Covid19 Is Here For Years to Come

[ClimbDad]

Today, Sir Jeremy Farrar, a member of Sage, the government advisory body, said the world would be living with Covid-19 for "very many, many years to come".

"Things will not be done by Christmas. This infection is not going away, it's now a human endemic infection.

"Even, actually, if we have a vaccine or very good treatments, humanity will still be living with this virus for very many, many years.... decades to come."

Prof Sir John Bell, of the University of Oxford, said he thought it was unlikely that Covid-19 would ever be eliminated despite the positive news announced on Monday that trials by his university had triggered an immune response - an important step in developing a vaccine.

"The reality is that this pathogen is here forever, it isn't going anywhere," he told MPs.

"Look at how much trouble they've had in eliminating, for example, polio, that eradication programme has been going on for 15 years and they're still not there.

"So this is going to come and go, and we're going to get winters where we get a lot of this virus back in action.“

If these highly respected scientists are right, how will your life change? Do you believe we can go back to normal while the virus is circulating?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53488142

Speaking of chickenpox, of course that causes problems to the elderly / people under stress as it comes out as shingles which can cause neuralgia and fatigue...there are lots of nasty things out there. Think of norovirus and hospital infections such as MRSA. We have not got rid of these have we. Just have to use good infection control to manage them

@Triangularbubble

This

Of course we can return to normal! Why is this virus different to all the other pandemic viruses throughout history?

We had the roaring 20's after the Spanish flu, I'm hoping for something similar!

I knew exactly who the OP was before I opened the thread. 😆 😆 😆

He’s like the king of doom on here.

As a pp said we haven’t eradicated measles which can be another really awful virus with lasting effects .
One of my brothers got glandular fever and was ill for 6 months. He then had post virus fatigue for months after . There is no vaccine for glandular fever, it is very debilitating and can actually trigger autoimmune disease. In fact lots of virus can trigger auto immune conditions. Btw glandular fever is actually very common.

@EmilyDickinson

I heard an expert interviewed on PM on Radio 4 who was saying much the same thing. I don’t know if this is the same interview that people are referring to? The interviewer (Evan Davis?) was asking when life would return to normal and they were basically saying that that it would be a long time before we return to normal, maybe never. They compared it to climate change. We can’t return to the way things were.

Every expert says something different Unfortunately people will just return to normal life didn't change after Spanish flu /HK flu etc

I think there is a difference between believing it will go away (which of course it wont - we have successfully eradicated one disease Smallpox in our entire existence) and it becoming something we learn to live with.

Life is already slowly returning to normal albeit with social distancing and masks

THe question is of course OP what is YOUR agenda with all this posting you have been doing. Or how you are feeling about it

@LaurieMarlow

I knew exactly who the OP was before I opened the thread. 😆 😆 😆

He’s like the king of doom on here.

Leave him alone he is very busy and important working on a covid treatment (yet still has time to scaremonger on mumsnet all day....)

I like social distancing, I don't like folk in my face. I'll always do the handwashing, that can only be a good thing.

Leave him alone he is very busy and important working on a covid treatment (yet still has time to scaremonger on mumsnet all day....)

Oh yeah 🤪

Not quite gone the way you expected this thread eh op?

We develop almost lifelong immunity to each strain of influenza, whether by vaccination or infection. The challenge is the emergence of new strains. Flu vaccines are relatively simple and quick to develop because we pick a couple of emerging strains every year and have a slick process to get from lab to jab.

We’ve never had to deal with an endemic virus that is both lethal, causes long term harm to those who catch it, and has the capacity to reinfect after an unknown period of temporary immunity. Reinfection by coronaviruses does not seem to be strain dependent. Something else causes our immune response to fade - no one quite understands how or why.

The people calling for everyone to get back to normal because this is just a bad flu haven’t quite registered what this is yet. Don’t mean to be patronising or negative, but there’s a reason every country in the world has taken this so seriously. It’s not like anything we’ve encountered before. Ask any immunologist and they will tell you they would have much preferred pandemic flu.

@Allmyarseandpeggymartin

Not quite gone the way you expected this thread eh op?

It’s gone about how I expected. This is why the government can’t be honest and why it has to pretend we can go back to normal. Most people can’t or won’t accept the changes that are going to happen.

Eventually people will take their chances. That's the reality. Even if immunity fades (and as I understand it t-cells in patients who recovered from SARS were found 17 years after infection so I'm not sure it's completely straightforward) we won't all be susceptible at the same time (as is the case now).

First generation vaccines only need to do enough to slow things down, I'm pretty sure the second generation will do better.

A combination of some natural immunity, vaccination, better treatments for those who do contract the virus will mean that we are able to live with the virus without it ruling our lives.

I think if it does wear off in 1-2yrs they will likely mandate the vax. Because otherwise there would be outbreaks.

If there is no vax it is likely people will have a lifespan of say 70 especially men. As they might be weaked by every bout.
Though it's possible they make better antibodies so who knows.
The change might be smaller class sizes and schools. Or more outdoor seating for food/drinks. More drive in movies.
More sinks at parks and schools and shops.

Staying home when not well even mildly.

Sweden will likely show us vax vs naturalyl gotten immunity.

Tbh i think scientists are only saying this so people go out to spend

What do you mean that people can't or won't accept the changes that will happen? @ClimbDad

I just don't understand your mindset?
Of course immunologists would prefer pandemic flu. Why? Because they already know so much about the flu.
But they are learning about covid all the time. We have some promising treatments and vaccines on the potential horizon.
If you want to remain in isolation forever then go for it.

First generation vaccines only need to do enough to slow things down, I'm pretty sure the second generation will do better.

Exactly. But certain people apparently enjoy revelling in the gloomy depths.

Climbdad give it a rest yeah. Go and wallow in your own doom somewhere else. If you are actually a dad, I feel so bad for your children

If you are actually a dad, I feel so bad for your children

I’m picturing him as very early 20s, bored troll type who’s wandered over here from Reddit.

"I dont mean to be patronising or negative..." but let me just mansplain some more doom mongering.

OP how is the bubonic plague outbreak doing that was reported the other day? Anything you'd like to share with us on that front?

But you are patronising and negative to anyone who shows even a tiny bit of optimism.

Those changes will only happen if the majority accept them. I would bet my house that actually most people won’t be prepared to accept these changes permanently in response to something that probably won’t kill the vast majority of people. We’ll just add socialising to the long list of things people do all the time that damage their health, but we do them because we enjoy them - eating too much, drinking too much, smoking, sunbathing, risky sexual behaviour, dangerous sports...

OP most people arent YOU though. They are going to weigh up the chances of it being lethal for them or being the ones that end up with long term issues and decide that living life is the best way forward.

And from what I have seen recently that is most people.

It doesnt make what you say untrue, it just means that you cant live life like it. We walk hand in hand with death all the time

But @ClimbDad loads of people have had to accept changes over the last 6 months and fully accept that it’s likely to continue.
I know several people who have lost their jobs, might never see elderly relative living abroad again , just two examples of huge changes.
It’s actually so patronizing to say that people won’t accept change when a lot have had huge change in their lives already including losing a loved one.
Covid is new which is never good news with a virus, so far what we do know is that it seems to be particularly dangerous to those who are over a certain age or those with underlying health conditions. And yes of course it could and has killed healthy people and it might cause long term issues but it’s one of loads of horrible diseases. I’m not surprised it isn’t going anywhere. I think most people get that. That’s why we are all continuing to socially distanced and constantly washing hands. Everywhere I go (not a lot of places) there are people in visors, masks , there’s sanitizer everywhere, my kids haven’t seen the inside of a school in 5 months. What exactly do you think we aren’t getting? Do I want my children to grow up doing school in front of a screen 6/7 hours a day, avoiding all social contact and living in fear of illness? Fck no , that is no life, do you not get that? Even at the risk of dying (which will happen anyway eventually and there are a lot of ways we can die).
I will do everything to keep my children safe but I can’t and won’t lock them up and keep them away from life, from the beautiful world we live in. Do you not get how much is out of our control? Maybe it’ll get worse and mutate into a more aggressive disease, maybe there will be a much more dangerous pandemic to come. We still have to live .
We have to live with risk , with illness and yes we might be one of the unlucky ones but what is the alternative ?

Don’t mean to be patronising or negative,

Don't you? So it's just something which comes naturally to you?