Should we treat covid like flu now and just get on with life?

[947EliseChalotte]

Is it time to accept covid as another flu and just get on with life and back to normality. The whole point of lockdown was to flatten the curve.

@labyrinthloafer

Yes, time to get on with life. Problem is they wont let us.

Who are 'they'?

I don't want to catch it, as we don't know enough about it. 'they' are not making me think this.

Today is the government, if you happen to live in a number of very large counties.

Yeah, and how about we treat broken bones like a cut and just put a sticking plaster on it?

Covid isn't flu. It's effects aren't like flu.

@Forgone90

Yes but what is they plan if there is no cure or vaccine? There has to be a point in time where things are allowed to return to normal and people just have to dot their own risk assessments... The government can't and won't keep us safe indefinitely, there just isn't the money for that.

The NHS is paid for via the tax payer.. Carry on as we are and the amount of tax payers will be reducing significantly due to euneployment. that will effect the nhs itself.

To anyone that says there won't be a vaccine, surely now then we just have to get on with life. How can people Start new relationships etc with social distancing? Who is going to want to bring a child. Into a world at the moment if we just accept this is the way we have to live for ever?

You all keep saying we can't go back to normal... But if no cure or vaccine is coming then you cant honestly suggest social. Distancing etc is here to stay forever!

The options I see are:

Vaccine
Very successful treatment
Societal/behavioural measures
Leaving the virus to run

Uncontrolled outbreaks will lead to uncontrolled and negative societal change anyway due to unemployment etc.

Can anyone who says 'we have to just get back to normal' actually describe what that will look like and how it will work.

Government have modelled the 'do nothing' option and it includes, presumably, bodies uncollected, services collapsing, food shortages, looting and unrest.

I promise to listen if someone tells me how 'nornal' actually plays out!

@TheLegendOfZelda

The problem with your definition not 'they' is that you are talking about democratically elected government with support in opinion polls for tackling the virus.

So when you say 'they' you actually mean 'the government supported by a majority of the voters in the country'.

Is it time to accept covid as another flu and just get on with life and back to normality. The whole point of lockdown was to flatten the curve.

If we went back to normal the curve would spike up again alarmingly quickly. We had very few cases in early February... by March, it was out of control!

Again please stop saying it is like flu!!! I am a forties. Very fit healthy slim white female. I had Covid really mildly (was hoovering and cleaning the house). I still cannot exercise months afterwards and get chest pains if I walk too fast. I am one of thousands. They think it could possibly be I in 10 people get longterm affects. Yes as one poster said "Five months isn't look enough to say its life long". I hope it's not but at present I am no better than I was months ago it is very scary. and very sole destroying when I hear such flippant comments. You just don't know what you are talking about!!!!

Well they should still be saying it because even with a rise in infection numbers (very localised), hospital admissions and deaths continue to fall

Lockdown was meant to flatten the curve - which it did. Now it is simply used to punish and control

Your first statement has been debunked many times AlecT and the hyperbolic "punish and control" one is simply hysterical. Lockdown is a well-recognised epidemiological tool to control pandemics. It isn't grounded in political or social aims - even though you might like it to be. Lockdown would be applied equally to a well-heeled area as a less privileged one - or areas of differing ethnicity - if needs be. No need to make it all 1984 (which it just isn't, and whenever someone makes the allusion all I can think is they cannot have read the book.)

A lot of people are saying that it’s just like the flu and a lot of others are disagreeing.
Why are government pushing for flu vaccines for everyone over the age of 50 this year?

Do the government see it as more like the flu?

@Kitcat122

Again please stop saying it is like flu!!! I am a forties. Very fit healthy slim white female. I had Covid really mildly (was hoovering and cleaning the house). I still cannot exercise months afterwards and get chest pains if I walk too fast. I am one of thousands. They think it could possibly be I in 10 people get longterm affects. Yes as one poster said "Five months isn't look enough to say its life long". I hope it's not but at present I am no better than I was months ago it is very scary. and very sole destroying when I hear such flippant comments. You just don't know what you are talking about!!!!

I wish you well and please, if you can bear to, tell your story as this is such an important part of covid.

People are in denial, but eventually the truth always comes out. So please speak your true story if you can.

@Yellowbutterfly1

A lot of people are saying that it’s just like the flu and a lot of others are disagreeing. Why are government pushing for flu vaccines for everyone over the age of 50 this year? Do the government see it as more like the flu?

No, the government are rightly shitting themselves that flu plus covid will result in total NHS meltdown.

The flu vaccine will do nothing against covid.

Trump made this suggestion about three months ago! Flu is a different virus.

So when you say 'they' you actually mean 'the government supported by a majority of the voters in the country'.

Indeed, it was “they”, as the people, who started taking matters into their own hands, especially in London, before lockdown. If the Government were suddenly to say “forget Covid, get back exactly to how things were!”, do you really think the population would carry on completely as normal as cases rose exponentially again as we far surpassed the peak of last March and we become a Bergamo on a national scale?

Yes but it's not a flu, it's actually more a cold with potentially deadly side effects. As serious as it can be, it's time for us to be allowed to take our own decisions on risk, however those with serious underlying health conditions deserve to receive ongoing support so they can shield at least this winter by which time hopefully a vaccine will be available and many will have natural immunity.

Why are government pushing for flu vaccines for everyone over the age of 50 this year? Do the government see it as more like the flu?

The fewer people who get the flu, the better the NHS will cope with any second wave, should it occur.

@Yellowbutterfly1

A lot of people are saying that it’s just like the flu and a lot of others are disagreeing. Why are government pushing for flu vaccines for everyone over the age of 50 this year? Do the government see it as more like the flu?

1. To reduce pressure on the NHS. Fewer people with flu means fewer people using GP services and hospitalisations.

1. To reduce the risks of people with flu symptoms unwittingly passing on covid, i.e. through increased coughing/sneezing etc.

1. To reduce risk of unnecessary self isolations of people coming into contact with those with flu, who think they've come into contact with covid instead.

1. To keep as many people at work/school as possible to reduce further damage to the economy/services etc.

they want to keep as many flu patients as possible out of hospital as possible to free up beds for covid (every year, 1000s of people are hospitalised for flu and any given flu season could be "a bad flu year" as the flu virus mutates much more quickly). There is also some evidence that people badly affected by covid had flu infections at the same rime as well.

@okiedokieme

Yes but it's not a flu, it's actually more a cold with potentially deadly side effects. As serious as it can be, it's time for us to be allowed to take our own decisions on risk, however those with serious underlying health conditions deserve to receive ongoing support so they can shield at least this winter by which time hopefully a vaccine will be available and many will have natural immunity.

You are not being realistic if you think I'll spend a penny outside my home that isn't 100% vital in this situation.

I'd let the risk takers rush about and catch it!

How many pensioners - who have most of the money - will go out and about?

People need to start thinking it through.

They're also recommending we take the flu vaccine to reduce the risk a vulnerable person might potentially catch both and then end up developing pneumonia. I had flu that turned into pneumonia last year and I was nearly hospitalised.

That's something I will want to avoid, so I'll definitely be having the flu jab. It's not a guarantee but it reduces the risk.

People also need to stop thinking you need to have a underlying health condition to suffer adversely from Covid. Because I am suffering I have researched long tail Covid (I am no expert nor have any medical background). The vast majority of people suffering long term effects from mild Covid are fit healthy people who exercise regularly. The government are settling up post Covid rehab centres all over the UK. Most of due to open by the end of August for people like me needing ongoing support and rehab.

To the people who know someone who had it and are fine now. Apart from family and close friends most people assume I am fine. I work, look after my children and am getting on with my life. I don't go on about my health. Only my boss at work knows because of hospital appointments. I feel uncomfortable repeating it now but feel so strongly that so many people are underestimating it.

It's all very well saying protect the vulnerable but how? We are a family of five.
We have protected and continue to protect dh who is extremely clinically vulnerable but has been a tax payer throughout wfh. He is fortunate to have a job which allows this. We have tentatively started to go out more but are extremely careful but those around us are not. Yesterday we were walking slowly and someone got so close they nearly touched him. There was plenty are other ways to overtake. Come September we will be fined. If the kids don't return to school where social distancing will not be a thing. I do worry one of the dc will bring it home but they need education too.

@Kitcat122

That's true, as can be seen by looking up the thread for COVID long-termers. There are far too many posters who refuse to accept this phenomenon, and only look at the death rate.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2764787

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jmv.26364

Iran and California found that in around 25% of deaths patients had a co infection with another respiratory virus, mainly flu. This has likely happened allover but we have only tested for Covid. Having a co infection seems to be a big risk factor so will be another reason for the flu jab

@Northernsoulgirl45 yy as far as I'm concerned "protect the vulnerable" should mean: we all play our part in stopping the spread by wearing masks, social distancing and devising policies around limiting movement and activity eg party time schooling, continued working from home, more food and other deliveries, no large scale gatherings, tracking, testing and local lockdowns. It shouldn't mean "let them stay at home and I'll go back to normal life because it's not my responsibility".

"part* time schooling obviously!

Absolutely @Linemanfort

Yes, it's time for some more normality now. People's mental health (including mine) are going to really suffer if this carries on much longer. We've all got lives to lead and this isn't living.