This time next year - predictions

[thesnob20]

Where do you think we'll be?

I hope to god, somewhere near normal.

Feels incredibly bleak.

Christ, talk about glass half empty. Judging from this thread I actually think people like being misery mongers. Exactly what does it achieve being so negative about everything

If a vaccine cannot be found treatment will have improved so COVID will not be as much of a death sentence to some as it currently is now. In fact treatment has already improved the chances for many, so a year from now that is only likely to be better.

There have always been new illnesses and there always will be. Some of those will come and go, and some will remain and our treatment of them will improve. Look at HIV for example which is one which people like to compare when talking about the lack of a vaccine. No there isn’t a vaccine and HIV is incurable, but the advances in treatments mean that HIV has gone from being a definite death sentence within about five years to a condition where those who are positive can expect to have a normal life expectancy.

Masks are already commonplace in parts of the Far East, and within a year people will be more used to them plus the design will have improved to make them less uncomfortable/restrictive.

And social distancing will mean that people will feel less obliged to let others into their personal space.... That can only be a positive thing.

Under the rule of our alien overlords. Obviously.

I think the people who predict this is all going to go on for years need to take their pessimism even further. Because surely if science can't get us out of this any time soon, then it's not going to be a case of things carrying on as they are now as they predict, but rather the economy and society pretty much collapsing. We will constantly have the NHS overburdened with Covid patients, there will likely be millions of people suffering Long Covid or serious long-term effects and so unable to work. And we won't be able to afford continual rolling lockdowns. I certainly don't advocate just getting back to normal, but on the other hand I think if science cannot come to the rescue the reasonably near future then we are in very great trouble.

Although if we're still like this in 2022 god help us. That'll be half of my 20s gone. Fab

How long are we away from economical collapse if things carry on as they are? Does anyone know?

Aren’t you lucky Racoon?

Try life in the top tier😕

Snack, if you are worried then one signal will be when lenders stop lending to your government (wherever you are) or demand a significant risk premium for taking on sovereign debt. ASAIK, neither is the case for the UK at present.

I think there will be a vaccine in the new year. This would be wonderful as people start to eat and drink out more, visit shops, travel by air.

I am interested in the T Cell immunity tests, I didn't know these were available! Has anyone got a link? Are they CD4/CD8 specific? What about B Cells?
Science just amazes me sometimes.

I think Boris & Trump will be gone. I believe working from home (if you can) will be accepted by the majority of employers, with offices seen as more social hubs than places to be in 5 days a week. I wonder if big cities will have to evolve. I am hopeful the planet will be greener! And there will be a vaccine.

I think Trump may have gone, although not quietly.🙏

And a democrat on the Whitehouse would make for a safe world. Just need to get rid of our government now.....

I think there may be a vaccine.

As a knock-on, most small farms will be out of business and the land will be bought up by hobby farmers, maybe from China. Not while we have breath in our bodies.

Brexit going catastrophically wrong in two months time will cause real hardship
but will hopefully bring in a government that can properly tackle COVID
and then focus on how to tackle climate change.

@ACautionaryTale I wish that were true but look at this very worrying development

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/health-54512034

The earlier case of covid did not prevent the person from later catching a more serious form of covid (different strain not same illness). Very worrying for the vaccine programs.

@Skysblue this is one person in the whole world. It is well documented that you can catch chicken pox twice, and this is common but there is still immunity to chicken pox.

The number of documented reinfections is really surprisingly low even if infection confers perfect immunity in most people (which it probably doesn’t)