For the first time since this started, I feel quite frightened

[FreeBettyBoop]

Just this really.

I am concerned that there is something they’re not telling us. Is the new strain worse? I know there is chat about easier/faster spread but is it more deadly? Affecting children?

I’m in Scotland and all of a sudden we are looking at lockdown and school closure. Why now?

In a bit of a pit of despair today. I can live with the Christmas restrictions and will comply. But the thought of going back to school closures while trying to hold down a job...😩 gutted for the kids too.

I have friends working in the NHS and they tell me that the main reason they are overwhelmed is the high rate of staff who are either sick with symptoms or who are self isolating after contact with someone who is.

The Nightinglae hospitals, and any hospitals and vaccination centres need trained staff in order to function.

Nobody is trying to "trick" people into believing things that are not true.

People really do need to take t his seriously and not fall at the final furlong with wonderful, brilliant vaccines just in sight.

I feel very strongly about this as I lost friends to AIDS not long before the combined therapeutic drug regimes arrived and changed the prognosis for AIDS patients completely.

It is so sad when people's lives are lost or ruined because they do not understand how serious things are and do not keep themselves safe, especially when there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

None of us can guarantee that we will be able to avoid this virus, but we can do the best we can to keep ourselves and others safe.

Thnigs will get better and a kind of normal will return.

When we have defeated covid we will be far better equipped to deal with novel diseases than before, we simply must try to control our impulses in the short term to benefit in the long term.

It is far from easy but we simply have to do the best we can

The UK is just naturally rising in cases as part of the winter season resurgence. At one point on 8th November france had almost 88,000 cases in one day and hospital capacity was at 96%. They implemented a nationwide semi lockdown kind of like tier 2/3 and now the cases are down to around 13,000 per day. No talk of a faster spreading strain in France however case numbers still reached pretty friggin high for a while. It’s all part of a cycle plus extra mass testing and the only thing that’s changed is the government’s latest way of scaring the crap out of everyone so they continue to comply to keep hiding the fact they really should have invested better in the NHS.

Didn’t Chris Whitty say yesterday that the new strain was mostly showing as a mild cold?

People are being manipulated by the latest project fear. Try not to listen especially the BBC. They are brain washing you into compliance. I've not been brainwashed as I've been dealing with far worse events this year so I am able to see what's going on. My hatred of the prime minister and his u turns knows no bounds.

Purleease!!

The NHS has been over whelmed for a long long time every winter and far before 10 years ago.

These comments make me want to explode with anger!
We will never sort the NHS out whilst it's batted back and forth solely as a political football.

I'm not worried at the moment about this new mutation but I am concerned about further mutations and what they may bring and I'm worried about putting dc back into this mix.

The thing I am wondering, though, is kind of the opposite - are the government using this as a cover for changes to Tiers and Christmas which they should have done anyway so they can just shrug and go ‘new science, sorry’? They’ve known about this strain since September.

This is spot on. I suspect very much this is the case.

and certainly I don’t think there’s anything more dangerous about this strain (scientists - lots of them - have said so) it just transmits itself more efficiently to new hosts. Track down The Andrew Marr show from this morning - interviews with a WHO scientist and a PHE scientist who speak clearly and candidly. this also.

I'm scared too. We've had it recently, so hopefully not too much of a risk to us directly but I'm really worried about how it will affect the treatment DH needs for another condition and how long this current lockdown will go on for.

I'm in one of the newly very high risk areas and things have changed here astonishingly quickly, there really does seem to be something different going on. Only 4 weeks ago I knew barely anyone who'd had it through the whole thing, now "everyone" seems to have it.

@AcornAutumn

Didn’t Chris Whitty say yesterday that the new strain was mostly showing as a mild cold?

Yes he did. I trust prof Whitty more than anyone.

@AcornAutumn

Didn’t Chris Whitty say yesterday that the new strain was mostly showing as a mild cold?

Really? I’ll take that

I missed it

@BaileyBoos

Yes this is the most anxious I’ve felt to be honest, and I’ve been absolutely FINE all year. I dunno..... something feels a bit off!!!

Yeah, I did feel like that yesterday especially and have been calm all year.

The fact that it was out the blue as well, as only the other day you had Boris grandstanding in parliament about how Christmas was going ahead as planned. Put the news on on Saturday and it's all pretty much cancelled and this new tier 4 in London despite cases not being any worse than up north before the last lockdown.

What worries me is it's the right thing to do and be cautious but this government don't do cautious, they do panic. So this has panicked them and then panic is catching.

@FreeBettyBoop

Just this really.

I am concerned that there is something they’re not telling us. Is the new strain worse? I know there is chat about easier/faster spread but is it more deadly? Affecting children?

I’m in Scotland and all of a sudden we are looking at lockdown and school closure. Why now?

In a bit of a pit of despair today. I can live with the Christmas restrictions and will comply. But the thought of going back to school closures while trying to hold down a job...😩 gutted for the kids too.

The problem is that because the various lockdowns haven’t managed to keep the infection rate low, the only thing the govt can do is lockdown harder. They’ve backed themselves into a corner with nowhere else to go. I’ve no doubt the new strain exists but I suspect it’s been overplayed to justify the introduction of tier 4

I don't think the new strain is worse in its severity but it seems to be more catchy, which if only a tiny % of those affected need hospital treatment, is a problem for us all.

Re. Nightingales - were not built, but existing large buildings like conference centres were repurposed. They were intended to be used for ventilated patients because at the start of the pandemic it was thought patients would need ventilators. Now we know that ventilator use is not needed for most covid patients and there are better treatments, e.g. dexamethasone, blood thinners etc.
(plus the staffing issue and the fact that no-one used the summer months to train any extra ICU staff...)

@Lostinacloud

I’m 40 and had covid end of October. I can assure you that I’ve had worse hangovers, wasn’t bed bound. Yes felt a bit tired, had a headache for about 3 days and the cough and did lose my smell and taste. However, if I had never heard of covid I would have thought “ooh that was a bit of a strong cold bug” and moved on. No long lasting effects, no breathing difficulties and even the headache was weakened by standard paracetamol. This strain has adapted to spread more easily (probably had to because of all the steps we’ve been made to take to avoid natural human contact) but is widely reported to be no more virulent. I’m going to keep posting my story on here because there is a massive lack of accounts from people who’ve had the mild version and fully recovered. We are only fed the scary stories and it’s not a fair representation. They are only worried about hospital capacity which is always stretched at this time of year. Add a fast spreading respiratory virus to the standard respiratory illness season and that’s a problem for hospitals, hence the accelerated reaction. Quite frankly it’s appalling the government have installed such fear into this country. Be angry not scared.

This is your individual experience of it.

My experience of it was very different and I know two people who have died (age 42 & 33).

Viruses mutate all the time, flu is a different mutation each time we get it.I don't think there is anything particularly sinister about this.

Viruses usually tend to become more infectious but less harmful as they develop, so this may be a good thing.

I am not an expert, btw, but I try to read articles a that are written by either real scientists or science journalists (the Spectator is quite good for this) and not the Daily Mail.

I don't think our government has covered itself in glory over this, but I don't think many of the other European governments are doing any better tbh.

Viruses always mutate. This is nothing unusual. It’s even possible that if it’s spread faster, it has become milder! This has been around since September, the government are just using this mutation as a way of back tracking on Christmas and an excuse for why the lockdown in November didn’t work. The reality is lockdowns don’t really work. The 1st one happened just before the weather improved, so that may have had more of an impact, and last time everyone was so scared that the majority stayed home. November wasn’t the same, so the government wants to amp up the fear factor again!!

The action taken makes it seem like the new strain is much worse. They say it spreads 70% more so a much higher transmission rate.

To suddenly go into tier 4 when in tier 2 and all told ok and Christmas mixing allowed to suddenly just up and turn around and then impose very severe restrictions means something isn't right at all.

Other countries suddenly say no to the UK flights.

Winter season is going to be tough.

There are also spikes in areas of the country where it is normally a very low rate. Perhaps someone travelled back from the South East.

People from London/SE now loading up and travelling to SW and other areas for holiday.... spread of new strain seems inevitable now!

A lot of hysteria.
Hospitals are no busier than normal for the time of year.

I agree with pp’s. Rather than government say
‘sorry, we were idiots to promise Christmas bubbles and we mightily cocked up’
It’s. ‘Oh, new strain. Not our fault.’

I'm done even thinking about why they do or say anything. I don't think the virus poses anywhere near as much of a risk as the response to it, but yeah someone will pipe up about someone who died.

A lot of hysteria.
Hospitals are no busier than normal for the time of year.

But with a high percentage of staff either ill or self isolating the sitution is precarious and needs to be taken very seriously

so not hysteria at all

@FreshFreesias

A lot of hysteria. Hospitals are no busier than normal for the time of year.

My DH has spent the weekend in hospital, on a covid ward because he has covid although his hospitalisation wasn't to do with that.

The ambulance really didn't want to take him because the hospital is "full" and they'd been asked to do everything possible ke not to, he only went in because the GP insisted. In A&E they were sending anyone without covid to hospitals miles away.

@Oreservoir

I agree with pp’s. Rather than government say ‘sorry, we were idiots to promise Christmas bubbles and we mightily cocked up’ It’s. ‘Oh, new strain. Not our fault.’

Was very convenient on the 19th December since they've known about it for a while....

I don't think the virus poses anywhere near as much of a risk as the response to it, but yeah someone will pipe up about someone who died.

Are you for real?

How insensitive can you be?

A dear friend of mine currently is very ill with covid related pneumonia and might die. He is only 50 years old and, prior to becoming ill was super fit for any age let alone 50

Other friends are still ill with long covid

Other friends work in the NHS and are at high risk

sorry to "pipe up" about my concerns for my friends. Must be very tiresome for you