Just imagine.....

[WindChimeTinkle]

Imagine how shit it would be if none of the vaccines had been found to work. I mean it would have been awful.

But, soon, maybe spring we can ditch the masks and get back to normal. I could cry.

@GoldenOmber

"They'll never be able to develop a vaccine against it" [scientists start developing vaccines] "Well okay they will, but it'll take five years at LEAST and that's being optimistic" [vaccines take less than a year] "Well okay they will develop a vaccine fast, but it won't work that well, it'll maybe be 50% effective" [trials show vaccines are very effective] "Well okay they will develop a vaccine fast and it'll be effective, but it won't work to reduce transmission" [trials show vaccine reduces transmission] "Well okay they will develop a vaccine fast and it'll be effective and it'll reduce transmission, but it still won't bring back normal life..."

If you're still pronouncing doom and gloom about the future of the pandemic after all this fantastic vaccine news, then you're not 'being a realist', you're just wallowing in unlikely worst-case scenarios.

Love it

TheCountessofFitzdotterel, yes i hadn't thought of this. But there has been far more intervention into this. I still find the term a bit misleading though. It seems to me it is being used in contradiction to the interventions we have made. So the wave is seen as natural and independent from government intervention and not enough emphasis is placed upon how lockdowns (one intervention) has ameliorated the worst outcomes. This leads to a second point about how government has been quite clever in its continuous blame agenda aimed at individuals behaviour. Yes, individuals should behave in conscious consideration, but thats undermined by a government itself that shifts blame to avoid responsibility.

Interesting though. I went to a village yesterday that has a very large (for its time) C11th church, two cottages, and thats it. Decimated during the black death, maybe.

I'm a Brit but live in Perth, WA. We haven't had a community case since April 11th and all our Covid cases since have been returning travellers in Quarantine hotels.
Although until a couple of weeks ago our borders were closed to the rest of Australia life here is virtually normal day to day.
Still some restrictions on theatre and major events capacity, and we can't leave the country but you wouldn't know anything was different really.
Only difference for me is that DH still works from home two days a week, they discovered that they have better productivity by arranging meetings 3 days a week an then have two days at home to get on with work without the distractions. This is quite common here now.
So from our experience here I would say the UK will be back to normal once it's under control, with maybe a few tweaks with working patterns.

Not related to vaccines, but in terms of life getting back to normal, this twitter thread was an interesting read - Taiwan’s response to coronavirus. Why couldn’t this have been the U.K.?

In Taiwan, you arrive in the country, mandatory self isolation for 15 days, mandatory (functioning! Imagine that!) track and trace, 7 days of reporting your temperature, then life as normal.

I’m sure plenty of people here would complain about being “locked up” for 15 days, (but honestly I’ve done 14 days self isolation x 3 already since March!) and call it a dictatorship or some to OMG equally ridiculous but... they’re living a normal life there, and we’re still in lockdown with hundreds of deaths a day.

mobile.twitter.com/thatalicewu/status/1330287079708893184

I know someone who decided life would be better in South Korea during the pandemic. He's now discovered that, should he test positive, he won't be self-isolating at home, as we do, he'll be taken to a 'secure medical facility'. Which is not a 5 star hotel. It's not optional and you don't decide whether or not your family accompany you.

Which might explain why some countries have lower transmission than we do.

And if he tested positive and had symptoms he’d be in hospital anyway. That’s not something I can get too worked up about, to be honest, when the benefit is mild/asymptomatic cases NOT wandering around infecting others.

It is fantastic news! But in the back of my mind, I keep thinking that this news of a vaccine is just to give us all hope so we comply over winter and then come spring they will say there have been a few problems ... the vaccines are infact useless ...back to social distancing and isolation.

*"They'll never be able to develop a vaccine against it"
[scientists start developing vaccines]
"Well okay they will, but it'll take five years at LEAST and that's being optimistic"
[vaccines take less than a year]
"Well okay they will develop a vaccine fast, but it won't work that well, it'll maybe be 50% effective"
[trials show vaccines are very effective]
"Well okay they will develop a vaccine fast and it'll be effective, but it won't work to reduce transmission"
[trials show vaccine reduces transmission]
"Well okay they will develop a vaccine fast and it'll be effective and it'll reduce transmission, but it still won't bring back normal life..."

If you're still pronouncing doom and gloom about the future of the pandemic after all this fantastic vaccine news, then you're not 'being a realist', you're just wallowing in unlikely worst-case scenarios.*

Oh, this deserves saying once again!

I don't understand how people think it's going to make everything go back to normal. People who think like this must have had a smooth lucky life.

Look, I mean this kindly, but a pandemic and an individual's disability are completely different and have nothing to do with each other.

Plan B, long-term, would have been something along the lines of "Give up on controlling the virus, focus on developing very good treatments, and accept that the average life expectancy goes down by a few years--permanently." Which isn't a nice thought, but there would have been no alternative.

@Funkypolar

You will most likely have to carry proof of vaccination status or a negative test on your phone. That’s not normal life.

??? If you want to drive you carry your driver's licence. !!What an oppression by the state!!!

In many european countries childhood vaccinations are mandatory for the sake of the WHOLE population. Kid doesn't have the vaccine =no school and no child benefits (the second is highly questionable though).

Some people are loving this and don't want it to end. Ignore them.

This. It’s mind boggling, but these people exist.

With vaccine rollout, things will be immeasurably better by March/April of next year. Covid won’t have gone away, but it will be so much more manageable.

@felineflutter

It is fantastic news! But in the back of my mind, I keep thinking that this news of a vaccine is just to give us all hope so we comply over winter and then come spring they will say there have been a few problems ... the vaccines are infact useless ...back to social distancing and isolation.

Who will say this? Are all parties in cahoots to deceive the public? You need to learn some techniques for challenging your black and white catastrophic thinking. There are some excellent resources online.

This must seem to be a very stupid question, but don't people in the UK who have been vaccinated have a vaccination booklet (Impfpass) that shows when, against what, with what kind of substance you've been vaccinated?
It's not a great problem to carry that around with your other papers (ID, driving licence, organ doner pass etc.)

No we don't have a portable vaccine record in uk, ( recorded at the doctors ) and we are under no obligation to carry any kind of Id either

midgebabe
The fact that Germans over 16 have to carry ID inculding place of residence was a law kept going by the British occupational government. I learned that when DS had to apply.

And my vaccination booklet shows my vaccination histroy for the last 57 years.

@TheKeatingFive

Some people are loving this and don't want it to end. Ignore them.

This. It’s mind boggling, but these people exist.

With vaccine rollout, things will be immeasurably better by March/April of next year. Covid won’t have gone away, but it will be so much more manageable.

Yes I agree, some people are absolutely loving it, loving the excuse to do nothing and to impose their tedious lives on the rest of us.

I’ll be first in the queue to go back to normal when that’s a possibility! Hear, hear!