Healthy people why are you so scared of catching covid 19?

[wakeupitsabeautifulmorning]

Serious question. I’m interested in why healthy people with no underlying problems are so unhappy about starting to get back to normal. I’m not talking about shielded people who need to stay shielded. But everyone else.

I just don't want to get ill. have had 2 colds only in last 2 years and seen my GP once in 15 years so it probably not that likely I would get it and am not obese nor male nor over 60 etc etc BUT I certainly would not want to go out of my way to get it as it can be really nasty even for healthy people. I have to work full time and get no state support or help if I don't work (self employed, profits over £50k so no help and no sick pay and no universal credit).

However I support starting to open up the country again.

The media have conditioned us into this fear.

Every single story in the news is about COVID,and every single one of them is negative,about the deaths,about the illness about how we’re all going to catch it and die.

And yet the vast majority of people who catch it don’t die, but when this has been suggested by anyone they’ve been shouted down because we need to concentrate on the deaths.

Of course the fact that people are dying is relevant and important.And of course those who are at greater risk need to protect themselves however and wherever possible.

But there also needs to be an acknowledgement that for most,they won’t die,because by focusing only on the dying you are breeding the fear that it’s going to happen to you

I have an underlying heart condition which was detected when I had the flu 3.5 years ago.I’ve had major surgery, cardiac arrest, have been resuscitated and defibrilated more than once and I need a transplant,although ironically I’m currently well enough to not need to be on the list yet.
I have been told by medical professionals that if I catch COVID I am unlikely to survive. But that’s not a 100% certainty that I will die,but still, i can protect myself where possible.

But I can do that while acknowledging that society does at some point need to get back to a semblance of normality. We simply can’t stay in lockdown forever although it’s a balancing act as to when and how those restrictions are reduced.

And at some point we are all going to have to face the world again, and as time goes on treatments will evolve and hopefully a vaccine will be developed.

But the truth is that COVID will always be here,and even after a vaccine people will still die, just as they die of the flu each winter.

It would obviously be helpful to establish whether immunity to the virus develops if you catch it. If it doesn’t then a vaccine will be an impossibility, but the assumption has to be that it does. But we simply can’t wait around for a vaccine.

And if there never is a vaccine then life will still have to go on.

Because my elderly parents have no one else to deliver their groceries...

We need antibody testing where I live (london) they think its probably around 10% of us. I think once we know the actual numbers of people already infected it will help a lot.

I had a one in a million chance of getting a rare cancer and got it. Then a very hugh chance of dying and I didnt. I dont rely on statistics anymore. That said I'm not healthy, but I understand the fear and think its disingenuous to say otherwise.

Because I'm worried sick about giving it to my DM because I'm certain she wouldn't survive it. I also don't fancy coughing up my guts and feeling terrible for weeks. I don't know if it causes any lasting damage either

I'd say be scared. I am 58, so not young, but no underlying health conditions, take no medication of any kind, blood pressure normal etc., and I had this virus and was just a step away from needing to be hospitalized! Husband had mild aches and pains, me loss of smell / taste / purple feet / horrendous dry cough / aches / temperature / no energy and running on empty and no appetite for the first two weeks. Sound nice? No, I didn't think so. Week 6 still not 100% and I have never been so scared in my life! Maybe the 34 year old with mild asthma, who died of this in less than a week might scare you or the 87 year old who recovered and is now back in their home. Why be scared? Because you have no idea how and when it will affect you and it is not simply going to be mild because you think you are in an age group that seems to be fine or have no underlying health conditions.

@AlternativePerspective I have never seen anyone shouted down for saying that most people who get covid 19 don't die. That is a fact.
If you have been shouted down it will be because you used that fact to support a conclusion such as, we all need to carry on as normal.

There's a difference between being scared and being sensible. Your OP presupposes that anyone who has read the research and believes in following expert advice from the WHO is 'scared'. That arrogance is breathtaking.
It also tells us more about you than about Covid.
We have family members working in Covid wards. They're in different parts of the country They're not calling people 'scared'. They're fervently wishing that people would heed the lockdown and take this seriously.

Because I don’t want to spread it to other people.

Healthy people die too or suffer horrible side effects and still have the problems from the virus possibly for weeks/months later. I can cause damage to your lungs etc.

Because I don’t know what the long term effects of this illness are. Permanent lung damage, develop incurable fatigue syndrome, neurological disorders, after recovering or in 10 years time because of this virus?
Ending up on a ventilator is no walk in the park either.
Dying in itself doesn’t scare me and I am confident those left behind will be OK without me in practical terms. It is surviving with long term problems that I want to avoid as much as I can because I won’t be as productive as I am now, I won’t be able to enjoy certain things in life and I don’t want to be a burden to my family when I can’t give much back in return.
They are all risks which are too high for me to take right now.
I do care about the economy and the future especially for my children but I don’t want to get any long term problems if I can avoid it. There is also the small matter of, potentially, being out of action for 6 weeks. Not that bothersome in itself but I’d rather not.
What is mostly described as mild and moderate symptoms sound like severe symptoms to me. I’ve never experienced any of the symptoms described by some sufferers on here or in the media and I definitely don’t want to if there’s any chance I can avoid it.

It comes back to what I say about people generally not understanding risk

Not understanding the risks is my problem.

I'm a 40+ asthmatic - also in overweight catergory though not obese.

I have a 13 son with asthma and my 15 may have it the appointment to test and diagnose were cancelled due to covid.

DS and I have the flu injection every winter and have for over a decade.

I don't know understand what risk this is to us or their over 70 with varieties of underlying issues like diabeties high blood pressure heart issues and some existing lung damage all of who have the flu injection every winter.

None of us have been told to shield for 12 weeks we all apparently fall in the social distancing category.

I've also seen lung damage from Chinese patients information - seen
www.newscientist.com/article/mg24632783-400-could-the-coronavirus-trigger-post-viral-fatigue-syndromes/ articles about possible post-viral-fatigue-syndrome and the stuff about possible rare side affects in children.

So I've no idea how worried I should be or what all the risks are.

I've also had pneumonia and it was very frightening and unpleasant that I don't really want to go through again or see my family members go through.

At same time I am worried about economic impacts and schooling impacts and I really don't think we will be waiting for the vaccine before restarting - best I think they'll be is more understanding and possible drugs or treatments that help.

We kind of know the risks of overall risk of dying. We don't really know the risk of dying for individual health profiles. And we have no idea of the level of risks for post viral complications or long term damage.
So simply saying that people do not understand the risk is disingenuous. No one really knows what the risk is.

It's an interesting question OP and should absolutely not be dismissed. And it will be interesting to see how the reaction to Covid messaging informs future campaigns, health, political or other. It's been a really good campaign of fear that has almost worked too well in that it has raised anxiety levels possibly too much. Add to that the effects of social media and the black and white forms of 'argument' that we saw with brexit; and it's a perfect storm.
I'm no more scared of Covid than of the myriad other illnesses or lifestyle choices that could kill me or others, many of which are more deadly.
I am just as, or in fact more, horrified by the millions of early deaths caused in the global South partly due to our lifestyles in the global North.
And closer to home, I'm more worried about the obesity crisis, especially in children, and other 'silent killers' - air pollution, poverty generally etc. But they are of course far more intractable in many ways.

Because I'm worried about being part of a chain that will, at some point, lead to someone dying. If I can take myself out of the situation and prevent the virus from spreading onwards, then I would rather do that.

I really hate this rhetoric that if you voice concerns about a proposal before committing to it that you 'are scared'. It's patronising and dismissive.

It remember it being used by some Leaver voters in the run-up to the referendum and has left a really bad taste.

Because healthy people are dying too.

A colleague of mine passed away 10 days ago from covid after being in ITU. He was only 39 with no health problems, rather healthy actually.

It does not discriminate

OP I totally get where you’re coming from.

Totally understand the vulnerable groups but the average joe, I can’t understand why they are so terrified. Probably more likely to die in a car crash

Because it kills healthy people too. Because even if it doesn't kill you it could put in hospital, on a ventilator, leave you with lifelong health issues. Becuase you could accidentally pass it to your children/partner/parents/anyone and cause them the above issues.

So lets say a healthy 20 year old man has a low risk of dying. But if this does cause a complication of infertility, does he have a tiny chance of infertility or a very high chance? We don't know yet.

It affects everyone differently, healthy people have died of it , and I wouldn’t want to put my family through the worry of it

@Hunnybears Those who are in the vulnerable group are probably over half the population. So most people will live with or be close to at least one vulnerable person.
So when I was younger neither DP or I were vulnerable and would have been low risk. But my FIL, father and brother would all be vulnerable.

My SIL is young (late 30s), very fit, slim, athletic… and has been ill for over a month with fever fluctuating up and down to great extremes, dizzy spells, fatigue and shortness of breath. So no, I don't want to get it.

It’s not a nice illness to have, I think people have lost sight of this. You might not die from it but you probably will feel fucking awful for a week or so. If you’ve ever had the flu, that should allow some insight. My Step-dad has recently recovered from it and he was bed ridden for ten days, he only got out of bed to occasionally use the loo.

I’m pregnant so I feel I’d suffer slightly more because I wouldn’t be able to take many drugs to help and who really wants to be ill whilst pregnant. I’m also worried about it transmitting to the baby in some way because I’m in the third trimester.

Lots of worries really. Another anxiety I have is that one of us has an underlying condition we’re unaware of. This may seem irrational but I’m sure a lot of the younger people who did die with ‘underlying conditions’ weren’t aware of them.