To feel no optimism whatsoever

[peasoup8]

The vaccine is going to take years to roll out at the current pace. I don’t see the point in celebrating NYE with my other half because 2021 is just going to be more of the same. I know this post is very negative but I’m just feeling like crap right now tbh. I can’t see any end in sight.

@peasoup8
thanks - it's impossible to say this often IRL as I am immediately accused on not taking covid seriously, not understanding the risks, being a covid denier, or similar. Found myself whispering similar views to above to another parent at the park like we were engaged in some illicit activity - because the option of genuine debate and questioning of approach is completely gone.

Pea soup and makingitup - is it me who is missing something? If you were Boris et al now, what would your strategy be?

Because if our health service crashes to its knees then all bets are off for all of us. What is the alternative?

I think that we voted for this health service and at some pount you have to reap what you sow. We were warned about NHS cutbacks, staff shortages etc and in December 2019 the people still voted for a conservative government whose 10 years of austerity have cut public services to the bone.

The very people most hurt by these austerity measures are now shouldering the majority of the econonic cost, with kids going hungry and redundancies through the roof. To top it off these people aren't even protected from Covid as they often work the essential jobs (eg bus drivers, care workers, factory workers) that have to keep going. (Maybe) Lockdown protects mainly the older, middle classes able to work from home and provide some kind of education to their children.

However the people who are protected are proportionately more likely to have voted for the government that has lead to a health service completley unable to cope in the the first place. Its just such an injustice, the poor always pay the price for other peoples mistakes.

@peasoup8

Personally I think history will judge this episode as one of the biggest overreactions ever. We’ve destroyed so much for a virus that kills about 0.1% of the population.

I so agree If it was as deadly as made out, everyone on the protests, ascot , raves, illegal meet-ups would be dead by now

I’m glad we’ve lived our lives as normally as possible
Should be in Tenerife now for our third visit of the year if the bloomin test centre hadn’t messed up my test results

We’ve got to live with it, like flu, aids, car accidents, swine flu, natural disasters , terrorism,p and so forth.
When we are born, we don’t have a ticket in our hand, saying guaranteed for a 100 years !

Life must not stop, because if it does then we are all doomed.

@user1471588124

I think that we voted for this health service and at some pount you have to reap what you sow. We were warned about NHS cutbacks, staff shortages etc and in December 2019 the people still voted for a conservative government whose 10 years of austerity have cut public services to the bone.

The very people most hurt by these austerity measures are now shouldering the majority of the econonic cost, with kids going hungry and redundancies through the roof. To top it off these people aren't even protected from Covid as they often work the essential jobs (eg bus drivers, care workers, factory workers) that have to keep going. (Maybe) Lockdown protects mainly the older, middle classes able to work from home and provide some kind of education to their children.

However the people who are protected are proportionately more likely to have voted for the government that has lead to a health service completley unable to cope in the the first place. Its just such an injustice, the poor always pay the price for other peoples mistakes.

Agree And the super rich, mega rich and ultra rich have all had completely different lockdowns to us..you only have to look at Simon Cowell, broken back and all soaking up the sun in Barbados.

The titled, the landed gentry...with their country piles..all well protected

The workers, the children, the elderly...we are the ones who’ve borne the brunt of it

I read today that for the first time ever UNICEF will be helping to feed some UK

I think people who wfh and have not had any real financial impact from this virus don’t realise just how many people work in hospitality, the arts or in the gig economy and other sectors that rely on those areas to keep going.
It isn’t just the waitress in Nando’s or the actress on the West End stage but things like the taxi drivers, baby sitters, cleaners etc who suddenly found that their jobs have dried up as well.

Then that also impacts other businesses. If people have lost even just one of their jobs then they have less money to spend in the larger retail stores or smaller businesses? Which in turn means they are struggling and going under.

Maybe other countries aren’t as reliant on these sectors or more people have F/t jobs.

Or we are the first of many 1st world countries that are going to find themselves in this position.

I’ve carried on as normal as much as I can as I have terrible feeling life is never going back to how it was prior to 2020. I went to London last weekend, to Covent Garden, we sat outside having a coffee watching the street entertainers, there was such a lovely atmosphere, it felt like normal life again, good luck to everyone, I think we are all going to need it x

The NHS has been rubbish for decades. We have had deaths and long term ill health in the family because of NHS incompetence not because of a shortage of money.

Considering that the NHS budget was supposed to have been cut to the bone the amount of wastage in time and money because of ridiculous practices that no one will address because “that is the way it is done” is where the money is going.
Not on patient care

I think that we voted for this health service and at some pount you have to reap what you sow. We were warned about NHS cutbacks, staff shortages etc and in December 2019 the people still voted for a conservative government whose 10 years of austerity have cut public services to the bone.

I agree the cutbacks are terrible, but on the other hand, most European countries are struggling. Someone on another thread pointed to Italy, who have one of the best health services in the world apparently, and they’re still struggling.

And the super rich, mega rich and ultra rich have all had completely different lockdowns to us

Absolutely.

The government have to vaccinate the elderly as their priority over absolutely everything. Economy, mental well being and the physically strong. The simple reason for this is because if they don’t, then essentially what we are facing is mass genocide. It’s really tough that everyone has to face the restrictions and that so many lives and businesses have been destroyed, but there literally is no other choice.

I do believe it’s going to get better during 2021 but I can’t see things getting back to “normal” for some time to come. I think we have to just carry on existing for now and believe that one day we can see people we miss again. It will happen, but it probably won’t be for some time.

but it probably won’t be for some time.

Agree with the OP. I’m generally very positive about things but I can only see years of mundane non-living stretching out in front of everyone. I’m lucky that I have a relatively secure job and have worked throughout. I feel desperately sorry for the people whose livelihood and the life they’ve worked hard to build has come crashing down, with no sign of improvement.

Personally, I don’t fear the virus and I’d go back to normal tomorrow. I’ll happily take my chance with it and every other disease that can potentially harm me. I appreciate not everyone is in the same boat and NHS capacity is an issue. Doesn’t stop it being utterly depressing though.

I agreed lockdown was necessary in March but subsequent lockdowns - no - regular testing of certain workers needed to be our way out of this and energy should've been given to finding a less invasive, accurate test. Track and trace needed to be a lot better i.e. details on immediate close contacts provided before or within 2 hours of taking test with those people advised to isolate immediately positive comes in - none of the nonsense we have now

we should've had regular testing in place of all people working in hospitals and care home, no one should be discharged from hospital without negative tests days apart. I'm afraid most transmission takes place in hospital, care homes and other institutions (i.e. hospices). Workplaces (warehouses, food processing plants) should have been helped and inspected to protect their staff as much as possible with regular testing of employees taking place in these environments.

I have zero confidence that we can roll out the vaccine in sufficient numbers to make any difference in 2021

@Scbchl - she's not supposed to get it. The rollout is down to aged 50, except for people with underlying health conditions

@user1471588124

I'm tired of being told "it'll get better" as if as a young person my life chances haven't already been permenantley set back by this. Maybe things will get better if you're middle class and already establiahed in a career/family, but the economic impacts of this are enormous and certainly wont go away with a vaccine.

This I do agree with. It's the youth who have especially suffered and have longer to live with the future consequences..

@PeachesandCream2020

It’s hard going, I totally agree.

I want to be told for certain that I can go on holiday next summer or attend a concert.
I don’t want to wear a fucking mask any more
I want to hug my friends if they’re upset
I want my kids to be able to go out and have fun and a normal life!
I don’t want to sit in my house every single day since i lost my job in May and can’t find another one.
I want to feel happy because all I feel right now is numb and tired and pissed off.

Me too. I am getting increasingly bitter that so much has been demanded of us. It's been a massive overreaction and one that our children will pay for for the rest of their lives.

I am getting increasingly bitter that so much has been demanded of us. It's been a massive overreaction and one that our children will pay for for the rest of their lives.

Same. The governments seem to have forgotten that they don’t actually own us and that they are elected to do our bidding, not the other way round.

Feeling exactly the same here OP. Fed up with sitting on my own day after day, doing a job that may or may not survive the next few months. Sick of Boris and his over promising and under delivering, sick of the constantly moving goal posts, sick of the “do as I say, not as I do” MPs, sick of the squandering of tax payers cash on contracts for cronies and don’t get me started on the doom mongering in the media.

I was jubilant last week when we saw that lady getting the vaccine. But now it seems to be all doom and gloom again. In moments of optimism, I tell myself that although the next few months will be utter shyte, things WILL get better. Covid naturally spreads much less in warmer weather, so if nothing else, there's that. I also think that if and when the Oxford vaccine is approved - which many believe to be imminent - that will change things. It's much easier to administer than Pfizer and the UK already has millions of doses, so fingers crossed that that will be the game changer we're all waiting for.

Its ok to be fed up. Its ok not to feel positive.
I've no time for the relentlessly upbeat, virtue signalling their martyrdom.
This is a really, really difficult time. And disproportionately so for some.
Some people are facing a lifetime of financial and job insecurity. Long after the vaccines rolled out, their lives will still be difficult.

I feel utterly pissed off too OP. I am too young for a vaccine but yay! I still get to work in a lovely public-facing role, and have DC at school, so although we've all already had Covid we'll probably all get it again within the next 12 months. And no it probably won't kill us but it's grim. If life was normal and we could at least go out for a meal or see family I would feel it was fair enough but I am so sick of being locked down only able to go to work and to not be entitled to the bloody vaccine at the end of it anyway.

All this is pants BUT.....

There are vaccines.
Not just one.
Not just the one currently approved or ones currently in the process of being approved.

There are vaccines.
People have started to have them.
Soon some people will be protected, if not fully at least enough.
Today and tomorrow would be so much more unbearable if there weren't any vaccines.

I have an underlying feeling of being terribly impatient because I want one but I know when they get round to me (i.e. the "everyone else" category) it will be almost over as it is in the UK.

It's one winter, one spring, perhaps a summer but this time next year we will be free to lick each other's baubles if we want to.