To wonder why we’re still obsessed with Covid.

[bridgetreilly]

Three times as many people are dying of cancer every single day. More than ten times as many people are dying every day of other causes. But we aren’t getting daily updates about these on every news bulletin or website. Yes, people should get vaccinated, yes occasionally people are still getting very ill with it, and some are dying. But it is very far from being the great danger that it was 12-18 months ago. Can we just move on from the endless focus on it now?

Well said bertiebiscuit

YBVVU. Do some research, as they say. Covid is not a cold, or flu, its far more dangerous. New variant,anyone???

YANBU the media are loving the opportunity to spread more doom and gloom

@HippoRaine

Oh I'm ranting now, it's been a long hard shift tonight as usual and this thread has made me furious.

On the subject of cancer, I'm acutely aware that there is highly likely to be a second pandemic of undiagnosed/late diagnosed serious illness because we can't cope with routine and GP appointments as a direct result of covid. My hospital has vastly reduced capacity because of beds/wards taken up by these inconvenient statistics (aka the covid patients we are desperately trying to keep alive). Staff shortages due to covid/isolating/stress mean that routine scans, clinics and imaging are being limited/cancelled every day because of the pressures of covid, on top of the usual winter viruses. This is happening right now, it's not waffle or conjecture, we are on our knees.

I'm not surprised you're angry, I'm angry on your behalf.

YABU purely because you compared covid with 'cancer' on an equal footing. Cancer isn't one disease, it is a group term used for 100s of different diseases. The lumping together of all types of cancer is ridiculous, and of course if you compare numbers of covid deaths with all the deaths from all the different types of cancer there will be far fewer dying of covid. I have breast cancer, I do not have the same disease as someone with bowel cancer, or prostate cancer, or lymphoblastic leukaemia for example.

I also presume you haven't lost a loved one to covid, which does tend to help with the motivation to act responsibly and care about what is going on with the pandemic.

@Bertiebiscuit

YABU death from covid is entirely preventable unlike cancer etc, so of course people are talking about it and sane people take sensible precautions

Is it preventable though? It is a virus. It is not possible to prevent all Covid deaths.

[quote bridgetreilly]@NightmareSlashDelightful I suspect you are entirely right.[/quote]
And I suspect you're both a lot less insightful than you are congratulating yourselves on being...

Imagine how many more cases there would be of isolation and certain restrictions was not in place. Personally I think it's how fast it spreads. Out of 23 children in my kids class only 8 were in as it just spread through the class like wild fire. People are still scared.

@bridgetreilly

Three times as many people are dying of cancer every single day. More than ten times as many people are dying every day of other causes. But we aren’t getting daily updates about these on every news bulletin or website. Yes, people should get vaccinated, yes occasionally people are still getting very ill with it, and some are dying. But it is very far from being the great danger that it was 12-18 months ago. Can we just move on from the endless focus on it now?

Can we just move on from the endless focus on it? Well presumably you can, yes. However, there remain quite large sections of society who can’t just stick their head in the sand and pretend it isn’t happening, and some very important people who I hope don’t or we’re all f*ed.

@MrsBerthaRochester

People die. Its inevitable. If you are in a care home then chances are you were there nearing end of life. I dont think its callous to say we have to look at the benfits of keeping an elderly person alive a few more months compared to the long term devastating effects on young peoples education and mental health. New mutant strains appearing. How many vaccines are going to be needed? Its quite clear we have over estimated the efficacy of it by this point. Pandemics are mother natures own population control.

Callous. adjective. Showing or having an insensitive and cruel disregard for others.

Just thought I’d save you the trouble of looking it up.

@Nowinapanic451

I really can't stand people's selfishness over this or the way that some people reduce the importance of human life. Vulnerable people are just as important as you and your son or daughter, and their actual lives are more important than your freedom to live your life as you please and enjoy first-world luxuries.

People are still dying in their thousands every day and will continue to do so until we get a handle on this virus, which we won't do unless everybody consistently follows barrier methods and the whole world is vaccinated.

I wish people would grow up and just stop being so fucking selfish. I'm young and want to live my life the way it was, but not at the cost of other people's lives - someone's parents, siblings, children...I mean, honestly. Just get a fucking grip, grit your teeth and grin and bear it.

Exactly

Well, I suspect if it was that posters grandparent or relative in the care home, they would feel differently. At least I hope so. The vulnerable have been very badly hit by covid, the elderly, the disabled, the poor. It really is heartless to say well people have to die sometime.

@Cantfindafreeusername

I currently have Covid and TBH I am sure it’s actually a cold and not Covid. Seems so stupid to me that I have to stay in for 10 days for something I would normally shove a tissue in my pocket and jog off to work with! We need to get a grip and get on …..

It seems to me far more stupid that you haven't grasped that you must stay in to protect those whose bodies may react very differently to this virus if they caught it off you, potentially literally killing someone or leaving them with lung and other issues for life.

There are some very nasty, callous views expressed on this thread. My husband is 68 and diabetic. That makes him vulnerable to becoming seriously ill, or even dying from Covid. Some on this thread may think, well, so what, he’s elderly 🤷‍♀️ I’m especially looking at you @MrsBerthaRochester “pandemics are mother natures own population control” 🤬 My gorgeous husband manages his diabetes well and we could well spend another 20/25 years more together. Currently, we enjoy traveling, going to the gym, swimming, walking, gardening and many other things together. Your wish to live life as normal is not more important that his life. You and others here who share your disgusting views on this, should be ashamed of yourselves, but you are too selfish aren’t you.

@Nowinapanic451

I really can't stand people's selfishness over this or the way that some people reduce the importance of human life. Vulnerable people are just as important as you and your son or daughter, and their actual lives are more important than your freedom to live your life as you please and enjoy first-world luxuries.

People are still dying in their thousands every day and will continue to do so until we get a handle on this virus, which we won't do unless everybody consistently follows barrier methods and the whole world is vaccinated.

I wish people would grow up and just stop being so fucking selfish. I'm young and want to live my life the way it was, but not at the cost of other people's lives - someone's parents, siblings, children...I mean, honestly. Just get a fucking grip, grit your teeth and grin and bear it.

You make it sound soooo easy. Its not.

The importance of human life goes WAY beyond this virus - I could be here all day listing non covid harms (the depth and range of which, clearly, you have zero understanding); suffice to say its 'fucking selfish' to wander round with your head stuck up your backside, pretending that life can be frozen at any opportune; indeed that its wise to treat basic freedoms like loans that can be called in at any moment!

Far from the danger it was 12 months ago?

You living under a rock???

Covid is contagious! And people can help by controlling the spread!

Cancer is not contagious!

Get a grip OP!!!!

I feel like those saying “death happens” in this thread, wouldn’t comment on a thread discussing cancer treatment and saying “cancer happens”.

A family member in their 40’s died today of covid, no underlying health conditions. But death happens right?

Ask anyone who works in a hospital why were still talking about covid.

I kind of agree with you, as I don’t see covid disappearing in my lifetime, I personally feel it’s the new flu so we have to get on with it, but I get that we have to do so carefully. I also don’t feel all this ‘being careful’ does much for our immune systems, I have the worst sore throat I have I ever had, and I feel like utter crap (not covid, had multiple lfts and a pcr). Those 5-6 colds per year everyone coped with are now much worse.

YABVU and your idiocy is showing!

I agree with you.

I live abroad and am now spending every day stressing that I won't be able to get home for Christmas.

I wish the world would just get on with it.

On the face it of that is very selfish - but behind that, my mum will be alone if I don't make it home and I'm scared of what that will do to her mental health.

@bridgetreilly
But it is very far from being the great danger that it was 12-18 months ago. Can we just move on from the endless focus on it now?

I think the first sentence above is wrong. When the vaccine was made available it seemed that soon the danger posed by covid would be greatly reduced. But this changed when new variants emerged and now it seems like it is expected that most people will get covid after all.

I think the question is reasonable. That doesn't mean that covid isn't serious - it clearly is. But what are the consequences of the "endless focus on covid" as the OP puts it? Maintaining restrictions (e.g. masks, testing, isolation) and re-introducing new ones (travel bans, further lockdowns, furlough etc.) slows the spread, which prevents too many people becoming hospitalised at any given time, and so saves lives by preventing demand for hospital beds exceeding 100%. But doesn't slowing the spread also increase the time that the restrictions will be required? This has costs (hundreds of billions in government spending) and disadvantages (declining mental health, fertility, disrupted educations, stunted social development, etc.). Are there estimates of how these costs and benefits will vary with various measures? If not, what is the basis for various policies?

@insatiableme
Imagine how many more cases there would be of isolation and certain restrictions was not in place.

For an idea of this, look at countries which had fewer restrictions. I'm aware there are issues of testing, of attributing causes of death, and other variations between countries (e.g. demographics, obesity, population density), but how are countries with fewer restrictions doing per capita compared to us?

@MrsBerthaRochester

Yanbu. The simple fact is that most of the folk who have died with covid(and I use with deliberately) have been elderly. For the vast majority its a minor illness. The narrative that all nhs beds are being taken up by non vaccinated is nonsense. Time to live with it.

Here in the USA, over 90% of the hospitalized are non-vaccinated, and almost all deaths are unvaccinated. And many of our hospitals are overwhelmed, calling neighboring states, looking for beds. A man with gunshot wounds stayed in the emergency room for days, waiting for a bed.

THIS YEAR, in the USA, 132, 992 people over the age of 65 have died of COVID, and 120,140 people aged 30-65 have died, with an additional 2,434 aged 18-39. So, those aged 18-65 are dying in the same numbers as those OVER aged 65, Granted, those over 65 have a much higher death rate per capita, but don't fool yourself. And long COVID is leaving many younger survivors with severe, permanent damage.

Do you not watch the news at all?
The number of cases of Covid are rising again - this is not media sensationalism.
In September we had no cases in the secondary school where I work. Now there are 4 to 6 positive/ill with Covid in every class I teach. 5 staff are off with Covid, 2 of them actually ill with it, despite being double-vaccinated.
There are new strains of Covid.
We haven't hit flu season yet, which will put hospitals under more strain.
People I know, including my husband (he has a hernia - diagnosed in June, they cannot even give him a vague idea of when his op will be) are waiting for operations for months.
So, yes, some of us are a tad concerned.

OP, I take it that you haven't seen the news from South Africa then...