It's not going to get better for a long time, is it?

[MagicSummer]

After such uplifting news about the Oxford vaccine last week and the proposed 2 Million per week vaccinations, I was feeling a bit optimistic last week. I am in Group 5 so according to the calculator can expect to get the jab in late February. However, today's news is so bad, I feel extremely despondent today. I feel there is absolutely no way we will be back to a more 'normal' life this side of late summer. It makes you want to cry!

@sheslittlebutfierce

Feeling equally gloomy about this today. Is it just because we are in dreary January? I am struggling to see any sign of positives!

It has made me very sad these last few days

Apart from the Oxford vaccine rollout that started today?

According to the online calculator I am not likely to get the vaccine for 12 or 18 months!

@TheSunIsStillShining

Why will we be thrown under a bus? I’m in this group and will be very happy when restrictions are relaxed, even if I’ve not yet had the vaccine yet. Under 50s with no vulnerable health conditions are not at much risk from the virus. I’m prepared to take my chances for a normal life!

Lovely. You taking your chances means that everyone else has to take chances. Because you could be spreading it even unknowingly.
I'm really happy for ppl to be so brave, but it's sheer stupidity. It is not only about the individual.
But ppl don't seem to get this in this country.

No, it's not only about the induvial - it's about the whole of society and the economy grinding to a halt. We cannot, cannot carry on like this. The whole "you're so selfish you could be spreading it unknowingly" has to stop - eventually we have to get back to living a life. This is not living.

There is more to living than just not dying.

Things will improve eventually- through a combination of vaccines, new treatments plus some immunity gained through natural infection which might bring the R down enough to control the spread. Personally I have written 2021 off- I can't cope by thinking 'things will improve in a few months...' on and on- so I'm planning for a better life from Spring 2022 hopefully. Pandemics tend to run for a couple of years and this one will end too.

@Toptotoeunicolour

The very early benefit of the vaccination programme is that the NHS will be "saved" (i.e. no longer at risk of being overloaded). People with only the first vaccination will not be hospitalised even if they get ill. Those not vaccinated, i.e. the more robust ones, wouldn't have needed hospitalisation anyway. So even if infections stay high for a while, restrictions which were always mainly intended to save the NHS will no longer be necessary within the next few months.

Exactly this... Once the vulnerable are vaccinated it will only be about hospitalisation and death figures.... Positives tests will be irrelevant unless you are admitted to hospital.

Thanks for reminding us, op.
I'm past caring.

I know how you feel, I'm just not sure how much more I can take any more. It's been a hard few years anyway for me and then this year has been obviously awful. I've felt so guilty about how little DS has done this year, he's 3 and we moved not long ago, live in a small flat, we don't know anyone here, all groups have been off and apart from a couple of very short occasions he hasn't played with another child since March. The one bloody light on the horizon has been preschool. I've been so excited for him, have spent a bit of time getting him prepared, got him excited (but also nervous) got his uniform and sewed his bloody labels in and now I'm sitting here with no blasted clue if I'm going to have to tell him that he isn't going tomorrow. He's missing out on a massive developmental step and I can't do anything about it. I just wish they'd let us know wtf is going ok rather than all this hinting and leaking and nonsense. At least then we could plan.

@Toptotoeunicolour

The very early benefit of the vaccination programme is that the NHS will be "saved" (i.e. no longer at risk of being overloaded). People with only the first vaccination will not be hospitalised even if they get ill. Those not vaccinated, i.e. the more robust ones, wouldn't have needed hospitalisation anyway. So even if infections stay high for a while, restrictions which were always mainly intended to save the NHS will no longer be necessary within the next few months.

I worry that if the virus is allowed to spread without any restrictions (social distancing/masks scrapped) the numbers of supposedly 'healthy' unvaccinated people admitted to hospital will increase dramatically over a very short period, leading to the NHS being overwhelmed.

Boris making a televised address at 8pm according to BBC breaking news.

@TheSunIsStillShining

Why will we be thrown under a bus? I’m in this group and will be very happy when restrictions are relaxed, even if I’ve not yet had the vaccine yet. Under 50s with no vulnerable health conditions are not at much risk from the virus. I’m prepared to take my chances for a normal life!

Lovely. You taking your chances means that everyone else has to take chances. Because you could be spreading it even unknowingly.
I'm really happy for ppl to be so brave, but it's sheer stupidity. It is not only about the individual.
But ppl don't seem to get this in this country.

But why should everyone have the same attitude to risk as you do? Again, if you're under 50, slim and in good health, the risks of the virus are minimal. If you consider that an unacceptable risk, then shut yourself up as long as you like, but you can't demand that others do so for your sake.

Plus, it's all very well to demand that others make sacrifices for 'society', but society also needs people to work, pay taxes and do all the things that make life worthwhile. The virus isn't the only game in town.

Genuinely curious, those posters who say that this virus is mild for the under 50s - have you actually had the virus?

I had it back at the end of Feb/beginning of March 2020 and it took me three weeks to recover. It was painful and felt like I'd gone several rounds with Mike Tyson in his prime. Awful. I am 30.

Please remember that the media is invested in telling us the worst possible news in as gloomy a way as possible. Not only do most of them have a political agenda but it’s simply what they do! Try looking at Professor Tim Spector’s talks on YouTube. He works on the Zoe Covid App and gives a reasoned and balanced view of what’s happening based on up to date data received through the App.

@CaMePlaitPas

Genuinely curious, those posters who say that this virus is mild for the under 50s - have you actually had the virus?

I had it back at the end of Feb/beginning of March 2020 and it took me three weeks to recover. It was painful and felt like I'd gone several rounds with Mike Tyson in his prime. Awful. I am 30.

Anecdote is not data. In the majority of cases, this virus is indeed mild for those under the age of 50 or so.

@CaMePlaitPas

Genuinely curious, those posters who say that this virus is mild for the under 50s - have you actually had the virus?

I had it back at the end of Feb/beginning of March 2020 and it took me three weeks to recover. It was painful and felt like I'd gone several rounds with Mike Tyson in his prime. Awful. I am 30.

Well for me three weeks of that does sound like a mild Illness. I’ve had much worse for flu and we don’t shut down for that. Have you never been ill for more than a week before? A few weeks of that is fine with me, I’ll take it over lockdown.

Depends what you class as "a long time". A few months isn't that long really! Be patient.

"Spring isn't far away, throw yourself into a hobby, redecorate maybe, de-clutter, get some good books and focus on getting through this week by week till it's a bit better.”

Haha there speaks someone who isn’t entertaining preschoolers all day"

Haha yes , I can't remember when I had time to think of any of those things let alone do them!

If one more person says this virus is mild in the under 50's I swear I'm going to scream.

None of you have any idea how you will react to getting cv. You really don't. You listen to the same shit spouted out on the TV and social media that's most will 'only have it mild'.

I'm 45. I had it mild. I spent nearly 4 months in bed, then another 3 learning to go a snails pace while my heart spent most of the day at 140+. Even walking to the toilet left me exhausted.

Would this scenario work for those that keep coming out with the same crap. How would affect your life if you ended up like me.

“ Spring isn't far away, throw yourself into a hobby, redecorate maybe, de-clutter, get some good books and focus on getting through this week by week till it's a bit better.”

Definitely someone who isn't juggling home schooling children!!!

@Tootsey11

If one more person says this virus is mild in the under 50's I swear I'm going to scream.

None of you have any idea how you will react to getting cv. You really don't. You listen to the same shit spouted out on the TV and social media that's most will 'only have it mild'.

I'm 45. I had it mild. I spent nearly 4 months in bed, then another 3 learning to go a snails pace while my heart spent most of the day at 140+. Even walking to the toilet left me exhausted.

Would this scenario work for those that keep coming out with the same crap. How would affect your life if you ended up like me.

There is such a thing as statistics. And they indicate that healthy, slim people under the age of 50 (or so) tend to only have a mild illness. Your own experience does not negate that.

Advice about hobbies, re-decorating, reading etc is GOOD advice, but for those reading this with little time to do this, my advice (as someone who suffers from bouts of depression) is to take one day at a time. Try not to look too far ahead, just focus on getting through each day. I find I get overwhelmed if I try to think too far ahead. One foot in front of another, one day at a time.

Sadly and worryingly this will continue to get increasingly exponentially off the scale worst until we reach peak Covid with two dose vaccination (for a majority of the community) hopefully turning the tide.

We all need to ensure we consciously check our Covid impact and Covid footprint constantly. Given the rapidly super mutating super spreading we are best to collectively moderate (further) our physical interactions (where possible) and wait for the scientists to do their thing.

Obviously what we do today indirectly collectively impacts the Covid landscape of tomorrow. That is common sense science as unless you are daily tested (even accounting for accuracy and false negatives) can you confidently guarantee to be Covid free anymore? Not if you ever popped out for even emergency groceries etc let alone returned to a workplace with multiple households and little individual physical spacing at all times.

It's bad and getting worst but if we all moderate and mitigate our Covid exposure we can eventually turn the tide and save the world! Don't just follow the political leadership as they are forever late to the party in the sense that they do too little too late. Essentially you need to use the government rules as a minimum (not maximum) guideline and definitely not to push the boundaries of Covid rules. If possible lock yourself and love ones down before you are instructed to do so (if you can). Ride out this bad wave and possibly in the Spring some green shoots may appear with a return to new normal possibly later this summer. This Christmas should hopefully not be cancelled but it starts today and depending on your and our shared civic duty to protect ourselves and each other (especially the medically vulnerable).

I am conscious this will be devastating to many for lives and livelihoods (my friends and family included!) but it is medium to long term pandemic strategic proactive planning with vaccination that will eventually defeat this pandemic war. Oh and you can help by staying out of trouble as we are now all told to act as if we have it already!

Stay safe all! It's getting more serious now so previous blasé soft approach is out of the window as it's war time survival mode now. Human right to life trumps all previous entitlements and freedoms etc.

Not scare mongering but a reality check! If only none of this is true!!!

The way things are going we’ll be lucky to get back to normal by December!

@MillieVanilla - nice post and a good way of putting it to kids

Why do people keep starting these threads? We fucking know it's shit!

all exacerbated by those pleading for lockdown.

The hysterical language on this website - pleading, baying, screaming for lockdown. NO ONE wants another lockdown, they just don't want people to die of heart attacks, strokes, cancer, asthma attacks, or a plain fall down the fucking stairs because there is no room in overwhelmed hospitals christ it's like everyone's brain under 50 took a fucking holiday.