SIL still isolating due to covid risk

[dragontears]

AIBU to think this is no way to live now? She works from home and will only leave the house for essential errands with mask on. She is terrified of getting long covid. Feels like her life is very very limited for a 38 year old!

Anyone else have people they know in this position? How to support them?

I agree. It's the people who don't want anyone to take precautions who get aggressive.

No-one is telling them they have to. People just want them to leave the people alone who choose to - without accusing them of hysteria or paranoia or having a life not worth living.

It's like the kid at school who doesn't want to do their homework but wants to ridicule everyone who does. Deep down it's because they have an insecurity of some sort about their position or they'd just leave others to their own choices and devices.

Yes that's exactly it. It's a shame that so many people base their beliefs on what makes them feel good rather than on evidence, and then get upset when people share information that contradicts their beliefs. It's not just covid it happens in so many areas of life.

She does realise that unless she is wearing a FFP3 twin filter fitted rubber mask it's doing nothing!

The blue paper ones were in aid of reducing spread from an infected person, and even that is a grey area.

Presumably your brother goes out, going on 6 years of one of the most infectious respiratory virus' known, I would think she has been infected by now and just not known about it!

She wears an N95. Not sure if that is the same? Regardless, I think it has gone beyond logic for her.

DB has had covid, when he went on an overseas work trip a couple of years ago, but she didn't catch it because he was isolating in the spare room for 2 weeks when he got back.

Yes an N95 is an FFP3 mask (no rubber seals required). It obviously served her well and prevented her from getting covid. Well done.Seems to me she knows exactly what she is doing.

Yes N95 is the same, but unless it is has an outlet vent, is properly fitted and changed regularly it is of limited use and not totally resistant.

Its really sad to see people still masking - the original intent was that if everyone in unison wore surgical masks the spread of droplets would be reduced (but not eliminated) - there is a measurable effect with that in place, but not significant enough for it to have been a good idea.

You absolutely can protect yourself with a rubber full face mask with the correct filters, but to be honest you would look a tit wearing that in Tesco.

Depending on the specific mask she is wearing and the fit an N95 is approx 94-99 percent effective so it dramatically reduces your risk.

I don't think it's any of your business tbh. If you manage to persuade her to stop avoiding covid and she ends up disabled by long covid what then? Are you going to to give up work and become her carer?

Is is true that the overwhelming majority of people that got covid are fine.

Covid was global you realize that? Why hasn't the entire planet and society broken down if most people have never recovered from covid.

Not reading your nonsense. You clearly have an agenda, and that's to think that the whole planet is doomed because of covid.

I was finally diagnosed with long covid about 9 months ago but prefer to live my life to the full when I feel well enough
Shielding is no life - please try and get her to seek help for her MH

The two options aren't 'the overwhelming majority of people have no complications from covid' versus 'the overwhelming majority of people already have long covid.' A substantial number of people have some form of post covid complication, whether it's classic long covid or one of the many other medical conditions that research has linked to the virus. The number of people affected is likely to continue rising as repeated infections increase the risk of complications.

Apart from the immense human suffering caused, there's the significant economic and practical issue that a large increase in the number of people with chronic illnesses isn't good for our country or the world. It would be a very sensible idea for the government to implement measures like improved ventilation in public buildings to reduce infections, though I don't have much hope of that happening any time soon as the british government seen incapable of sensible measures!

It would also be wise for society to acknowledge these issues and plan how to reduce future cases of long covid, as well as to better support those who are already affected, rather than continuing to ignore the problem.
I know that some people seem get upset at the posting of studies, but no one is forcing you to read them. This is a systematic review on the global prevalence of long covid: https://academic.oup.com/ofid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ofid/ofaf533/8244677.
So yes, it's a global issue!

She is mentally ill and needs professional help. Covid merely brought her ill health to the surface.

Not only do I not, but I’ve never seen nor heard of anyone else doing so either.

Mind you MN is like a 2020/21 throwback, IRL Covid never gets more then a passing mention, no one goes on about long covid, no one dropping like flies of unexplained complications either. It’s back to 2019 life, with no adverse consequences of Covid, for 99.5% of the population

How on earth would you know? I wear a mask due to being immunocompromised but don't know anyone else, or see anyone else in real life who does, so if it weren't for my own experiences I would have no idea how people wearing one were treated.

So random people you don’t even know come up to you and have a go at you for wearing a mask. Really?

People at work, and some family members have a go at me for wearing a mask, random people shout things at me etc when I'm out, but I've learnt to ignore it. I'm not sure why you felt the need to come on here and insist that no-one is hassled for wearing a mask when you obviously couldnt possibly know.

Here's someone else's experience if you don't believe mine.I
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c89w84wzv1vo

Rubbish. As long as it fits snugg without gaps it's fine. (98%effective) The vent is optional and will make it more comfortable for the wearer but has no impact on the masks ability to protect the wearer.
Surgical (baggy blue) masks have limited impact on airborne viruses as they are designed, as you say, for droplets.
Covid is predominately airborne..

If she's up to date with boosters she must be clinically vulnerable- that's the only way you are entitled to NHS covid boosters.

If she's up to date with boosters she must be clinically vulnerable- that's the only way you are entitled to NHS covid boosters.

NHS advice to those clinically vulnerable to covid remains to distance, work from home, mask etc.
How to avoid catching and spreading COVID-19 infection. - NHS share.google/xJ398yS8Fwxr5ZnwZ

We don’t live in the UK.

She might never get long COVID but the way she is living, long Covid would probably be less restrictive

I was looking at this thread and thinking how much more restrictive my life is - to be able to still work or go for a walk/do essential errands when I wanted? Be able to get up every day? Use a laptop? I’d love that. I’m female and in the same highest risk age group as OP’s SIL. I desperately miss the life I had before long covid. I don’t recognise the person I am now. I know that with school starting in the middle of another wave, it means there’s a fair risk I’ll have an even lower quality of life soon.

My children may soon lose even more of the mum they had because it’s accepted that a not insignificant people are dispensable every wave. I hope beyond hope that they won’t join the many many thousands of kids that already have long covid.

I think if there were greater understanding of what covid is still doing, if there were some protections in place, that there would be fewer people living in the manner of OP’s SIL. There would also be fewer people with their lives absolutely decimated beyond recognition.

98% effective in laboratory conditions and with perfect use. This is pretty much impossible in the real world. You would have to have a perfect fit, change the mask at the correct intervals, never touch it, not have a beard or any facial hair, ensure that it never becomes breached unknowingly etc etc. Don't you wonder why the vast majority of medical professionals dont even bother with a mask anymore? In real world conditions they arent that effective at all really

Wrong. Masking still prevents and reduces infection. Hospitals frequently announce mask requirements when they have covid outbreaks. Also the mentality of only accepting it is worthwhile if 100% effective is ridiculous. Plenty of studies prove that masking (even baggy blues) reduce transmission.