Are people still nervous about covid?

[NoEffingWay]

Have been away over the bank holiday weekend, stayed in a busy hotel in a major city. We were about to go into the lift, when a couple wouldn't let us in because they said 'we are very covid conscious'! They weren't wearing masks for context.

I see the odd person still mask wearing usually under their chin but am I naive in thinking most people are living without fear of dying of covid, or barricading themselves in lifts?

I agree. They would have had masks on

To answer your question in the OP am I naive in thinking most people are living without fear of dying of covid or barricading themselves in lifts?

I think that most people that you see out and about are living without fear (or thought) of Covid.

There are some out and about in fear and they range from those wearing masks to the couple you came across lift-hogging. And there will be some living in fear who pretty much are not leaving the house still. Or if they do will only go to outdoor places.

It's honestly depressing to see a post like this. You are a medical professional, your husband has long COVID, and yet you ask if people are still afraid of COVID and celebrate unmasking in healthcare.

Surely as a medical professional you are aware that the biggest risk from COVID comes not from the acute infection but from the diseases it triggers after. We already see it in record staff sick leave and school absences. Removing masks in healthcare just shows a complete failure of infection control, focusing on hand washing for an airborne disease.

Honestly I despair for the state of healthcare if medical doctors think smiles are more important than keeping patients healthy.

But many medical professionals acknowledge that masks aren’t effective against covid. A GP I know likened it to trying to use a picket fence to protect against sand blowing through.

In dentistry it has been widely acknowledged we are at the highest risk of contracting respiratory diseases such as covid.

Pre covid we always wore masks,visors and eye protection especially for drilling/aerosol proceedures and ramped up the protection considerably during covid. It has been speculated that that has kept the sickness toll down somewhat but health care workers , particularly female health care workers, are a disproportionately high share of long covid sufferers.

Post covid we have gone back to masks and visors/eye protection. Masks, like gloves, are changed between every patient. It not only protects people against covid but tuberculosis (rising in cities) and all the other transmittable diseases that can have disastrous effects to well and vulnerable not least to the staff providing treatment.

Dental staff are always amazed at the difference in cross infection control we use in practice and what is acceptable in hospitals and general medicine. Not least because of the risks it exposes staff to. I was amazed when I was taken into hospital onto a respiratory ward how few staff wore masks or visors and how poor the ventilation was ..... one small unit with a hose leading into a ceiling cavity ,no windows, that would never have given the 20 air changes an hour that we were required to have in a dental surgery .

I recently had covid for the second time.
No way would I wish it on anyone with the pure exhaustion for 2 days.
I felt it was my duty to stay home and be away from everyone until I was clear.
Mask wearing is common in my country, as the No isolation requirement hit the day after I caught it, like hell I would subject others to it.
Let alone the headaches!
Not so much scared of dying more the annoyance and horrid feeling both times.
I have no worry for those hushing me put of a lift or wearing masks.
....our mask wearing teacher caught covid too so go figure.

@MariaVT65 healthcare workers for sure should be in ffp2 or better masks. Ideally everyone else too, especially in a hospital or other crowded setting with high transmission risk.

Surgical masks and anything loose fitting is pretty pointless but better than nothing, I'd rather be in a room where everyone is in a surgical than a room where no one is wearing anything. Viral load matters.

We've just had covid a few weeks ago and I felt pretty crap. Don't especially want to keep catching it, but I'm going about my life as normal. If I had an underlying condition or one of my family did, I'd be more cautious atm.

People wear masks and think of them the wrong way. They become saturated with moisture after about 20 minutes (normal surgical masks) and worn for a long period act as a sponge for concentrating pathogens.

However when not worn for long periods of time ( ie don't wear outdoors as ventilation and normal social distance is safe) changed and disposed of frequently (ie not the same mask, crumpled in pocket and brought out week after week) they protect others from your sneezing, coughing and virus in exhalations. That is why people in certain countries wear them it's not to protect themselves it's to protect others .

A surgical mask may provide some protection for the wearer for around 20 minutes which is why it is worn in conjunction with a visor for aerosol proceedures or a higher rated mask or respirator is used for high risk medical proceedures/patients. It is not a magic bullet that will prevent infection , people need to be aware of surgical mask limitations and even higher grade masks have a maximum limit they can be used for before water saturation renders them useless. All masks need to be changed regularly and disposed of after use.

You still find the occasional mask wearer working at Asda for example.

@AussieManque mask wearing is largely ineffective unless, as pp have stated they are worn correctly, changed frequently and cover both the nose and mouth. Those bits of cloth jammed into pockets are entirely useless. Frankly, in hospitals, they were laughable.

Using scientific guidance, the NHS has removed the need to wear masks unless you are working in an environment where there are confirmed covid cases. This is constantly reviewed and assessed. Staff are also given the choice to wear masks if they choose to do so, but this is more for self-reassurance than anything else.

Covid cases have not risen in our trust in the 4 months since mask wearing was removed,

Never was and never will be.

I'm definitely not nervous about covid and I switch between being irritated and sorry for people who still restrict their social contacts etc. That said I think people who are symptomatic with colds and other illnesses ought to be cautious and make efforts to stay out of the way of the vulnerable. My son got bronchiolitis when he was 3 weeks old because some of his family were blasé about snot!

I’m CEV and have given up being nervous, my mental health suffered so much from shielding. I can appreciate why some people may wish to wear a mask. I wish people would be more careful with others when they’re ill, whether it is covid or anything else.

I’m in week 7 of Covid. It seemed to go away after 10 days but came back. God l feel awful.

Nausea, severe stomach pain, exhaustion, brain fog, blinding headaches. Ugh.

I’m going out with a full on head mask next time. Feel atrocious.

I have had Covid twice.

The first time I lost my sense of smell and taste for 6 weeks, was truly devastating.

I always wear a mask and keep a safe distance from people when out in public.

It depends on the type of mask you are wearing. "Baggy blue" surgical masks offer little protection. 3M FFP3 masks offer a much higher protection.

Yes it is depressing and I note from an earlier thread that the OP has said she works with clinically vulnerable patients.

Press release, today:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/flu-and-covid-autumn-vaccine-programmes-brought-forward

Flu and COVID autumn vaccine programmes brought forward

Precautionary measure taken to protect those most vulnerable from illness during winter following the identification of COVID-19 variant BA.2.86.

• Vaccinations are now set to start on 11 September 2023 in England with adult care home residents and those most at risk to receive vaccines first
• Eligible people urged to come forward for their jab as soon as they’re invited

This year’s autumn flu and COVID-19 vaccine programmes will start earlier than planned in England as a precautionary measure following the identification of a new COVID-19 variant.

The precautionary measure is being taken as scientists from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) examine the variant BA.2.86, which was first detected in the UK on Friday 18 August 2023 etc.

BBC News:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66664429