I’m just angry now

[BathFullOfEels]

They knew a vaccine would be the only way of getting us out of this mess. The country has already been locked down twice. Why, why, why didn’t they use this time to set up the logistics of distributing and administering these vaccines?

Why, why, why are the government allowed to decide who to prioritise to receive these vaccines when they were always going to distribute in a way that benefits them. Surely any government with an ounce of realism would be self aware enough to realise that they would make this vaccine distribution a political decision and instead allow the decision to be made by an independent third party who can distribute it in a way that would allow the country to get back to work. Instead it’s likely that months and months down the line we’ll all be forced to go back to work despite still be unprotected.

I have visions of pensioners being able to swan off on holiday over the summer while the workers of the country will still be unable to.

It’s an absolute fucking farce. Watching that press conference last night just finally made it snap for me - they genuinely don’t know what they’re doing at all

@Blabla81

I agree. But let's not reason get in the way of a government bashing thread

Totally agree, randomer.

It's worrying.

I keep hoping it's going to burn itself out - but it seems to just go on. ☹️

The vaccine makes it less likely that the person vaccinated will get Covid / get Covid severely enough to be hospitalised. It doesn’t stop them spreading it. So they vaccinate a healthy 45 year old, who doesn’t get it severely... statistically they wouldn’t have got it severely anyway! They pass it to their 75 year old parent who ends up in hospital putting the nhs at yet more strain.

The vaccine needs to go to those who are at higher risk of serious illness / death. This isn’t rocket science and I don’t know how people aren’t getting it.

Sorry for the auto corrects, I think post is comprehensible still.

Me too! I'm mid fifties and would happily give my one away to a working age younger person.

Mid 50s is working age :/

I really don't think it is hatred towards old people but more a growing realisation that we are sacrificing our children's entire futures in order to give the over 80s a year or two of extra life

It is not about that at all. The government wouldn't care if it the virus caused 80 year olds to quietly die in a corner at home, which lots of people on here wouldn't care about either. It is about making sure the NHS can cope as well as other vital services. Imagine if we let the virus let rip and millions of people get too ill to work for a week or two, all at the same time.

@HelloMissus I know its mind blowing (particularly to the small of mind) but two facts can be true at once. So its possible for "coronavirus is most dangerous to the over 70s" and "ICU is full of 40, 50 and 60 year olds" to be true simultaneously.

It’s all about reducing the pressure on the NHS. It doesn’t take a genius to understand that the majority of covid sufferers in hospital are older people. Therefore is makes sense for people in that category to receive the vaccines first to relieve the pressure on the NHS. I’m sorry that people are distraught because their children are having to stay off school, but I agree with the government on this. I’m more concerned that the NHS is able to get back to normal and start treating people who are not suffering from Covid, ie cancer sufferers and people waiting for operations, than I am about children having to cope at home. I’m waiting for a gall bladder op, and currently live off pain killers, because my operation scheduled for early last year has been cancelled twice. I suspect there’s many others like me out there.

Vaccine distribution is to ease pressure on the NHS - the highest population in hospital with COVID is the over 70s, then the over 60s - stop them coming to hospital because we stop them getting seriously ill with COVID and we reduce the pressure on the NHS.

Reducing pressure on the NHS means it can do what it needs to do with the rest of the population who get unwell with COVID and we can all go back to being a bit more normal.

Vaccinating the working population would not provide the same relief to the NHS and therefore lockdown measures would be needed for longer.

To be honest, the selfishness and callousness of some posters on this thread sickens me...reporting

@Flaxmeadow

The hatred towards elderly people on here is mind blowing

When did "hatred" become the catch all descriptor for any kind of criticism or resentment?

if my relative at 80+ became ill with covid I wouldn't want anything other than basic oxygen and palliative care.

So you'd administer this yourself so as not to use up valuable NHS resources? Because there won't be enough palliative care staff.

It's alarming how some people still don't understand why the demographics most likely to become seriously ill and need hospital treatment are the ones who are prioritised for a vaccine.

They don't care about that. They dont even see elderly people as deserving of medical treatment at all. That they should just drop dead, somewhere, anywhere. Maybe they think covid is a peaceful quiet death eh? Where the elderly can just drift off to sleep, with a serene smile without any need for medicine or oxygen, they need to guess again.

Then when these burdens, the "old folks" have gone, presumably some bin men people will scoop up the bodies in the middle of the night, for mass burial or something. Then they can all get back into primark and the pub.

2,000 years ago, tribes used to throw elderly people onto bonfires, or off cliffs, when they were no longer any use to the tribe. Yay for millenia of civilisation but that was a just a blip folks. Wang em in the municipal dump, they were old anyway weren't they?

Jesus!

OP, I sincerely hope that there is not another global pandemic when you are in your 60s, and you start to read comments like yours on forums such as these (if they still exist). Just think for a minute how that would make you feel - if you have been locked away at home for 10 months with the odd outing - and you get the chance to have a vaccination which would allow you some freedoms? I bet you would grab it with open arms.

[quote Icequeen01]@Ihatefish What rubbish! This most certainly is not the case with the over 60's. My 81 year old mother just wants to be able to go to the local shop if she needs to - still wearing a mask and SD, without worrying it could kill her. She's never been on a bloody cruise her life. I will be 60 this year and I work full time and believe it or not I am still fit and able and also never been in a cruise in my life. What a horrible post. [/quote]
Well, I will obviously overturn my opinion based on numerous people that seem to have the attitude I describe based on your sample of 2!

Surely the priority should have been vaccinating front line NHS workers, care home staff and residents and teachers. Then people at high risk, then the over 70s, then everyone else?

Why can't the elderly be told they have to shield until they are vaccinated and let everyone else get on as normal?

I have 90 year old relatives who have numerous health conditions and have shielding letters who chose to continue to go shopping and on buses throughout this. They then managed to miss their vaccination appointment and they don't give a shit. It just pisses me off. They have no need to go out, I offered to do their shopping, they want to go out as "it's boring stopping in" ffs.

That’s an awful lot of projection going on there flaxmeadow.

@BathFullOfEels your argument about not vaccinating patients in nursing homes...you do know that if you vaccinated all the staff that they could still carry the virus and infect the patients? The vaccine doesn’t stop you being a link in the chain of transmission, it just enables you to fight off the disease more effectively so it becomes a mild illness rather than one that will land you in hospital.

@HmmSureJan

When did "hatred" become the catch all descriptor for any kind of criticism or resentment

Resentment can easily turn into hatred, don't you think?

HelloMissus

Because, as amply demonstrated on this thread, people are selfish. They will not act for the common good only if they think they themselves or their kids are directly affected. The government has to spin it a bit to get people to comply. I agree with lockdown despite the fact I've bloody had COVID ans my parents are dead because I don't want other peoples parents to die and other peoples cancer treatment to get cancelled (like my mums was)
For myself and my immediate family there is close to zero risk.

It's not entirely untrue. There are people in their 50s and 60s in ITU.
But the stats are easily Googleable. The overall risks for people under 50 are very very low.

Long Covid we really don't have much reliable data on yet but it seems a pretty nebulous entity that I suspect will have a big mental health component in many cases.

We should still have lockdown and school closure but not because under 50s or kids are at risk of Covid. Because the risk of NHS running out of beds is real. The cancer ops are cancelled now.

@Flaxmeadowspot on. Seems like a lot of people on here are worried that the vaccine is going to do them out of an inheritance theyve been counting on.

In fairness, OP has a point. My MIL is age 70+ but in good health ( her and PIL could be still working if they needed to, but benefitting from defined benefit pensions they retired in early 60's). Anyway she happily announced as soon as she gets the vaccine she will be off to Spain for a month's vacation.

I just stared and said nothing.

It just seems selfish. I know pensioners have as much right as anyone to live a normal life, but when so many families are suffering so much, and when my PIL have absolutely NO clinical need to have a vaccine (as they can easily stay at home and enjoy their lovely detached house and garden and have everything they need delivered to them) it is harsh that by March they will be planning a catch-up year of holidays, while I'll still be homeschooling and unable to get back to work.

happily announced

I’ll leave you to your ranting about how I want to murder pensioners now 😂. I said that I now understand why they’ve prioritised certain groups, thanks to the people who explained that to me without suggesting I planned on going on a killing spree.

That’s an awful lot of projection going on there flaxmeadow

No, that's the truth isn't it?

The vaccine needs to go to those who are at higher risk of serious illness / death. This isn’t rocket science and I don’t know how people aren’t getting it

I think some people always need a scapegoat to blame when things are tough. This time the vulnerable and elderly are the scapegoats.