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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

253 people under the age of 60 with no other underlying health issues had died from Covid-19 in the UK

600 replies

whenthejoyreturns · 23/05/2020 14:33

I'm in no way trying to minimise these deaths at all but I wondered if people were aware of this number. Every day we hear the number of deaths, but this is never broken down into categories that we can relate to ourselves.
30 people under the age of 45 with no other underlying health issues had died from Covid-19 in the UK.
AIBU to want people to know this because I don't think enough people realise.

OP posts:
Nihiloxica · 23/05/2020 16:00

It's pretty fucking callous to demand the whole of society is shut down for MONTHS on end.

It's revolting to refuse to allow discussion of actual risks by pretending that it's offensive to people at high risk.

The unbelievable selfishness of people who want to continue to harm others by shutting down our society is mind blowing.

Societybus how we (used to) look after each other.

But now we have to live separated from each other indefinitely because of an infectious disease that poses NO RISK to most people.

It's crazy world.

AlabamaArkansas · 23/05/2020 16:01

People are just saying that the lives of those with underlying conditions are worth as much as healthy people.

More in fact.

Women and children locked in with abusers right now, for example - their lives are worth less than those with underlying health conditions.

AlabamaArkansas · 23/05/2020 16:02

So go back to work. Is anyone stopping you?

What a completely absurd comment. You do realise that entire industries are prevented from opening right now?

loubieloo4 · 23/05/2020 16:03

Dh (39) stage 4 terminal bowel cancer with less than 12 months life expectancy has been left with no current treatment, no oncologist, no plan of action and stuck inside not seeing loved ones for what could be the last few months of his life.

Add to that we have lost £3k a month in wages due to covid and the extra stress of worrying about if we can pay our bills on time, is proof that we need to lift the lockdown. I say that knowing dh is at high risk but this is no kind of life, it's not living its existing.

iolaus · 23/05/2020 16:03

The vast majority of people with an underlying health problem will still in the main have a normal life expectancy

I think most people think it either won't affect them or someone they know - or if it does it will be an elderly relative that they were subconsciously prepared to loose at some point in the near future (even if your 93 year old grandmother is fit and healthy there is a part of you that knows she won't be around forever) - however right now my family are one of the ones going through loosing a family member, under the age of 50 with no previous underlying health conditions (and his job wasn't one where he was exposed to a high level of viral load) - we never thought it would happen to us - if I'd have been told my family would loose someone I'd have said either my dad (major lung issues and in the shielding group - he said at the start of this he knows if he gets covid it would kill him as his lungs couldn't take it), me or my cousin's daughter who work in health care and are therefore exposed more (so our viral loads would be higher). We weren't expecting to loose him - his dad wasn't expecting to bury his youngest child, his teenage children weren't expecting to loose their dad.

Noone is saying that the world needs to be locked up forever but there does need to be more distance there - to slow the spread down - that doesn't include spending the day squashed up at southend beach

Boulshired · 23/05/2020 16:03

I think for many the economic fallout is harder to imagine its much harder to produce statistics. All I know was during the Thatcher years living suddenly in an inactive economic community has left scars still visible today. Alcohol abuse, prescription abuse, domestic violence, drug use, prostitution, failed schooling with no aspirations or local employment and suicides. It took till the 2000s for my area to pick up, but by then there was a lost generation, I have 60 year old wider family members who have never worked who had children who never worked, luckily their grandchildren have broken the circle. I am worried that no matter what we do there will still be deaths linked to Covid even if not through the disease itself.

mrpumblechook · 23/05/2020 16:03

Every life is precious - including those not lost to Covid. I'm offended the suggestion that anyone who wants to see a balanced risk-driven approach is driven by selfishness and lack of compassion.

If it wasn't driven by selfishness, why aren't you balancing deaths overall with effects on economy. Why are you only interested in deaths among people like you.

Nihiloxica · 23/05/2020 16:03

No. No they aren't. I won't be. Plenty more people like me. It's not everyone. Obviously it is shit for people who will lose their jobs but when I left school in 1982 10% of the adult population were unemployed. We recovered from that and we will recover from this.

I mean seriously, how callous can you get?

"I'll be grand, so who fucking cares if some lives are destroyed by poverty. LOCKDOWN FOREVER!!!!!"

Bagelsandbrie · 23/05/2020 16:04

@loubieloo4 I am so sorry. That is just horrendous FlowersFlowers

zoemum2006 · 23/05/2020 16:04

It's never been about you dying: it's about passing it on to those who could die.

I'm not fussed if I got the 'Rona but my husband takes immunosuppressants and could get seriously ill.

arethereanyleftatall · 23/05/2020 16:05

Yes @lemonpudding My company is not open. I would if I could. The initial panic was understandable. The risk has now been found to be low to many of us. We need to get back as many of us back to normal life as possible. No, I do not think my life is more important than someone with underlying conditions. That's why I am happy to be the one to go back to work.

tenterden · 23/05/2020 16:05

I mean seriously, how callous can you get?

I guess you value money more than lives Nihiloxica. What a shame Sad

Fluffybutter · 23/05/2020 16:06

Although the number is small is still makes people wonder why those people and could I be one of those .
I think it’s the not knowing that doesn’t help

mrpumblechook · 23/05/2020 16:06

Dh (39) stage 4 terminal bowel cancer with less than 12 months life expectancy has been left with no current treatment, no oncologist, no plan of action and stuck inside not seeing loved ones for what could be the last few months of his life.

That's the fault of whoever decided to reorganise the NHS and shut down clinics though. It's not really anything to do with lockdown . He should have still had appointments with an oncologist even if they were online.

Fluffybutter · 23/05/2020 16:06
  • it
lucyposting · 23/05/2020 16:06

I am higher risk as I have several conditions which together could mean I wouldn't survive a severe case of Covid... I also of course know that every death is tragic...

However I also believe that the threat right now to vulnerable children, people with other, sometimes life threatening, conditions that have had treatment and operations cancelled, people's livelihoods and so on is greater.

We could probably have had a shorter lockdown, if we had started it earlier.

We could have perhaps avoided a full lockdown, if we had followed countries like Korea with an effective track and trace together with social distancing.

It has been and will continue to be a disaster in many, many respects, not least our governance... but people like me (and my children etc.) need to shield, with more and better support, and the country needs to go back to work as best they can.

arethereanyleftatall · 23/05/2020 16:07

@tenterden
Just stop it. Stop being so bloody sillly. It isn't helpful.

Kazzyhoward · 23/05/2020 16:07

With cases doubling every couple of days we were quickly going to reach the point where hospitals were full and people would be dying without treatment.

People have died from non Covid issues because the NHS basically shut itself down in panic.

People who were already in hospital for other things caught Covid whilst in hospital and subsequently died.

olivehater · 23/05/2020 16:07

I think the point is the healthy need to go back to work and education so that they can prop up the economy. This will enable us to shield those that are more vulnerable for longer. Personally I think there should be more financial support in those borderline vulnerable groups so that they are able to shield For longer and the healthy need to get back to work to support this. That isn’t callous. It’s common sense. We can’t all be locked down forever. We have to start being strategic. Otherwise the biggest number of deaths from all of this will be those killed due to long term austerity.

Coronabored · 23/05/2020 16:08

The economy is not valuing money over lives. It is the thing that enables life to carry on so we can pay for services

thedancingbear · 23/05/2020 16:08

If it wasn't driven by selfishness, why aren't you balancing deaths overall with effects on economy. Why are you only interested in deaths among people like you.

@mrpumblechook, what the fuck do you mean by 'people like me'?

I'm in a vulnerable group. I also recognise that the world grinding to a halt has broader consequences.

Shut your trap. you know nothing about others' circumstances.

TheLashKingOfScotland · 23/05/2020 16:08

It's pretty fucking callous
I don't think you understand what 'callous' means because the rest of your post is a perfect example of you being callous and disingenuous and tbh it's fooling no-one.
I understand why the Government wants to placate their donors by putting the vulnerable, the young and key workers at risk. But the numpties supporting them Hmm well, that's a special kind of callous. And neither Boris nor the Tories will reward you for it.

everythingthelighttouches · 23/05/2020 16:09

However, it is important that while compassionate to those who grieve, policy is taken at a population level. The overall threat to healthy younger people is minimal.

Policy IS being taken at a population level for goodness’ sake!!!

The threat to “younger” people was going to be huge if we hadn’t locked down and prevented a catastrophic breach of the NHS.

The age-adjusted, season-adjusted all cause mortality during this pandemic is way, way above the upper range of the previous 10 years.
Of course this includes deaths due to policy rather than Covid directly, but Don’t for a second think it wouldn’t have been higher still if we hadn’t locked down.

CurlyEndive · 23/05/2020 16:10

I agree OP. The number of people under 60 who have died from this (including NHS workers, those with underlying health conditions etc etc) are so small as a percentage of the population that it really isn't worth shutting down the economy and the significant effect of that in so many ways.

formerbabe · 23/05/2020 16:10

It’s a tragedy for those who are affected and their families but it doesn’t warrant the breakdown of the economy and education for the vast majority of families

I couldn't agree more.

The current situation is preposterous. Not just education and the economy but what about all the other health conditions that aren't being treated? I have a dc with sn who has now missed several appointments.