What is the 'end' of this going to look like?

[moretolifethanthis2020]

I believed it when we were told it was to 'flatten the curve' to make sure the NHS could cope. I assumed that meant that we had to accept the virus would spread through the country but as long as the NHS could cope, then that was ok. It now seems to be a 'we must lockdown if there are any cases' even asymptomatic ones. Surely it's obvious the virus will spread through the population anytime that more things open up, so I just don't understand how the end will ever be in sight the way we are going?

I feel like I'm at the end of my tether with it all. I don't understand the 'end point' or what the aim is. I also feel we, as a population, are being held accountable for spreading the virus at all....but that's what humans have done forever...viruses are clever.

Is the end point getting a vaccination?

They think they're finely balancing the daring doers with the shutaways and if they can get the balance right the the most possible people will emerge to spend money (whilst not alienating the Daring Do). But, being men, they've totally forgotten that women - including drs, nurses, police officers, barristers etc - cannot work without childcare, which includes school and wrap around. They also forget that the largest spending cohort are families with children (in terms of bulk food and services spend in-country).

The economy won't get going again without women on board.

Is the end point getting a vaccination?

The economy won't last that long.

It’s a good question OP and one I have no clue how to answer but I’m placemarking in the hopes that somebody does.

I think you have to think of it as one big wave, currently the wave is bubbling up again and we are attempting to hold it back. Once we've held it back enough we can move forward a bit, but it will be continual ebb and flo until vaccine. Hopefully shielding people, hospital staff and care homes will be better protected this bubble up and we can push it back fairly easily.

The end will be a vaccine program that will probably take 6months to roll out with those not in the first tranches having to try and carry on and be careful.

I think the end point is a vaccination. Or, and I realise this is very unlikely, eliminating it in the UK to the point where any imported cases can be contained (a la New Zealand).

Marking with interest

.

As @FurForksSake has said

I agree that no end point is in sight. That is the fucking problem. This gov is just dithering, flailing and being idiots with no plan or strategy.
On an individual level it is hard to keep normal spirits up. Especially if that person has 2 or more brain cells actively involved in thinking.

I'm heartily sick of it all (no disrespect intended to those who have died or lost loved ones).

The aim of a lockdown was to make the spread of the virus manageable. Of course it's going to reappear in pockets/areas.

We watched the NHS Nightingale hospital being built and treating almost no one.

We need to be able to get on with our lives.

I cannot fathom why compulsory face masks and social distancing are in place now - in August!!!! (Practically) - when we didn't shut airports and enforce such measures in March.

I am loathe to be one of the armchair critics but I simply don't understand what the goal is now.

The virus is here. People need to maintain basic hygiene and sensible measures to avoid catching it. But locking us all down again is counterproductive. More people will lose their lives and loved ones through poverty and mental illness - not to mention lack of cancer treatment.

Yep OP its so frustrating!! I just want to scream when the media talks about rising cases as if its a surprise that this will happen when things open up again. Im not sure what anyone thought was going to happen tbh.

I feel utterly lied to that the aim of lockdown was to flatten the curve and accept the virus will spread as now it seems that were being threatened with lockdown with any increase which in my view are inevitable. Absolute shitshow, no wonder people have given up with SD etc. when you have scientists telling us it will be here for years despite everyone's collective efforts in March - May.

The end has to be a vaccine (or this thing just burning itself out, though that can only really happen under incredibly strict lockdown, so it couldn’t pass on to the next human and so die out.

Herd immunity would be an insane way to tackle it - we’d lose 600,000 lives if it was really well-managed, and it would take years. It’d be appalling. Or worse, it’d get out of control, hospital services would collapse and far bigger numbers would die.

Hopefully thee are enough vaccines already being tested that something will be available soon and the first rounds of people will get it. It’ll presumably take a few months to vaccinate everyone safely (do nurses have to change their PPE between each person coming in? But every day it’ll then become harder to catch it as more people become immune.

I wonder if things might stay a bit different after this is gone though. There might be less flu because people will wear masks more? And more people might work from home more. New businesses will start up as the economy starts to recover. And maybe more people will be interested in politics at the next election, seeing from global responses how massively the party that’s in power changes outcomes by their choices in handling everything.

I don't get what why people don't understand about the purpose of flattening the curve. Did you think once we got there we would then just let it happen all over again? Really? This is not a surprise that we are going to have stop/start as and when cases emerge. It's shit but it's a virus that has to be managed. We saw what happened in March so we should be aware of why we are taking the measures. It's shit but what else can we do?

Vaccine or years of misery, extreme poverty and civil unrest.

The last pandemic ended, and I believe this one will too. I hope that a vaccine will be made, or treatments will get better so there are much fewer fatalities than the Spanish Flu.

In the meantime I have lots of fears about the economic impact, my older loved-ones (and own health), my DDs' education and all the rest.

I think social distancing will become the new norm, but then I think it always was before vaccines made us relax and make coffee shop* meet ups a thing for many. Wearing masks? Other places have managed to make it part of their day-to-day and for now we need to suck it up and wear one when we're in close contact with people perimenopausal and they kick off hot flushes but what can you do?

*Insert venue you like to hang out in; pub, cinema, gym etc

Civil war, or rioting at the least.

@feelingsicknow I totally agree suicides up 50% I mean wtf , cancer treatments on hold and mental health will be so bad ..... I am fed up and they build us up and crash is back down

An eventual vaccine will certainly feel like an ‘end point’ but there’s also a lot of hope for more effective treatments in the meantime. We may not be able to eradicate Covid quickly but we may be able to find ways to both detect it quickly and then treat people to greatly reduce how ill it makes them and minimises the long term health issues that some are being left with just now. It’s not just about drugs which can be used but treatment pathways, I read today that doctors have found that they’re getting 30% better outcomes by not putting seriously ill patients on ventilators as quickly as they were initially. The scientific community is working together to share everything they’re learning at a scale never seen before now.

Back in March I had the fatalistic attitude that I would be likely to get it at some point but being low risk wasn’t too concerned. Now I’m taking the approach of doing everything I can to avoid getting it as every week that passes means that scientists have learnt more about Covid and how to treat it. Maybe I will get it at some point but I’m happy to try holding out as long as I can.

I think we’ll get to a stage where the virus is still circulating but we won’t be as fearful of it as the risk of dying from it or getting seriously ill will be less than it has been.

I’m think we’ll look back at all the people who have died in the early months of the pandemic as the tragically unlucky ones.

Why would there be civil war and rioting? Mumsnet is another level of hysteria sometimes

Local lockdowns continuing until vaccine is found and rolled out. Unless a treatment is found in the meantime that is cheap and easy to access and easy to apply to patients with little side effects and a high success rate. Even then I think a lot of the new habits we are adopting will continue ie masks and being more selective about where we go etc to manage risk

I think it was pretty clear from the beginning that this was going to go on for ages. We were told that again and again but there are none so deaf as don't want to hear. Flattening the curve doesn't mean it will stay flattened if we stop all.controls and this was explained to us at the time

I figure the whole thing will last 18 months to 2 years in some form or other accross the world. I am hopeful a vaccine will keep that to the lower end of 18 months or maybe less in the UK. We are almost 6 months in ( 7 If you count from January) so getting to half way in my optimistic scenario . We need to stop bewailing our misfortune in having to endure this time. We are still relatively fortunate in this country . Life can be shit , we just get on with things as they happen. One foot in front of the other, it will pass eventually.

Also if I am wrong and in 2 years things are not ' back to normal', I figure I'll be so used to it by then, it will feel normal -so almost as good.

Why would there be civil war and rioting? Mumsnet is another level of hysteria sometimes

Government SAGE Committee has written that there is serious risk of disorder like the 2011 riots.

I think social distancing will become the new norm, but then I think it always was before vaccines made us relax and make coffee shop meet ups a thing for many*

Was it?

I’m kind of surprised there haven’t been riots so far. Maybe once furlough ends and the impact of job losses truly bites there will be. Maybe then the government will finally get an idea of the public mood.

What’s not helped is Boris’s bumbling about “sending coronavirus packing” and “turning the tide” in 12 weeks. Back in March.

I understand there is a risk of civil unrest but that's very different to saying this whole thing will end in civil war and unrest