other parts of Wales. They have shut up now except to tell us hands, face, and to avoid new year parties.

@Clockstop

Our neighborhood watch leader is spamming death toll numbers on the local WhatsApp group. Some people love it, but also the virtue signalling as the same woman instigated a present donation system for all over 70s in our street. She claimed this was because they were alone due to covid but this is a middle class suburb. All over 70s are fairly well off in our area and definitely don't need presents and I'm sure were pretty insulted that they were perceived as charity cases. I was very tempted to say that the wrapping paper probably gave them all covid anyway

Our local group admin started putting daily figures then she had to ban comments now she has ceased thank god. She's pushed food Bank to death too

Also worth remembering that outside of icu, many trusts have reduced numbers of beds in order to "socially distance" on the wards and that huge numbers of trusts can't staff the beds they do have due to how many staff are off as they/their kids /family member are having to isolate for two weeks as they may have come into contact with someone who has covid (or has it per pcr test, not quite the same thing...)

[quote Anotherpointofview1]@Ghostlyglow I am feeling the same. My husband told me just don't look at the news, I said this was akin to saying put some frilly curtains over your prison bars so you don't see them or the exercise yard outside. They still exist.[/quote]
Someone upthread said yesterday the media were full of hopeful headlines and today not and she feels like she's on a roller coaster.

I know I'm in a prison but I don't have to feel worse by looking at media.

I will pick up any changes on law through friends and a quick glance at one outlet. That's more than enough.

The dismissive attitude of many to the mental health consequences of all of this (as if it's less meaningful than the physical consequences) I've found to be awful.