If you don't care about catching covid, why?

[yarncakes]

Im asking for my own sanity really. I keep telling myself time and time again that if I get coronavirus then that's the way it is. But then during the night I wake up in a sweat, panicking that I've got it. I've tested negative so I know I haven't but it doesn't help with my health anxiety. I'm more worried about my DS and DH, who are both BAME, with a husband who has a health condition as well. Me on the other hand, touch wood I have no health conditions and I'm fairly fit, in my late 20s. Please tell me why you're not worried and is there anything to worry about?!

For me it’s less that I don’t care about getting it but that I’m not prepared to live a socially distance d and restricted life forever to avoid it. I’m in my late 40s and a higher risk group, although not shielding.

Because I have a life to live
I have multiple conditions which means
I should be shielding but I've chosen not to.
I have two young kids who I don't believe deserve their education, friendships, mental health and development impacting as much as this virus would do if I kept them away from everyone.

I don't want to lock myself away indefinitely. Life is for living. Whilst I accept that initially lockdown needed to happen because our government are a joke who couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery, enough is enough.

I'm not prepared to take away fun, happinesses, exploration, education and mental well-being for one virus.
There are other viruses which for me personally, and my family would cause a lot more serious problems and we haven't hidden away from them

@yarncakes here’s why I’m not ... we only get one life! The risk of dying from corona virus is actually relatively small. We can’t spend our lives in fear or we will just waste it. Also this is from the GOV website

Status of COVID-19
As of 19 March 2020, COVID-19 is no longer considered to be a high consequence infectious disease (HCID) in the UK.

The 4 nations public health HCID group made an interim recommendation in January 2020 to classify COVID-19 as an HCID. This was based on consideration of the UK HCID criteria about the virus and the disease with information available during the early stages of the outbreak. Now that more is known about COVID-19, the public health bodies in the UK have reviewed the most up to date information about COVID-19 against the UK HCID criteria. They have determined that several features have now changed; in particular, more information is available about mortality rates (low overall), and there is now greater clinical awareness and a specific and sensitive laboratory test, the availability of which continues to increase.

@SengaStrawberry

For me it’s less that I don’t care about getting it but that I’m not prepared to live a socially distance d and restricted life forever to avoid it. I’m in my late 40s and a higher risk group, although not shielding.

Same. I'm 50, life is full of risk. There's a certain inevitability to these things.

I follow all the guidelines but you just can't control everything in life. Life is full of disaster and tragedy, dumb luck etc.

Because I’m annoyingly healthy and robust and assume if I catch it I won’t even notice. I do worry a lot about DP and then children though which is why I’d rather not catch it and pass it on.

I’m not hugely worried about catching it because I have no reason to think it’ll be a serious illness for me, it’s as simple as that really.

I am social distancing because I’m aware that there are people I know who are at more risk of it being a serious illness - but I’m also aware that it’s just more risk, not an absolute one.

I lost my husband to cancer last year. I don’t have underlying conditions, the stats tell me that in al likelihood I’ll be fine. I put my life on hold for 2 years. Now I need to crack on

I should add that obviously I am very mindful of other people, I wear a mask, don’t meet in groups. Etc but I am not locking myself away.

I'm not worried about catching it because if I was, I wouldn't be able to work (locum pharmacist working in different teams regularly, with a surgical mask changed every 4 hours as protection) and all my risk factors are low, was fatigued at the beginning of March but have no way of knowing if it was covid or just the result of working 60 hour weeks

I am worried about passing it on to others, so follow all social distancing guidelines outside of work, only see my extended family who live local to me in their gardens or on walks with good distance between us and not facing each other. Haven't seen family who live further afield since February. I wear a mask when shopping and out and about in town and will only go for coffee etc in places I feel are safe, and only with my husband unless they are set up for socially distanced people to meet, ie, long tables we can sit outside at opposite ends of

Because to me Covid is just another virus. I don't spend my days worrying about getting the flu, which can also be debilitating to a lot of people. The odds of dying from it are tiny and I'm pragmatic about death and this kind of thing anyway. If I get it, I get it. I'm not going to live my life ruled by fear.

My mum has had Covid so I've seen what it is like, and I'm still not worried.

Because statistics are balanced overwhelmingly in my favour. The chances of me becoming seriously ill (perhaps even displaying symptoms) are very very low.
I believe I’m at a higher risk of dying in a car accident whilst driving to the shops than I am of CV.... and that doesn’t stop me driving anywhere...

Because I have one life and if I hid away from everything that had the potential to kill me my one chance of life would not be something that was enjoyable.

Life is for living. Not for staying at home and avoiding every single person.

I have always accepted my time could be up at any time. It's why I have life insurance, accident and critical illness insurance. Shit happens all the time.

I am worried about passing it on to others

This as well. I’m not at worried about getting ill but I couldn’t live with myself if I thought I had infected someone else and made them seriously ill or worse!

Should add as others have said though that I'm social distancing for the sake of other people but I am doing all the things we are now allowed to do - going out for meals, taking DS to the park and the cinema, seeing friends and family in their homes.

The same Reason I don’t worry about any of the other illnesses I could catch or develop I guess . You’d never be happy if all you did was worry about becoming ill

I’ll take the nessecery precautions Against Covid the same way I would take precautions in life for other stuff eg : I always wear a seatbelt , I wear sunscreen . And on the particular case Of Covid Il wear my mask , social distance etc due to the added element of keeping others safe as well . But other than doing what you can it seems pointless to worry about

I have had it and barely noticed at the time. Not enough to get a swab test, anyway.

Since confirmed with a positive antibody test.

I am following minimum guidelines but losing no sleep about it whatsoever. I work on the frontline too.

It’s very, very clear from all the stats that this virus killed elderly people. Death rates start going up from 45+, but the largest group has been the over 70s.

I am 45, but even in my age group the numbers dying from it without an underlying health condition was very small. So for me it’s an equivalent risk to any other infection that could turn nasty - so people in my age group die of sepsis every year for example. I’m also as likely (not checked stats) to die or be injured in a RTA or to get cancer.

Basically, I’ve lots of equivalent or higher risks than Covid - so fixating on one makes no sense to me at all. Also live with someone who nursed Covid patients so I could have completely lost it if I’d overestimated the risks.

However, I understand from your post that you have health anxiety so my list of reasons won’t impact. I’d recommend CBT to help with how you are responding to your thoughts. Not being patronising, it just sounds like it’s really hard for you at the moment.

Because I've added it to the long list of other things that might harm or kill me e.g. a car accident, cancer etc. One in two people will get cancer, do you wake up at night worrying about that? I find it bizarre that people are making huge efforts and sacrifices to not get Covid eg staying at home, social distancing, but don't make the same effort eg losing weight, to reduce their risk of cancer.

@Gwynfluff

It’s very, very clear from all the stats that this virus killed elderly people. Death rates start going up from 45+, but the largest group has been the over 70s.

I am 45, but even in my age group the numbers dying from it without an underlying health condition was very small. So for me it’s an equivalent risk to any other infection that could turn nasty - so people in my age group die of sepsis every year for example. I’m also as likely (not checked stats) to die or be injured in a RTA or to get cancer.

Basically, I’ve lots of equivalent or higher risks than Covid - so fixating on one makes no sense to me at all. Also live with someone who nursed Covid patients so I could have completely lost it if I’d overestimated the risks.

However, I understand from your post that you have health anxiety so my list of reasons won’t impact. I’d recommend CBT to help with how you are responding to your thoughts. Not being patronising, it just sounds like it’s really hard for you at the moment.

This is it exactly.

If you're worried about it and have health anxiety - is a list of why other people don't worry about it going to help?

In the gentlest possible way maybe you need to seek help to deal with your anxiety because covid 19 will not be leaving us any time soon / ever.

Economic ruin scares me a lot more than the virus. I’m late 40s still with dependent children. Losing my income would be much worse than catching the virus in my eyes.

Because I had it in March (confirmed), and it was like flu, I was laid low for 3 days when I just slept but got over it quickly. DH was v poorly for 16 days, lost a stone and I was worried about him at the time but he also boy a kid quickly.
There are 0 reported cases in our area.
So the combination of breezing through it, extremely low risk of encountering it in my area and a naturally optimistic mindset.
I do sanitise and wear a mask in Waitrose for others’ sake, but am loving seeing lots of friends, family, and am back to eating out 5 times a week

I’m an ICU dr and don’t worry about it at all.

I already know that nobody is guaranteed a second on this earth.

Worrying doesn’t change that. Putting everything into helping others is a positive focus for me and everyone can do that whether ‘frontline’ (a stupid wanky word rarely used by anyone actually ‘frontline’) or not.

I am not worried about catching CV as I am not prepared to live in fear. I will not let this risk stop me living my life, in the same way that I will not let other risks stop me living my life (eg terrorism, walking home late evening in the dark).

I've got more chance of being knocked over by a bus.

I'm mid 40's, I've lost my job over the economic downturn

The media have scared the sh't out of people and manipulated us.

I was worried at first, now just cautious,mainly because I have a young baby. I am more worried about other viruses for my 3 children though. I don't want to catch covid but its another virus and the ifr for under 70s is 0.04% which is broadly in line with flu. Yes I know there seems to be a risk of long term conditions but we cant hide forever and if that happens would have to deal with it. We are following the guidelines but my kids are hugging grandparents. I missed out on having my mam at my daughters birth in may, my children couldnt visit their new sister in hospital, and all of her grandparents missed out on the first 8 weeks of her life. That is time and experiences I will never get back. Need to start living a bit again!