"All over 45s to shield" - one of SAGEs suggestions

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

Bonkers. Loads of parents of young kids are 45+. So all those kids stuck indoors/no school.

Massive amount of employees who can't work from home being (What?) Furloughed?

How many teachers/TAs/doctors/nurses/childminders are over 45? Tons!

It'll never happen.
Firstly no one would actually have the balls to announce such a ridiculous policy and secondly they'd need riot police to enforce it.

This made me laugh this morning

Bring in a strict set of rules and enforce them . Anyone breaking the rules shouldn't be fined , but put into lockdown. Then the folks being sensible could still have a life .....whatever age they are !

Surely rolling out flu jab would have more impact to as many people as possible would be better idea

It’s ridiculous. Both DH and I had Covid (antibody test confirmed) back in March. Both mid fifties. I’m fat and he’s asthmatic and it was a few days of feeling poorly. We have to get a grip!

Just another of the Daily Mail’s twisted headlines

I will be 50 in a few days time, and there is no way I am shielding. They can fuck off to be brutally frank. I could be dead in a few years due to any number of non covid reasons. I would like live while I still can thank you very much.

Surely half the workforce is over 45. In our department, at least two-third are over 45!

Who is going to manage supermarkets, give lectures, drive buses, teach children?

The workforce would just disappear!

Calculating who is most at risk is much more sensible. I'm 50 and intending to carry on working normally as I'm a woman, no health conditions, not BAME and only a tiny bit overweight. Plus I wear glasses (!) It's up to us who are a bit more mature and not hysterical to carry on!

There could however be a sane and humane path in between

a) pretending everything is back to 2019 and opening schools with no social distancing and

b) getting everyone over 45 to shield.

How about for a start

• supporting test and trace to implement measures that seem to be working for places like Italy

• improving social distancing in schools (again supporting measures that have worked on the continent)

• allowing vulnerable families to temporarily home school, supporting home learning, stop the fining people nonsense

• looking at ways to support vulnerable people selectively working from home if that's what they want to/ can do?

• making this based humanely on choice, preference and common sense?

I asked at my surgery about getting the flu jab and they said whilst I was eligible (at 50) I wasn't in the high priority group, so once they'd vaccinated all of them (so over 65, health conditions) I might get it in a few months time. So no use at all then.

We can't seem to roll out even flu vaccinations over a large population, the covid vaccination will be just the same. I'm now resigned that we have to carry on living and cross fingers. I'm taking my Vit D supplements as we speak.

@Topseyt

If they implemented this as a policy then virtually all of the government would have to shield.

It won't happen. I'm 54. I won't shield.

And the problem is...? 😆

@herecomesthsun

There could however be a sane and humane path in between

a) pretending everything is back to 2019 and opening schools with no social distancing and

b) getting everyone over 45 to shield.

How about for a start

• supporting test and trace to implement measures that seem to be working for places like Italy

• improving social distancing in schools (again supporting measures that have worked on the continent)

• allowing vulnerable families to temporarily home school, supporting home learning, stop the fining people nonsense

• looking at ways to support vulnerable people selectively working from home if that's what they want to/ can do?

• making this based humanely on choice, preference and common sense?

Well quite @herecomesthesun ...but how dare you be so sensible, when there is hyperbole and frothing to be done!

@Poppingnostopping

Surely half the workforce is over 45. In our department, at least two-third are over 45!

Who is going to manage supermarkets, give lectures, drive buses, teach children?

The workforce would just disappear!

Calculating who is most at risk is much more sensible. I'm 50 and intending to carry on working normally as I'm a woman, no health conditions, not BAME and only a tiny bit overweight. Plus I wear glasses (!) It's up to us who are a bit more mature and not hysterical to carry on!

So

completely agree re calculating who is at risk

However it would be very sensible in a pandemic

• to promote home delivery
• to give lectures remotely to students who can access them via t'internet
• to promote home learning
• to encourage people to work from home where possible. In which case, fewer buses etc might be needed and, even if there are the same number of buses, there would be more social distancing on them, and they would be safer.

Totally stupid. I would support over 70s shielding. Over 45s - totally stupid. We have children to parent.

Who will take my DC to their hospital appointments - would the government like my DC's medical care to be suspended while his mother is confined to home?

What about school arrangements, including getting DC to school?

I would be happy with semi-shielding, i.e. don't go to pubs, bars, restaurants, gyms etc. But not stay at home and don't leave because that would effectively mean my DC were also confined to home except for things they can walk to (nothing) and the school bus (should it continue during a lockdown).

@Poppingnostopping

I asked at my surgery about getting the flu jab and they said whilst I was eligible (at 50) I wasn't in the high priority group, so once they'd vaccinated all of them (so over 65, health conditions) I might get it in a few months time. So no use at all then.

We can't seem to roll out even flu vaccinations over a large population, the covid vaccination will be just the same. I'm now resigned that we have to carry on living and cross fingers. I'm taking my Vit D supplements as we speak.

I had this conversation on Thursday.

I got vaccinated the same day as ECV.

DH is over 50 and fairly low risk, so probably will be vaccinated in November, which should be in time for main flu season.

DC at primary school will get flu vac nasal spray at school.

DC with severe asthma at secondary school , we need to call back next week. (School would have done y7 but not the 12-18s)

So that should work.

Plus I need to be able to drive to do exercise as I live in a suburb and it is very busy on the pavements and the last time I tried to walk locally I had people walking close by and tradespeople working on pavements and driveways and people on bikes just pulling up next to me and stopping.

I am over 45 and obese - I need to be able to drive somewhere to do some vigorous exercise or else I will get more obese.

Plus of course, as said, my DC will also be confined to the house if I am.

@belowradar

Totally stupid. I would support over 70s shielding. Over 45s - totally stupid. We have children to parent.

Who will take my DC to their hospital appointments - would the government like my DC's medical care to be suspended while his mother is confined to home?

What about school arrangements, including getting DC to school?

I would be happy with semi-shielding, i.e. don't go to pubs, bars, restaurants, gyms etc. But not stay at home and don't leave because that would effectively mean my DC were also confined to home except for things they can walk to (nothing) and the school bus (should it continue during a lockdown).

We are effectively doing what you call semi shielding currently and were shielding before. Home delivery mainly, very rarely go to shops, main risk is taking kids to school. We have been to the dentist and to hospital appointments.

We need to decide as a society what is important and prioritise that, right now.

herecomesthsun I agree with most of your suggestions, but not with complete online learning for students, as I think it's too isolating for them even in parental homes. That said, at our institution, a risk assessment is calculated so staff that are higher risk teach online. I think that's the best way to do it.

We have to accept though that it massively impacts the economy if fewer people move about buying things. if all the student hadn't returned to their uni towns, those towns would have economically suffered. We might feel ok about that now, but the effects of furlough/loss of jobs haven't truly been felt. Lots of over 45's are quite wealthy, they have higher salaries. If they are encouraged not to shop, use restaurants/go out for coffee, spend in their local areas (even if not in city centre work) then economically this would be devastating. A one off online shop from Waitrose doesn't begin to cover what my mum spends in an average week just pottering about in the local economy.

Plus as mentioned, it I were really at risk, surely I would qualify for a free flu vaccine?
But I don't. I quality for nothing because apparently I am not high risk.

Is there ever any chance of these scientist types engaging with reality?

I’m 47 and fat and will not be shielding. Even if I did what would be the fucking point when I’ve got 2 children in secondary schools!

@belowradar

Plus as mentioned, it I were really at risk, surely I would qualify for a free flu vaccine? But I don't. I quality for nothing because apparently I am not high risk.

I got called to go for a free flu jab this year. I assumed it was because I am high BMI but apparently not! They had no idea why I was on the list but gave me it anyway!

I think every single living person should stay at home always in case they die from one of the billion things that might kill them, live to 100 and then say I’m so glad I did nothing as I got to live all that time doing nothing and going no where grin bonkers!

Exactly @SandysMam. Let's all live as long as we can by not having a life.

@whirlwindwallaby

A 45 year old who is a healthy weight, or overweight but not obese, with no health issues is low risk. I think the NHS could have a simple calculator based on the risk tables, but 45 and healthy to shield is ridiculous in my opinion.

But even someone with some health issues or is obese is still much much more likely to be fine than not. And even if not, surely shielding is not a proportionate response!

The article talks about the reasoning being the risk of long Covid in the over 45s. I had something exactly like long Covid a few years ago following a terrible chest infection. I first got ill in February (couldn't leave house for several weeks, in bed, needing ventolin to breath despite not being asthmatic, then could barely walk down road for weeks), and was still coughing and regaining strength and stamina in August.
This phenomenon, while horrible and serious, can happen with other viruses, not just coronavirus.

That's crazy.

Our headache is about 46. She's the same age as one of the class Mom's who's a front line A&E nurse. Her partner is older so who takes their two kids to school. We generally have a young set of parents but obv the higher up the school the older they get and they all still need taking to school until test 6.
In nursery I'd say 2 staff are over 45, in reception 1, in year 1 two more although not the class teacher. Not sure for the rest of the school but from memory there's quite a lot of teachers who are close to that age. Our school wouldn't function

I could go out and do whatever with my kids but when I get home to our small 3 bed with 3 kids so really no extra space, DH would need to shield from me because he's 46.