You only have to look at the Covid section of mn to see there there are a lot of people struggling to comprehend that risk has altered and isn't what it was some month ago and thats having an impact on behaviour to an extent which is possibly no longer justified by the data.
Risk of death has dropped dramatically I agree. However, there are other factors to consider. Individuals will have to balance the risk of these other factors. Our govt seem to be deciding to think they are worth risking, different opinions abound.
Long CoVid is one risk, ONS reports 1 million people a year living with long covid, and 385K have had it for over a year. 634K said it adversely affected their daily lives. Even 7-8% of 2-15 yr olds & 12% of 17-24 yr olds reported symptoms for over 12 weeks.
I have had ME for 23 years, since age 27, severely now, bedridden 24/7 for the last ten years. ME shares some similar symptoms with a sub group of long CoVid - long CoVid seems an umbrella term, particularly the post exertional symptom exacerbation after what can often be trivial amounts of activity. It is this amongst other debilitating symptoms which characterises ME and not fatigue as is often wrongly assumed by many, fatigue is my least troublesome symptom. It is not known yet whether the two conditions are identical at the molecular/biochemical level. Also individuals who developed long CoVid and have still not recovered completely have been ill no more than 16 months, so still the possibility LC may be ultimately self limiting even if recovery may take up to a couple of years. Some are reporting recovery after even a year.
However, should the condition in many in this sub group of LC turn out to become chronic as it is for majority of people with ME lifelong disability may ensue. This risk to our young people concerns me.
Also an expert online shared how ‘every new case provides chance for further mutation. Cases are rising rapidly. Delta went from 0% to over 90% of cases in 10 weeks. As children get infected, any mutation that can better infect their vaxxed parents (and their parents' friends) will have a selection advantage.’