Long term covid restrictions

[MummaBear4321]

I was eating bbc breakfast this morning and they interviewed an epidemiologist who stated very clearly that the vaccinations are not at all a solution to this virus, and that they will do 'nothing to stem the spread and hospital admission rates' and that the 'majority of people will not be protected from infection and its devastating effects'. She said we need 'long term policies that aim to reduce transmission'. She specifically mentioned quarantines at borders and mitigation of spread in schools long term.

I am usually a relative positive person, I dont freak easily, but am I right in saying she thinks, as an expert, that we need to live under social distancing, remote leaning, and for those of us whose family live abroad, not seeing our family for the foreseeable future? She is starting if regulations to allow us to see people are relaxed will be in this never ending cycle of transmission and death ......

Perky way to start a Sunday morning. Someone please tell me she is just being dramatic, or at the very least she isnt considering the public backlash and that eventually the government will have to give us some hope at seeing the people we love. We cant live under these restrictions forever surely.

@NefretForth @Eyewhisker this is missing the point that Deepti Gurdasani was making. The point was not that younger populations are particularly at risk or that every life must be saved. The point was that uncontrolled spread of the virus results in lots of people being hospitalised due to the sheer number infected, and that this also over time could lead to mutations that escape the vaccine. So her argument is that the vaccine should continue to be tightly controlled, beyond the first few tiers of vaccination. I hate the argument, but I believe it is logical.

@JuneMoonstone

Rosie I feel the same as you. I've had many thoughts of suicide throughout this pandemic. The only thing keeping me here is my daughter.

Me too. I’ve actually got a few health issues I should be having treatment for but not bothering. Don’t care if I get ill or die from them, who wants to live a long life like this.

[quote Gottaloveacardie]**@NefretForth* @Eyewhisker* this is missing the point that Deepti Gurdasani was making. The point was not that younger populations are particularly at risk or that every life must be saved. The point was that uncontrolled spread of the virus results in lots of people being hospitalised due to the sheer number infected, and that this also over time could lead to mutations that escape the vaccine. So her argument is that the vaccine should continue to be tightly controlled, beyond the first few tiers of vaccination. I hate the argument, but I believe it is logical.[/quote]
virus should continue to be tightly controlled, not vaccine

@MadameBlobby, I’ve decided I won’t seek medical help if by any chance I’m seriously ill (with Covid or anything else). I can’t burden DD with her mother having killed herself, but if I died she’d be fine in the long run. Unfortunately I’m physically very healthy, so it’s unlikely.

[quote Gottaloveacardie]**@NefretForth* @Eyewhisker* this is missing the point that Deepti Gurdasani was making. The point was not that younger populations are particularly at risk or that every life must be saved. The point was that uncontrolled spread of the virus results in lots of people being hospitalised due to the sheer number infected, and that this also over time could lead to mutations that escape the vaccine. So her argument is that the vaccine should continue to be tightly controlled, beyond the first few tiers of vaccination. I hate the argument, but I believe it is logical.[/quote]
Do you think she is basically saying this is just life forever now though?

Do you think she is basically saying this is just life forever now though?

That was what I took from it. I am a realist. I know life is going to take an incredibly long time to come back to some sort of normality. But I cant see how we can all mentally cope if this is it now, if this is how things will be forever. Surely people will just eventually refuse to comply.

@MummaBear4321

Do you think she is basically saying this is just life forever now though?

That was what I took from it. I am a realist. I know life is going to take an incredibly long time to come back to some sort of normality. But I cant see how we can all mentally cope if this is it now, if this is how things will be forever. Surely people will just eventually refuse to comply.

I can't either. Humans have just not evolved to live like this long-term.

@MummaBear4321

Do you think she is basically saying this is just life forever now though?

That was what I took from it. I am a realist. I know life is going to take an incredibly long time to come back to some sort of normality. But I cant see how we can all mentally cope if this is it now, if this is how things will be forever. Surely people will just eventually refuse to comply.

There would be massive civil unrest no jobs no house nothing to lose

@MummaBear4321

Do you think she is basically saying this is just life forever now though?

That was what I took from it. I am a realist. I know life is going to take an incredibly long time to come back to some sort of normality. But I cant see how we can all mentally cope if this is it now, if this is how things will be forever. Surely people will just eventually refuse to comply.

She can't be that much of an 'expert' if she genuinely thinks life will be like this forever.

Things got back to normal quite quickly after the Spanish Flu, which was way worse than this, and had millions of victims among the otherwise young and healthy. Same with all pandemics. Things do get back to normal. And science is much more advanced now. At the time of the Spanish Flu, they didn't even know it was a virus for some time - microscopes capable of seeing viruses weren't even invented until the 1940s. In this case, the genome was sequenced almost immediately, and, a year on, we have more than one highly efficient vaccine.

Saying it's going to be like this 'forever' is hysterical - I mean her (if she said this), not you.

Eventually, people will just opt to take their chances with the virus. A shorter life actually living is better than a longer life hiding under the bed and not seeing your family and friends (which, for most, is the major issue).

Society has been taking liberties with natural order for a couple of hundred years.

We globe hop, transmitting illnesses across the planet faster than they can be contained.
We cram huge numbers of people into small areas, with unsustainable food and waste chains.
We work in tiny spaces and go into work when ill.

That is what needs to change.

It doesn't mean we live like this forever, but we won't hop across to a different country for the weekend, we need to stay home when we are symptomatic, and we need to reconsider housing and workplaces.

Pre the industrial revolution, most illnesses stayed put. Anything really nasty was contained in the area it appeared.

We've currently got a perfect storm of unfit people, cramped living and working conditions, and high mobility.

Some things need to change.

I suspect when this settles down Covid will be just one of the illnesses that the elderly succumb to, like flu and pneumonia.

People just aren't going to comply for much longer, look at how things are now compared to March, and the situation is worse than it was in March.

Humans cannot live like this indefinitely, the economy cannot work like this. You cannot eliminate risk completely.

@picklemewalnuts

Society has been taking liberties with natural order for a couple of hundred years.

We globe hop, transmitting illnesses across the planet faster than they can be contained.
We cram huge numbers of people into small areas, with unsustainable food and waste chains.
We work in tiny spaces and go into work when ill.

That is what needs to change.

It doesn't mean we live like this forever, but we won't hop across to a different country for the weekend, we need to stay home when we are symptomatic, and we need to reconsider housing and workplaces.

Pre the industrial revolution, most illnesses stayed put. Anything really nasty was contained in the area it appeared.

We've currently got a perfect storm of unfit people, cramped living and working conditions, and high mobility.

Some things need to change.

I agree with this. Human beings have been living unsustainably for too long. That doesn’t mean the pub is never going to re-open but it does mean some things have to change.

@picklemewalnuts

Society has been taking liberties with natural order for a couple of hundred years.

We globe hop, transmitting illnesses across the planet faster than they can be contained.
We cram huge numbers of people into small areas, with unsustainable food and waste chains.
We work in tiny spaces and go into work when ill.

That is what needs to change.

It doesn't mean we live like this forever, but we won't hop across to a different country for the weekend, we need to stay home when we are symptomatic, and we need to reconsider housing and workplaces.

Pre the industrial revolution, most illnesses stayed put. Anything really nasty was contained in the area it appeared.

We've currently got a perfect storm of unfit people, cramped living and working conditions, and high mobility.

Some things need to change.

Good post

The thing is, people will only continue to make sacrifices if there's something to gain. My son lives in Europe so I'm happy to follow all the rules and have my vaccination so that in a few months time I can see him. If I was told that was never going to happen then I'd have no incentive to conform. I'd risk getting on a plane because my desire to see him would be greater than my concern about catching or spreading covid

Also, how will single people ever meet future partners if social distancing remains in place for ever? Even if we decided to condemn the younger generation to being single forever what do you think are the chances they'll go along with it?

I can see this being needed until March, so I could only imagine she was talking short term.

We're not going to get permanent lockdown. There will still need to be monitoring of infections to ensure vaccination isn't waning too much, and possible boosters.

@99victoria

Also, how will single people ever meet future partners if social distancing remains in place for ever? Even if we decided to condemn the younger generation to being single forever what do you think are the chances they'll go along with it?

They will meet partners but will be forever told they are selfish murdering arseholes who don’t care about vulnerable people if they do so

Haven't seen the interview, but this is what she posted on twitter:
threadreaderapp.com/thread/1347483541920223232.html

So what’s the fucking point of anything? No school, no seeing family, no travel, no play dates, no restaurants, no bars, no singing, no parties, no hugging, forever? I might as well kill myself then.

@Jetatyeovilaerodrome

People just aren't going to comply for much longer, look at how things are now compared to March, and the situation is worse than it was in March.

Humans cannot live like this indefinitely, the economy cannot work like this. You cannot eliminate risk completely.

I agree humans are not equipped to go on like this indefinitely. Yet if we just go back to normal, and this scientist is correct, then the levels of illness and incapacitation will be catastrophic. The economy is not equipped to deal with that. I can't see how it wouldn't collapse under such circumstances. Her solution is complete elimination. But how on earth is that possible globally? We just really have to hope that she is wrong, and the scientists who believe the vaccines will resume us are right.

We just really have to hope that she is wrong, and the scientists who believe the vaccines will rescue us are right

I agree humans are not equipped to go on like this indefinitely. Yet if we just go back to normal, and this scientist is correct, then the levels of illness and incapacitation will be catastrophic. The economy is not equipped to deal with that. I can't see how it wouldn't collapse under such circumstances. Her solution is complete elimination. But how on earth is that possible globally? We just really have to hope that she is wrong, and the scientists who believe the vaccines will resume us are right.

I'm sure she's very well qualified, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have her biases, like every other expert. There were an awful lot of conditional clauses and 'ifs' in her Twitter piece. Not saying her scenario is impossible or unlikely, but it's just that, one hypothetical scenario out of many. Many other experts would disagree with her.

Matt Hancock on Andrew Marr, says that every adult will have been offered a vaccination by the Autumn.
mobile.twitter.com/PA/status/1348217677916073984