Anyone else think this seems far far worse than the first wave?

[XiCi]

I'm in the NW. When we locked down in March I didnt know a single person that had had the virus. I knew of one anecdotally, someone my mum knew of, that had it after a skiing trip in Italy. That's it. Now, virtually the whole of my extended family have had positive tests, friends, friends of friends, their families. It goes on and on. Its absolutely rife and just blazing through everyone. Just seems like noone will escape it. Although luckily, this hasnt translated into a high number of deaths so far, the virus just seems far more prevalent.

Sorry OP, I realise you're anxious, but come on! Having a positive test doesn't automatically being hospitalised, dead or even ill.

You've fallen for the spin that positive test = catastrophe

Of course it's not as bad as March when it's estimated that over 100,000 people pe day were contracting Covid and large numbers of people were ill and dying.

It's not worse. The cases look higher because more people are being tested - it's as simple as that. Although even if it was worse, is it surprising? Cases (look like they) are higher, yet we haven't really locked down, can still go to school and work, and the pub - and even though I'm in an area that is supposedly in a strict local lockdown, there seems to be no difference as far as I can see in the way that people are behaving. People have had it with being told what to do, and being told they cannot see their families.

I know one person who had it in March. Aside from that I don’t know anyone else who has had it or who has tested positive and I’m in one of the locked down areas 🤷‍♀️.

CalledyoulastnightfromGlasgow

I'm neither 'afraid' nor 'hysterical'
I have no personal fear of the virus and and no relatives to lose. And I hate the word hysterical as it's so horribly misogynistic. I think you are being rude calling me those names.

This is the article I read (unfortunately from the Health section of the Daily Mail)

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8782513/The-doctors-crippled-Covid-19-six-months-caught-it.html

It does feel far worst

maybe there are more tests, and less "I know I had it because I sneezed once 3 months ago".

but at the same time people are less bothered and less careful, if careful at all. The majority seems to have decided they had enough and they don't care.

That might have something to do with it.

And I stand by what I said that if we have to vaccinate it's going to be a huge and expensive undertaking

no because we didnt know for sure who had it inmarch yo9u couldnt get tested so now everyone is rocking up to have a test

It will, which is why I wonder whether it might not be made available on the NHS at all for certain groups and some people be left to pay privately instead, like for the flu jab. There would probably be more interest in a covid vaccine than a flu vaccine from the general public, speaking as someone who pays privately for the flu jab I need to get my shit together and sort this year's out.

A colleague with prior medical problems was hospitalised and given her last rites. Thankfully she rallied and survived. That was back in April.

Whilst lots of acquaintances have had positive Covid tests recently none have been hospitalised and no-one has died. I think survival rates are increasing. I think the government should concentrate on this fact.

It definitely feels closer to me now. I know of about five deaths and we have a case at my children primary school. I fully expect I’ll catch it at some point.

London was rotten with it in March/April/May but as others have said, it was impossible to get a test. I think I had it but obviously didn't get a test and know plenty of others who've said the same.

It's nowhere near as bad, never mind worse, not yet anyway. Estimated daily cases peaked somewhere between 100,000 and 160,000 per day previously.

See:
ourworldindata.org/grapher/daily-new-estimated-infections-of-covid-19?tab=chart&stackMode=absolute&time=2020-02-01..latest&country=~GBR&region=World

We now also now know much more about the disease, how it spreads and how to treat it, we have vastly more testing capacity, we have a test and trace system setup (albeit a flawed one), many more people are wearing masks, recovery trial set up and producing results, several vaccine trials in phase 3, etc, etc.

Look at historical pandemics. 2nd waves are always worse than the first, and we've just started it. Historically there has always been a third wave too, so i guess if history is anything to go by, then we are likely to see something else early next year too.

Not much we can do, government needs to lockdown but the majority of people don't want it 🤷‍♀️

Not in London, but then loads of us had it at the beginning. It's a pandemic, C19 is not going to disappear. Everyone's going to get it at some point.

Get on with your life as best you can. Reduce stress, eat well, get out in the fresh air and take lots of VitD3 and K2.

It sounds like this has become really real for you personally this time around, and acknowledging that you feel more frightened and worried now is okay. Things are always going to be easier when they are happening elsewhere, but it has become personal for you now, and that has changed your mindset about the danger levels.

I would say that was an entirely reasonable and natural response.

Mitigate your risks as far as possible, take vitamin D, support those around you and stay positive.

I'm hoping that we know more this time round, that the treatments have improved. That fewer people will die.

This.

I'm in the NW and the only person I know who has had it recently is a friend's dad, who despite being in a number of risk categories, was asymptomatic. Back in March a good friend had all the symptoms but wasn't able to be tested.

I definitely think it's the prevalence of testing which makes it feel more people we know have it.

Not much we can do, government needs to lockdown but the majority of people don't want it 🤷‍♀️

We can't afford another national lockdown, it is as simple as that.

It will be very area dependent

NW going through the big hit now rather than earlier

Mind you I didn’t know many hit that badly even in London. Lots who may or may not have had it in March / April

I agree with pps, London feels very different now. Back in March the feeling here was pure fear. Shops were full of people buying the last of the pasta , rice and tp , people were jumping out of the way so as not to share a path.

We stopped going out to eat at the beginning of March and socialising too as we were so worried.

Things feel calmer now. Obviously we have little idea if really is though. We've still not returned to restaurants though.

This is a very interesting thread as we've no idea how people in other places he at the moment.

I’m in Manchester. I teach a kid whose dad is a dr. His colleague died of Covid. A friend’s elderly dad and uncle both died of it. In my own family, my totally healthy 14 yr old was almost hospitalised with it and while DH and I had it less badly, we had side effects for 4 months afterwards. My youngest child didn’t get it (or at least show signs of it) at all.
I think this is a scary time as numbers are up a lot and my main fear is hospitals being overwhelmed like in Italy. I think the U.K. have dealt with it particularly badly - both at a government level and on a personal level.

I also dont know anyone thats had it in my family or friends -im in the south east

We are in the south west, work in London.

Here people are carrying on as normal, going out for dinner, meeting friends, sleepovers even among some children (although not mine)
holidays are still being planned for half term. Shopping still shop to shop. Towns around here look busy most of the time.

What is not happening: very much house to house socialising. People are not going overseas anymore at all, working from home again and preparing for things to get worse....based on infection rates rising elsewhere.

I remember feeling that the ambulance service was stretched in London in the first peak. That was worrying.

I think hospitalisations are low now in comparison and deaths still low so this seems to take away some of initial concern. Plus we didn’t really know what was coming when the stories from Italy and Spain were circulating.

It’s bound to be worse now isn’t it?

The first wave started from
1 or 2 imported cases.

This wave has had a head start with a few hundred, I would think at the very least, already simmering away from the spring, raring to get going.