Those who initially said they weren't at all worried about Covid-19...

[Emcont]

Do you feel naive at all? Maybe the wrong word..

My DH wasn't concerned and was one of the 'it's the flu' and he is now absolutely petrified of what it may do to his parents.

I was nowhere near as concerned as I am now. I was pretty naive in thinking they would be able to stop it like the Ebola outbreak

To all of those people saying they are not worried...I have no words.

Think about the Spanish Flu 1918. But then think about the real dates. The Spanish Flu came in three waves, and lasted until 1920. The second wave was the worst. We have not seen anything yet.

18 months for a vaccine? Yes, I am worried.

It doesn't help he still has to go to work and management are breaking so many rules ans he has been slated for speaking up.

Still not worried!!!!

I knew this would be a pandemic when I first heard about it and I was immediately anxious about it. I"m over the worst of my anxiety now, but people saying ''wasn't worried then, not worried now'' wow. Don't know where to start with that. Not worried about other people at all? Utterly convinced you'll be in the 80% Nobody relying on you at all if you have to take to your bed for 2-3 weeks? You'll be on full pay if you're off work longer?

It is just ignorance to announce 'not worried then, not worried now'. What heroes.

Everyone has their own unique work or health circumstances that means they may or may not be worried. Totally normal for some people to be worried less than others - it doesn’t mean they haven’t grasped the severity of the situation.

It does seem like misplaced bravado given the number of people who have died/will die. The damage to the economy. The recession coming our way. Perhaps people are just phrasing it badly. ''Not worried then, not worried now'' sounds like deliberate bravado. No need for it. Just say ''worrying won't solve anything''.

I wasn’t worried at first because DH who is an infectious diseases consultant wasn’t worried any more than he was about swine flu. And then he was. And then I was. And now he goes to work with a grim look on his face and is frankly exhausted.
I think the whole ‘we’ll die when we die’ are also underestimating how horrible a COVID-19 death is. DH mentioned to me (calmly not hysterically) that his biggest fear is dying all by himself, not being able to say goodbye to his children and essentially ‘drowning’ on a ventilator. He realises he’s not massively high risk- he’s fit and healthy and in his mid 40s but he’s working on a COVID ward and he has mild asthma.

And yes worrying won’t solve anything. We are carrying on and trying to keep life going on for our kids as best as we can, like the rest of the country. Panic and hysteria are not productive but to pretend that this isn’t a public health crisis that is unprecedented is indeed bravado. There is no shame in admitting that you feel fear.
And many front line NHS staff have been offered counselling because they live with that fear every day.

I've been afraid of this for ages, but at no point have I panicked.

Absolutely this. My plan is absolutely to be in the 20% who hopefully won't catch this and to be first in line for any anti viral treatment that works and/or first in line for a vaccine. I do not and never have subscribed to the ' well we all die sometime ' school of thought. Of course we do but medicine is about deferring that point until as late as possible. At 55 , the chances of me dying of this are higher than I'm happy with and I have a 15 year old DS with SEN who needs me .so I will be the one wearing masks when out and even a P3 mask that I bought in January if necessary. I do not care if it makes me look like I am ' panicking'. I see it as a rational response to a real threat .

I also.read a lot about this and try to keep up with what is happening without panicking.

LilacTree1
I stocked them up with lots of food initially
I do shopping and cleaning
When I visit I go straight in wash my hands straight away and I have Sanitiser spray in my bag
I sit down chat & watch tv but it’s a big room sort of like two rooms knocked into one so I sit far away not nearby

Anything I touch I wipe down but I have a good routine of sitting in the same place & same seat every time I visit.
The loneliness would kill them far quicker than covid 19 so I way up the danger with a decent dose of common sense.
The other day we sat out in the front garden enjoying the sunshine and chatted to the neighbours ( all with plenty of space )

Initially I was worried about catching it and dying. So much so I got my affairs in order. Which to be fair needed doing as I could have been run over or died suddenly anyway. Now I'm more worried about the economy and what we're leaving to our children. I'm still working and I'm glad to be doing so. Despite being screamed at "to stay the fuck home" I think I'll continue to follow government advice and continue working as I'm unable to work from home and it would be nice if we've actually got something to go back to.

Oh and when I was sat in the garden I had also delivered shopping and cleaned and then had a chat .
I do a lot of general stuff care for them as it would not be manageable otherwise .
I have to get prescriptions, check what food is needed, my dad is terrible for asking for stuff last minute and as my dad has very bad mobility I do a lot of stuff that he physically can’t do anymore .
Also the part of the room where I sit is a good 15 feet away if not more and when I leave that room is shut off so no one else goes in there apart from me .
My dads a bit deaf so I’m used to shouting at him anyway from across the room

Far more concerned about my children's long term education and future then I am about the actual virus.

We are happily locked down for now.

It isn't bravado, I have come to realise that I don't process things in quite the same way as most people. I also only actually care about 10 people in the world. I "care" about society as a whole due to its impact on those ten. But mostly not.

People are behaving as I always knew they would when a crisis happened.

Turns out being an anti-social weirdo who thinks most humans suck underneath a thin veneer of civilisation is exactly the correct way to be. I was right all along.

I am not unduly worried for myself or my loved ones. We are in a very fortunate position that our everyday lives and jobs are not impacted. I am really worried about poor people, old people and keyworkers.

I wasn't particularly worried with regards to loved ones or myself and I'm still not - there's only me, DH and DD, no other family and a handful of friends who are all young, fit and well. And I'm fairly sure we three have had it in Feb/March anyway - it floored us, especially DH, but we recovered fairly quickly. I'm still not particularly worried (even if it were to turn out we hadn't had it). We all wash out hand regularly and always have done - it's funny how something that's basic hygiene has now become a 'sensible precaution'. Weren't people handwashing regularly before?!

My main worry is for the millions who have lost jobs and had their futures whipped away (DD for example lost the job she was doing to pay for her masters next year, which she now won't be able to do). DH works with benefits claimants and he's seen applications go through the roof, and behind each one is a heartbreaking story.

I'm also worried about the nasty, sneery, judgy people who have really had their chance to shine. From heavy handed police to curtain twitching neighbours reporting Fred from 33 for buying a paper AND walking his dog AND going to Asda in the same day.

And the mental health implications, too. The strain on the NHS is not going to end when the virus is brought under control. In fact I'd say it's only just beginning.

So yeah, still not that arsed about the virus. It's all the attendant shit that bothers me.

Of course I forgot to say that I do also worry about key workers, particularly those in the NHS working without suitable protection. How this has been allowed to happen is staggering. I hope the electorate is watching and taking notes, especially when there's clapping every Thursday. However, and utterly inexplicably, that clown in Number Ten is enjoying a massive surge in popularity despite the PPE scandal and the fact his herd immunity bullshit and refusal to take things seriously earlier have cost so many lives.

Worried initially with reports from China, heartbroken and really worried from reports from Italy.

Im a frontline NHS healthcare professional. Now horrified at the death of what seems young and healthy keyworkers and inadequate ppe. I was always worried for my patients and the vulnerable and elderly. Now I'm worried I might leave my children motherless. The truth has gradually unfolded with this virus and it is far more of a risk than we first believed.

Also worried about the economy in the long run, but hard to think past day to day for now.

Of course I have empathy with front line workers in the NHS, teachers, shop workers, transport workers. I am concerned that they should have proper PPE and not be put at risk. By I wouldn't use the word worry, unless I'm talking about something more personal.

I'm not saying I don't care about other people at risk and in danger. But what does me worrying (thinking, being stressed, getting upset, thinking of a million different outcomes) do to help that situation?

I've pestered my MP about PPE, I've campaigned with my union about other union members in different sectors. None of that equates to worrying.

I am reading widely, I am following sensible evidence based advice. I'm not shouting at people to nail themselves into their house or call them selfish for going in 2 walks a day. I'm not disinfecting my shopping, quarantining my deliveries or sponging down the cat. I'm not lying awake at night wondering what might happen. Because I don't know.

I can only control what I can, do those things and wait and see what happens.

I was worried from late Feb, mocked by some, but then I was also slightly concerned about a big meteor that was heading for earth!

I'm a mini prepper so had emergency supplies already for our household.

I'm in NI & although I know some people who have had it-none are very close to me, out of the 5 I know of, 2 died-both older, 1 just out of ICU & it was touch & go-he's 40 & fit & sporty, and 2 were 50, don't know how ill they were but don't think they had hospital admission-one of them lost 2 stone through it & I believe they are both now recovered.

Parents are at home & know they're ok for now but suffering with cabin fever, as most are.

I am still worried but mitigate that by doing all I can to be prepared for our household. In a couple of weeks I will be more worried long term about the future & as pp said, if it looks like we can't eradicate or immunise against it.

Personally, I'm most worried about the fact it affects breathing & from trying to do breathing exercises, find that they panic me & I can't breath very well!

Friends who are HCPs self isolated early & wont be out until there's a vaccine, even if that's another 8 months +

I was one of those who wasn’t worried. I wouldn’t say I feel naive, I was just wrong! I remembered the panic for SARS, bird flu, Ebola etc and how none of those ended up affecting anyone I know and that made me feel quite laid back about the whole thing. I was wrong about this one though. I still feel relatively calm, I think because I (probably, untested) had it and got through okay, and I don’t personally know anyone who’s died. I think that’s when things will really change for me, when people I actually know become seriously ill.
I’m following all government guidelines by the way! I’m not stupid. I’m just not feeling panicked about it yet.

Yes I was one of those. I still am to a certain extent BUT think that's more down to being someone that looks for the positives generally. It is bad I do agree though but we'll get through it

cleopatrascorset I think you have raised the next big wake up.

Those in care homes, both residents and staff, are not being included in the reporting sufficiently.

ONS update today really highlights how mortality rate is being significantly underreported. We are in for more bad news.

I'm worried for my elderly Dad who has enough underlying health problems that catching the virus would finish him. I feel like it's just a matter of time, and the inevitable is heading straight for him, for us. And I can't spend these last few days or weeks or months with him.

Thewheelsarefallingoff - I think we’re at cross purposes here. I fully understand the difference between sensibly and understandably afraid of the death of self or loved one and allowing that fear to take over. I’m saying the people on this thread don’t understand.
As much as I’m concerned about the people I love getting seriously ill or dying of this virus, I am also concerned about all our futures as this virus has knocked our economy too.

@Oakmaiden I think you're missing the point here.. 11000 deaths attributable to Covid19 Many of them would otherwise not have occurred at the present time. Whether it's additional to the normal 10000 or the numbers crossover (most likely) that's still a lot of deaths.