has everyone become too hysterical about Covid?

[tellytubby20]

Looking at all the threads on MN my impression is that everyone has become completely hysterical about Covid and completely misunderstands the difference between personal health risk and public health.

Am not oblivious to the health risks - I have followed all the rules, live next to a major London hospital (so very aware of how busy the ambulance service is) and had covid last year.
BUT
I am also under 40 with small DCs - so am aware that my personal risk of death or severe illness is small - my goal is therefore to ensure that I do not spread it others who are vulnerable.

However, so many people seem to have decided that the threat/risk is massive to their kids and themselves especially with this new variant.....WHY?

AIBU - to think that people are massively over-estimating personal risk if they are healthy and under 50 and have become hysterical about it.

AINBU to think that

[quote hamstersarse]@scolha

I don't think this is the thread for you

You are literally posting hysterical responses[/quote]
Well said.
I assume that most of the hysterics have never known anyone before with an illness, or who has died. Quite extraordinary cognitive dissonance.

There seems to be a lack of understanding of the word hysteria on this thread (which means exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion).

Hysteria makes it harder to understand the seriousness of the situation not easier.

Hysterics don't make better decisions but worse decisions; self-possession is required for making good decisions.

[quote tellytubby20]@SoupDragon I take your point. I posted in AIBU to reach out to people not specifically looking at hysterical coronovirus threads. But fair point[/quote]
The problem with this is that many want to use MN without seeing coronavirus threads all over the place. MNHQ's stance seems to be that we should just go and sit in the "Covid free" corner and stick to that one topic.

V similar question asked only 3 days ago producing a long thread

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4124699-to-think-that-not-everyone-is-scared

I also think that someone people thinks it’s impossible to ‘do your bit and follow the rules’ but in a calm and measured way. They expect you need to be hysterical about the whole thing in order to ‘take Covid seriously’

Totally this

[quote hamstersarse]@scolha

I don't think this is the thread for you

You are literally posting hysterical responses[/quote]
And you are posting your habitual denial

It is crazy how people have become, the interpretation of risk is astonishing.

Ignoring the imperical data, that MOST people will not die from this. Yes it is out there, but sadly, people die. They die from cancer, car crashes, hear attacks.

The frenzy that people have been whipped up into is worrying.

Not to mention the 'laws' that are drafted daily.

Illegal to leave ones house without a 'valid' excuse?

The erosion of civil liberties has been rapid, unchecked and outright scary.

I wish MN had a fact-check tick

Yanbu at all - it’s mass hysteria by the most vociferous who seem livid when presented with “good news” facts - they don’t want to hear that; they want to hear (& spread) fear. I find it bizarre!

Absolutely. It is a total lack of understanding of the difference between the population risk and personal risk that is the baffling. So I follow all the rules, and agree it is right to do so. I understand the need for restrictions, to reduce spread and relieve pressure on the NHS. I understand without measures the NHS would be overwhelmed and that would cause real problems as there would not be capacity to treat a whole range of conditions/emergencies etc. I understand that is a bad situation.
But in terms of my personal risk I also appreciate it is V small. I am in my 40s, a bit heavier than ideal but not obese and quite fit. I accept I am likely to get the virus. (I'm working out of the home visiting patients, have been all along) but also realise it is likely to me mild. Yes, there is a small risk it could not me mild but there is also a risk I could be hit by a bus/struck by lightening/etc... So I don't go around stressing about it every time I leave the house. I don't obsess about the relative safety of my workplace or the supermarket or a playground or a school etc, I don't demand I have a vaccination ahead of the elderly or before I go to work anymore etc.... It is just so odd the way people are behaving.
I do agree that it is worse on here than in rl (thankfully) but also agree the media have played a big part in whipping up people's personal anxieties way too much.

I think I've seen more posts like this OP talking about these hysterical posters than I have of actual supposedly hysterical posters. It's tedious.

Just because a risk is small, it doesn't make it hysterical to want to avoid it.

I guess we all make a range of risk assessments in our lives every day. And people have their own reasons for not wanting to take the risk with covid. Saying wanting to avoid catching covid is like saying locking your front door is hysterical as burglaries are rare...

@Wherediditgo

I wish MN had a fact-check tick

I know.

'No evidence that lockdowns work...'

Just the measured drop in deaths, hospitalisations and case rates that follow them; replicated across every country in the world that's imposed them

Excluding mumsnet (which seems to be a bizarre place to be honest at the moment!) most people in real life, including the medics I know, seem to be taking a reasonable approach and cracking on with it - neither making up their own extra rules or being conspiracy theorists, just getting on with their lives as best they can within the regulations. The number of people on mumsnet who claim not to have stepped outside their house since March is in no way representative of the people I know in real life, and I have a broad social circle. The odd person I know being hysterical are exactly the ones I’d have expected to be - as in they quite often overreact to other things in life too.

That’s the thing, if you call out people who are getting hysterical, who post worst case scenarios like fact, who create their own worst cases that no scientist or government minister has even suggested, and then post them like they are fact

You get a screeching scornful response that you’re in denial, that thousands of healthy young people are dying or have long Covid. that if you have a serious accident they will leave you laying in the street and refuse treatment, that don’t we know we habe another year, two years of this, that’s schools aren’t reopening until 20222. that this is it now, we need to grieve.

I honestly can’t understand if it is mental health issues or enjoying the drama. Or a bit of both.

the risk of hospitals being overrun is also a risk to the general community though ?
If a&e is full to the brim with seriously unwell covid patients and struggling to manage and your child breaks their arm or you crash your car then there is a direct impact on yourself ?
Therefore it is in everyones best interests to keep the virus under control !

I am 57. DH is 60. We are both slightly - but not excessively - overweight.

I feel at risk now, especially from the new variant.

I had got comfortable with mask wearing, social distancing and felt that a trip to the supermarket was very low risk. I no longer think that. Because the consequences of having long covid, or worse, would be disastrous for us as a family.

@fromdownwest

It is crazy how people have become, the interpretation of risk is astonishing.

Ignoring the imperical data, that MOST people will not die from this. Yes it is out there, but sadly, people die. They die from cancer, car crashes, hear attacks.

The frenzy that people have been whipped up into is worrying.

Not to mention the 'laws' that are drafted daily.

Illegal to leave ones house without a 'valid' excuse?

The erosion of civil liberties has been rapid, unchecked and outright scary.

Absolutely agree with everything you said.

The hysterical response, civil liberties taken away etc...is more frightening than the virus.

This again? Some people are scared (often with various good reasons) , others are not. So what? The derision expressed on these threads towards people who are scared is unpleasant to say the least.

@mrshoho

I think I've seen more posts like this OP talking about these hysterical posters than I have of actual supposedly hysterical posters. It's tedious.

I agree.

It's also clear that many of the people with irrational fear and health anxiety have mental health problems, an issue the 'let's lift restrictions' mob claim to care about.

I agree, I actually suffer from health anxiety and am on antidepressants for it but I'm not worried about my own or my family getting it, just that the NHS won't be able to cope and that's the biggest worry.

The hysteria borders on manic. Its bonkers.

However, who can blame them? Boris has been on co constantly showing his charts, all over social media are people telling you you are essentially murdering people if you go for a walk, and we are bombarded with figures of the dead daily. Its everywhere, ALL THE TIME. That's going to get into peoples heads, especially when every other normal distraction or leisurely activity has been banned.

This whole thing is going to have a massive impact on the ability of people to cope with life after covid. Some people have completely broken apart, some for very good reasons that would break anyone, some because they simply lack stamina to crack on and think logically.

I don't understand everyone being concerned about their children getting it. I do understand people being concerned about children in general being a vector for it.

I've been working from home for a whole day now, and I'm already forgetting about it. I think if you are able to work from home, if you are able to be in the home all the time, if you live somewhere rural, if you don't know anyone who has had it badly or died from it, then you are very well insulated and just looking out on what you consider 'hysteria'.

I'm tending to listen to doctors, care workers, supermarket workers, teachers etc to be honest. They are the ones dealing with the risk stuff the whole time - because it's not just health risk, it's the logistics and safety of society when lots of people are ill that make things extremely difficult for people who are actually out in it every day.

Yes, I agree with you about the hysteria.

But...... I work for the NHS and services are inundated. Everyone is at risk not just the vulnerable. Perfectly healthy 40 year olds with it are in ITU. This is having a major effect on other services. You can have an accident, stroke, seizure, heart attack etc. at any age and now is not a very good time to be hospitalised.

Also, everyone copes differently. Not everyone is calm and coping.

We're not all under 50 and 'healthy' though, are we OP? And on top of that, you have no bloody clue what people are facing in their lives aside from this and/or just who in someone's life maybe vulnerable/extremely vulnerable. I respectfully suggest that if you were yourself vulnerable or had a child who was vulnerable or were the sole carer of a vulnerable adult, you would think very differently.

It is not good enough that almost a year on, people are being vilified for worrying about themselves and/or those around them.