Over 70s to self isolate

[Dodie66]

Over 70s are going to be told to self isolate even if they don’t have the virus and this will be coming in 5-20 days and last 4 months
www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/breaking-coronavirus-over-70s-told-21694397?fbclid=IwAR2k9MqPf7vOzNcnqfVroLXVp0sQjYRmihHKBiL9pvdhSi5780WpYkgFNnI

Scottish health minister on the radio just said that the advice is much more pragmatic than the hysteria suggests. Older people will be asked to limit their social interaction by about 75%. They will not be asked to cut contact with close friends and family.

Seems sensible to me.

We are not a police state. People will not be held at home under armed guard. Those who need care won’t just be abandoned because they are self isolating. Those who would rather take their chances will almost certainly be permitted to do so.

Those who are over 70 and/or have certain pre existing conditions are more likely to become critically ill and die as a result of this virus. If you want to reduce death rates you reduce the number of people in highest risk groups who get the virus. In the same way that they vaccinate high risk groups from seasonal flu (I know this is different to the flu, it’s just an example).

There is no vaccine yet, so we stop those most vulnerable to the virus from contracting it as best we can. Within that group of people there will be those who cannot isolate entirely or who chose not to. The fact is if say, 50% did isolate it would make a big difference to the overall death rates I suspect.

If they were saying children under 5 were most at risk I wouldn’t be leaving the house with my DC because I would want them to stay protected.

There will need to be other measures too. Chris Whitty did set all this out weeks ago. None of this is new.

Exactly that Dinasaur. Why do people find that so hard to get their heads round?

Everyone was calling for full lockdown a couple of days ago. Now that the idea's been floated for locking down just part of the population, everyone's up in arms saying they'll never do it.

So full lockdown obviously wouldn't have worked anyway then, would it?

I don't think a lot of the elderly are getting the message that it's not them per se who are at risk, rather those who will be delayed in getting a ventilator or medical treatment because an elderly person will be more likely to be occupying a bed/equipment for longer.

I had to spend some time in hospital last year and well over 90% of the patients (I would go as far as saying 95% probably) were elderly and most had dementia too. They were just all propped up or lying there with no hope of full recovery. In the situation we are facing we must avoid having beds filled long term by people with poor prognoses.

This would be the best solution. Self isolate the vulnerable, old who are pretty much the only ones at risk of dying of the virus anyways. Leave schools open as its not a big thread to to kids. Makes perfect sense. So probably not gonna happen as ppl are stupid +sigh+

@AutumnRose1 and it is fine for you to keep rejecting it. I am putting my vulnerable parents into isolation and I am sure many others will do the same. Good luck to us all.

If people want to risk it no one will stop them but they should know the risk.

Angelica "Everyone was calling for full lockdown a couple of days ago"

no, "everyone" certainly wasn't calling for that.

It might not be everyone but it’s repeated on here a lot and there’s a ridiculous petition.

I hope you won't be calling an ambulance when your lungs start to fill with fluid from the pneumonia

Of course I won’t, that would entirely defeat the object. So you not understand that this is about choosing how you go? I’d die in my own bed, hopefully, hospitals are vile places for old people at the best of times.

Alsohuman I think there's a lot of MNers who don't know about the awful deaths people have every day. I wouldn't want to die in a hospital either.

also, the lungs filling with fluid from pneumonia - is that meant to scare people? It wasn't actually half as bad as the treatment and recovery!

If people want to go that way then obviously it’s their choice.

If they don’t then stay separated.

@AutumnRose1 you can stop protesting. You have made your point. You are willing to die from it. Lots of others don’t wish that.

This would be so brilliant. They dont have to go to work, they would be fine. I dread to think whats gonna happen when they shut down shops and other companies. People will lose their jobs and the economy will go tits up. Old ppl have their pensions, theyll be ok.

We are not a police state. People will not be held at home under armed guard

This is happening in Sicily though.

Bool - you can stop too then. You've made your point. Why don't you stop? If you're allowed to keep making your point, so am I.

I'm worried about my mum she is 69 with some health issues, but still working as a nurse and has caring responsibility in the family for disabled family members and my gran who is 97.

Ideally I'd like a massive government issue of some kind of suicide drug so anyone who gets it and is okay to be finished by it can just take it, but I realise people will use it for murder so it's not practicable.

Jeez can this thread be any more morbid FFS?

Why are so many focussing on a worst possible scenario? We really are not good at coping with a crisis in the West are we?

This mutation of the virus affects the elderly. The next mutation may affect the young (herd immunity doesn’t work for mutations). We need isolation protocols that work for next time

My friend is 70 and still working in a high powered job. There is absolutely no way he can self isolate, his secretary works from his house.

Moomin, sorry, I just meant to be practical. If I get it, I don't need to live, so an option to finish myself off quickly and then not be a burden to anyone except a crematorium seems a good plan.

also accusing me of being morbid is quite funny.

those of who do survive this would be looking at a much nicer world if it was substantially less populated and polluted.

I know people are rebelling against the idea but when school finishes and Dh wfh I’m scaling right back. I have no desire to put us at extra risk.

In the event that younger people need the ICU as much as Chinese and Italian young people did, then the assumption to make from the advice is that the over 70s have two choices: isolate or don’t but either way if they get the virus they won’t be treated.

However there are population differences. China, south korea, france and Italy have a huge proportion of smokers. So their lungs were already damaged when they got the virus. It’s possible if our smoking rates are lower then fewer younger people will need the ICU