I'm 32 and not ready to die - anyone else care to demonstrate it's not just older people this will hit hardest?

[Helenshielding]

I keep seeing posts by people saying they dont think we should be on lockdown to protect older people who will "die next year anyway" or similar.

Here's the thing, over 70s are not "old" these days. People can live well into their 80s, 90s and 100s now.

I'm 32, I've survived cancer (which is now clear- it is not a case of it being controlled, it's been gone for 10 years), I happen to have some lung damage. I dont know what my life expectancy is, but I know it's not 33.

So if you're moaning about socially distancing etc for older adults, stop. You're doing it to prevent deaths of all ages. Younger people with no underlying conditions are dying of this virus.

Stay home. Shut up. Stop moaning. We will all get through this a hell of a lot quicker.

[BigChocFrenzy]

No child 0-9 has died yet afaik

[babbi]

@nocoolnamesleft. Just wanted to wish the very best of health and happiness in life going forward ..you are amazing
Take care xxxx

[FlockofGulls]

Some of the comments on Mumsnet about older people have actually reduced me to tears

I agree -

Ageism is the final frontier on MN. I guess it's the selfishness of 20 and 30 year old parents whose attention is turned to their young children, and who think the rest of the world should agree with their personal priorities.

It's a demonstration of the way that parenthood doesn't necessarily make you a better person - in some instances, it makes people more selfish and less caring about anyone except their "little family."

[BanKittenHeels]

I saw a post at the weekend (which was deleted) where someone said we should relax the lock down because they don’t mind a 90 year old woman dying “because she would probably die soon anyway” because it would mean she would get to go to her ante natal or baby classes.

[Interestingdrug72]

Where are you seeing these posts? I haven’t seen any.

Where are people flouting the rules?

What I am seeing is compliance like I never thought I would. Empty roads, people keeping their distance, patience and order at the shops.

I actually feel quite proud of what British people are doing to be honest. From children to the most vulnerable and those in between.

[BanKittenHeels]

And actually that was a whole thread. Where the OP had her arse handed to her but a lot of people agreed that the elderly or sick were expendable so they could get back to their normal routines.

[FlockofGulls]

@BanKittenHeels There are some heartless unthinking people about ...

[Cornishclio]

I think you need to take the 0.2% with a pinch of salt. The death figures only include those who died in hospital not those who died at home. There are teenagers who have died so it is not just the elderly and those who had other conditions. I don't understand the hang up some people have about just doing as they are told and staying at home to stop spreading this extremely contagious virus. Surely they have parents and grandparents they want to protect?

[Madhairday]

Thank you so much for starting this thread OP. I've become increasingly upset over the last few days about some of the things I've read on here which have made me feel expendable as someone in the shielded group. For some it seems to have become about pitching the physically ill against the mentally ill which is shockingly inconsiderate of both, at a time when we should be thinking about how we can all support one another in this. The amount of times I've read the words 'only underlying conditions' is astounding, and many in the context of posts expressing the wish to get out of this lockdown because only the vulnerable might suffer.

People forget this is about flattening the curve so the NHS will not break, not about saving a few elderly lives. Who obviously don't matter

I am not ready to die. I am 48. I have widespread severe bronchiectasis and aspergillosis but I have many years left. I've lived through enough pneumonias to know what it is like to gasp for breath and how terrifying it is when you cannot breathe. And yet people on these threads are actually saying things like they'd prefer their 80 year old nan to die of this than sit in their homes watching TV for six months. Yes, I've read that. They'd prefer their 80 year old nan to drown in their own lungs in terrifying agony, alone and scared.

I am so, so done with hearing about how bored people are and how they should not suffer for us. So done.

Thanks op

[larrygrylls]

I think that we do have to be careful here about making simple moral judgments.

Anyone can die of Covid 19 but, in the main, it is killing the old and vulnerable. On the other hand it is, by historical disease standards, really quite mild. Most will feel grotty for 1-3 weeks and then go on to make a full recovery.

In return for protecting the old and vulnerable many families and young people are making immense sacrifice, many losing their livelihoods and many young not being able to see their romantic partners for months.

If you calculate the lost lives of the people we are saving by the lockdown versus the loss of living time to everyone locked down, I suspect the account is showing a loss.

I think that those who are vulnerable and old should be very grateful to those giving up their lives short term and, for many, putting their ambitions on indefinite hold.

I am in favour of a limited lockdown while we build up hospital capacity and learn more about this virus. However, in months, not years, we will have to accept that we are not immortal and get back to living, even with the risk of dying of disease (which used to be the norm).

There is nothing heroic about embracing this eerie half life or telling off people who are not ‘doing it’ as well as you are.

[PepePig]

100% agree.

[Cornishclio]

I would also say that where we live people are mostly complying apart from those coming into the area and luckily the police are now turning them away. I also haven't seen anything on my facebook feed about people suggesting lockdown should be relaxed. It is far too early to talk about that.

[WhineWineWhineWineWhineWine]

I keep seeing posts by people saying they dont think we should be on lockdown to protect older people who will "die next year anyway" or similar
Really OP? @Helenshielding

I haven’t seen any posts like that, do you have links? Really interested given my family situation.

Contracting the virus, and dying from it are two different things
Age matters in survival rate. But We all can get it, regardless of age
older ppl struggle to fight it more, which is why they have higher death rate

DH is 45, immunosupressed. If he gets it he will die. Young people with no underlying health issues are dying. Why are people still thinking this is an age issue?

Surely the NHS must have known well before 11 March that this was coming down the tracks??

No, we really didn’t have more advanced warnings than the general public. We had an email maybe one or 2 days before national news announcements to start cancelling appointments.

The chances of you dying from this if you are under 40 is very rare, it’s 0.2%

Not a reason for people to still be going out and spreading it about to all the people over 40. what happens when you kill off all the NHS staff over 40 qualified to help people with it?

There is always risk in everything we do and lets face it we probably have more chance of being hit by a car/in an accident and die than die of the virus (for those of us who aren't in an increased risk category)
Ffs really? That’s the attitude of people who can’t be arsed to protect everyone else? See above. When all the frontline workers have been killed off what will you do when your loved one starts showing symptoms? Who do you expect to help when the experts have died because of increased viral load and physiatrist and gynaecologist are the only medical staff left to perform intubation on your loved one?

[Sertchgi123]

Every time we go out for our daily exercise, we have people who seem to purposefully walk straight towards us. It always seems to be us who stand to one side or change direction.

Yesterday I crossed the road to avoid a woman walking towards me. Shortly after I crossed, she crossed as well, so I had to cross over again.

It's driving me nuts! What is wrong with people?

[meonekton]

LyingWitch, I don't think op's intentions are inflammatory. There are many people who are scared more than others because of their personal reasons. And when you can't say what you are thinking in rl, online forum is the place. Not everyone is strong as you may be.
It's the time for understanding others. Yes like me, some panic more than others. But being condescending won't help anyone.

[Helenshielding]

I think that those who are vulnerable and old should be very grateful to those giving up their lives short term and, for many, putting their ambitions on indefinite hold.

Can you honestly not see this is about protecting everyone? If - god forbid - something terrible happens to someones child tomorrow and they need a hospital bed, would you not rather we were minimising the risk through these measures and ensuring the nhs wasnt at breaking point?

No, no I'm not grateful, i'm sorry. I'm staying inside 24/7 so you are making no sacrifices for me.

[WhineWineWhineWineWhineWine]

That should have said #spoke too soon!

[Fairybatman]

I am 40 with. 3 year old son.

I am in the shielding group because of severe asthma.

I don’t want to die.

[10storeylovesong]

My son is 7 years old and has chronic lung disease due to being ventilated so long when he was born extremely prem. My DH and I are key workers (police and NHS) and have to continue going to work. I am terrified and feel like crying each time I go to work, in case I bring it home to him. Last week, I had a male member of staff refuse to shave his beard to wear a face mask as he would rather catch coronavrius. He is young, healthy and lives alone. I actually cried at the selfishness of it.

[Madhairday]

And I'm actually worried about the rate of disability hate crime after this, if some of the things I've read are anything to go by. People are resentful of the vulnerable for making them lock down.

In return for protecting the old and vulnerable many families and young people are making immense sacrifice, many losing their livelihoods and many young not being able to see their romantic partners for months.

No. Why are you making this about the young making sacrifices for the old? We are all making sacrifices so the NHS does not grind to a halt so that all their services do not crack and break. All their services for the young as well as for the old, from mental health provision through to maternity services through to cancer care. This is not about simply saving the lives of a few elderly people. It's about protecting the NHS and flattening the curve so they can cope. Have you not listened to all the news reports and the scientists on this?

[Helenshielding]

I haven’t seen any posts like that, do you have links? Really interested given my family situation

I'll start copying and pasting as I see them. That one was a direct quote, I hope the post was deleted but I'll take a look.

[Zilla1]

Yes, it's stupidity on stilts. It's difficult to argue with such unempathic stupidity. Tends to be the same people who say 'we're stealing our children's future' without realising there would be economic costs from not locking down. Oddly, when I've asked the 'I'm all right, Jack's' what they thought we had ITU for before COVID and what they and their DC would do if ITU was full of patients with COVID and they had a RTA or a fall down the stairs, they tend not to have an answer, though often still parrot 'we're stealing children's futures' or 'they were going to die anyway (Guess what, everyone will 'die anyway' but we still provide health care to most everyone. I don't see them refusing medical treatment to their DC because 'they would die anyway').

[Lisette1940]

Well said Madhairday. I've been appalled at some of the posts on this issue.

[Madhairday]

I think that those who are vulnerable and old should be very grateful to those giving up their lives short term and, for many, putting their ambitions on indefinite hold

Seriously? So we, the vulnerable, should be grateful? Because we're not giving up anything, obviously. We're swanning round like nothing is going on.

No, I'm not grateful. We're all in this together to protect the NHS and so try to prevent everything falling apart. Half a million deaths in a short period would cause massive havoc across the population, and rip through our hospitals leaving utter chaos and misery. No, I'm not grateful to the 'young and ambitious' for doing what they are asked to prevent that. I'm just getting on with it like everyone else.

[Xenia]

Well said, larry. That is my view too. We need to consider the greater good.