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Covid

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Original poster

There will be no miracle at the end of 12 weeks

97 replies

AustBron · 12/04/2020 22:59

I don't understand what the powers that be think will happen to those of us in the extremely vulnerable category when we reach the end of the current 12 week shielding.

Are they going to tell us to lock ourselves away for another 12 weeks or more? Are we just being shielded solely to protect the NHS and eventually when enough of the unshielded population have had Covid-19 will we be allowed out to catch it and die in droves in the freed up intensive care beds?

Or is it envisioned that we will all have to be completely shielded until a vaccine is found?

I may not be thinking very clearly here, I am extremely frightened because I'm in that group, frightened that my cancer will kill me because my checkups have been canceled, frightened about a new and potentially very serious health issue that was discovered just before Covid-19 appeared and my appointments for that have been canceled too.

Really I'm just bloody frightened and would welcome any points of view that would clarify how people who aren't quite as scared as I am, see things progressing

OP posts:

underneaththeash · 13/04/2020 00:03

Remember OP that the vast majority of those who are young and not in the shielding categories will be absolutely fine.
I know a lot of people who have had it and only one who died and she was 76 and had many underlying health issues.
Most of us will go out and risk it - my family certainly will, we're all young fit and healthy.
My friend who is not-healthy I think will not, but I hope in 12 weeks we will be able to have her round for dinner, maybe with one other friend and I hope that she can come round for "Ascot" in my garden. (We'll get dressed up etc.)

Your cancer treatment cannot wait OP - can you get transferred to a centre that is cancer treatment only?

CatAndHisKit · 13/04/2020 00:05

PlanDe thanks, that explains it well. But you say that it can only be resurgent due to visitor from aboad - surely though they can't keep airlines on the ground for months? And some visitors come in even now and ot being quarantined or tested even. So isn't this a huge issue- once lockdown is lifte, the visitors in/out of the country will start new waves of it?

pcmcgregor · 13/04/2020 00:05

As far as I understand it the reason cancer treatments have stopped is because they affect your immune system, therefore putting you more at risk should you get the virus?

It's important to remember that while the risk for vulnerable people is greater, you are still significantly more likely to survive it than not, and there is still chance that like anyone else you could get the virus and have no symptoms at all.

I've seen many people make themselves much iller through worrying, I know it's difficult but it's really important for your overall health and wellbeing to try to stay positive.

Honestly none of us really know how it will affect any one of us. It is impossible to lock everyone down indefinitely, at some point we will need to return to some kind of normal life and try to find a balance between being as safe as we can be while enjoying some quality of life while we wait to see what developments take place. I think everyone is feeling fear about the impact on themselves or loved ones so it is understandable that you feel scared xx

CatAndHisKit · 13/04/2020 00:06

sorry for typos

Nanalisa60 · 13/04/2020 00:07

I hope you are wrong, from the start I always thought that it would be 12 weeks in lockdown, but much longer if you was over 80 or in the high risk group.

I’m not sure the the county can keep handing money out for much longer then 3 months.

Mustbetimeforachange · 13/04/2020 00:11

This frightens me too. DH is in the shielded group and would most likely die if he got it. How can any of us ever go back to work, how can we ever see any of our friends, go on holiday etc? The only thing that would help him would be an antiviral drug that works, and that must be a couple of years off, minimum.

SonjaMorgan · 13/04/2020 00:14

None of us know. I don't this ridiculous government knows. I imagine people in the shielding group will need to continue being careful and staying away from large groups until a vaccine is found? But once an antibody test can be rolled out you will be able to have contract with people who are immune? I am guessing at all of this. I am so sorry you are unwell and have no answers.

TinklyLittleLaugh · 13/04/2020 00:19

I am vulnerable too. When lockdown ends I am hoping

Enough of the population has immunity to make it less likely to be spread around and caught
There are more beds and better treatments available
The virus has mutated to become less dangerous (not sure how long this might take).

I will be avoiding big crowds though, to reduce my chances as much as I can.

UnholyStramash · 13/04/2020 00:19

I read a news item earlier in which the German EU woman van der Leyen (?spelling) said that older people will have to be shielded till sometime in 2021 when a vaccine might be found, then almost as an afterthought mentioned all the people with conditions that make them very vulnerable and said they’d have to wait for a vaccine also. That makes sense of course but it’s scary when you’re younger and in the shielding group, as I am and lots of others. It’s all just very shit. I’m in my late 50s so less young than many of you - but it feels awful to think this could be my life now for the foreseeable future.

Tonemeth · 13/04/2020 00:24

If you currently work out of the home, can you switch to a job that allows you to work at home?

Hahahaha. It's so easy to just switch job in the middle of a sodding pandemic, isnt it. And interviewers love it when you say you are quite literally housebound

OP I wish I had the answers, I'm fully expecting shielding to be extended. I hope they work out ways to do bloods and follow up, cancer treatment is terrifying enough without a pandemic (been there minus the pandemic). I hope we get answers soon

DishingOutDone · 13/04/2020 00:25

I could not be ventilated, so it doesn't matter how many hospital beds there are, could be a dozen lined up for me, I can't use one of them. @Unholy I am late 50s too - I had so much planned. For now I just think take it one day at a time but I do believe in the doomsday-type scenarios in the Imperial College research; the idea is merely to make sure the NHS isn't overwhelmed, but beyond that there is nothing until there is a vaccine.

Sugarplumfairy65 · 13/04/2020 00:28

I'm in the same position as you op with NHL. I won't be leaving this house and no one will be getting in for the foreseeable future. I don't care how long I have to sit it out. My own view is that they don't want us to catch it just yet because we would take up hospital beds that the government think should go to people without cancer and other such illnesses. I'm more frightened of this virus than I ever was when my cancer was diagnosed. At least if the cancer got me I would have time to say goodbye to my family and have them with me.

Toomuchgoingon · 13/04/2020 00:34

I'm also in the shielded group and have children aged 7& 11. I have no idea what to do if they go back to school and I have to stay isolated. I'm wfh so as long as I have a job, that isn't an issue but we can't stop the kids going back. Both have SEN and really struggling now by not going to school. Eldest is due to go to secondary in Sept and he can't do that with his friends, he will never catch up.

Lollygaggles · 13/04/2020 00:38

Unmumsnetty hugs to you OP and to all in the shielding group right now. It must be an extremely scary time for you.

Colouringaddict · 13/04/2020 00:40

I too am shielding. I’m 50, I don’t work but I do childcare for my DGD who is 19 months. I haven’t been outside the house for 4 weeks today, but my husband has to work as his trade is vitally important. So far he has kept me safe. No one seems to know what is going to happen to us after this 12 weeks. My DD is a teacher, right now, she is alternating going to school with her DP so that the childcare is covered, but once the children go back to school, it leaves the little one without care. My husband is also waiting for a stent that has been cancelled twice and his health is deteriorating too. The future being so uncertain is scary but my greatest fear is to die alone without my loved ones near by

ohthatmissmith · 13/04/2020 00:43

In a similar-ish situation. I am high risk, single parent, and have a disabled teenage son. Govt today talking about schools re-opening soon but worry is he contracted the virus, and if I then got it too- there is no-one to look after him if I ended up (v likely) in hospital. But at the same time he needs all the schooling he can get.

alloutoffucks · 13/04/2020 00:48

OP the only thing that makes sense is that they will be mass testing by then, contact tracing and isolating so you don't get it. Otherwise there is no point in shielding people.
People talking about freeing up beds don't seem to realise that those in the shielded group have been told that they have a high chance of dying if they catch it. Whether there is a bed or not makes no difference. So the plan has to be that you don't catch it.

StepAwayFromGoogle · 13/04/2020 00:50

There was a programme about this the other day. We either need to get to the point of a vaccine (about 12-18 months away, best estimate) or to the point of herd immunity where enough of the population have had it. Oh, and to ban wild animal markets across the world, or it will happen again. It's a very unpredictable disease so we're all going to have to play it by ear

alloutoffucks · 13/04/2020 00:51

@underneaththeash How is that a reassurance to the OP when she is in the shielded group?

ClientQ · 13/04/2020 00:51

I don't know. I'm 35 and shielding and worrying about work

Onmyown1 · 13/04/2020 00:53

I’m in the shielded group also. My cancer treatment is still going ahead but my immune system is already very low due to years of treatment so I’m continuing. Hospital are delivering my medication and appointment with oncologist by telephone. No bloodwork being done or scans though. I’m working from home at present and I have primary school children So if schools reopen I’m not sure what will happen.

PinaColadaintheRain · 13/04/2020 00:54

I have a lot of hope. I have a relevant science background and I hope that I can reassure you.

You are right we do not know many things at the moment. We do not know when restrictions can be lifted. However the speed of learning is fantastic. We are learning

much more about how the virus transmits. Once we know more, we will know which restrictions are the most effective.
we will soon have a very good testing capacity I believe. Once we have this, we can protect health workers AND importantly we can contact trace. Why is this important? If we contact trace we can manage to control numbers and ensure there is no second wave. South Korea have flattened their numbers amazingly and have not closed schools and may businesses are still open.
we will have better treatments and more effective healthcare even before a vaccine. These will not cure but will mean we can manage people much better and more will survive.
we will be able to learn from China, Italy, South Korea who are all ahead of us, and therefore we will be able to take what works and use it.

And on a personal note. I do think that we are the lucky ones, the ones who have not got the virus seriously at this stage. We are able to be at home and safe whilst all around us those more unlucky are being the frontline patients. Every day that passes means our chances of getting it are smaller, of being treated are better.

Take heart.

Medievalist · 13/04/2020 01:06

We either need to get to the point of a vaccine (about 12-18 months away

There has been quite a lot of news coverage about the possibility of a vaccine by September -

www.google.com/amp/s/news.sky.com/story/amp/coronavirus-vaccine-could-be-ready-as-early-as-september-according-to-scientist-11971804

SeaToSki · 13/04/2020 01:54

So my take on it is this

After 12 weeks

We will have a better idea of what drugs etc work on treating it
We will be closer to a vaccine
More of the general public will have had it and recovered so the infection rate will drop

Most importantly there will be a pool of people who have had it and recovered. They can donate plasma. Their plasma will contain covid antibodies. If a high risk person catches covid, they can have a plasma transfusion, this will give them an antibody boost for about 8 weeks (normal lifespan of antibodies) at which point they could have another transfusion. For this to happen successfully there needs to be a large enough pool of people who can donate plasma.

Boswello · 13/04/2020 02:18

Lots of different things could happen. We are learning huge amounts about the best way to treat people to optimise outcomes so the death rate should go down. It's possible that infected people get some sort of immunity. A vaccine will become available at some point. We might just listen to the WHO and do extensive testing and tracing so that once the lockdown is lifted we can prevent a second massive wave.

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