Do people seem more scared

[Orangeblossom77777]

of this new variant of covid?

It's not more severe, just more contagious? So why do people seem more scared, I mean for their own health if they are not vulnerable?

If you read this, it is mild for the majority of people...

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52758024

Im type 1 diabetic, i wasnt to scared! But my missus has witnessed a 22 and 26 year old both die in ICU in less than a week, both healthy and no underlying conditions,now im shitting myself

Op, do you realise that article is from May 2020??

And what has changed about covid since then apart from this new variant being more contagious?

Nick Triggle is one of the few decent reporters from the BBC...I haven't seen anything which would contest what is in that article in terms of risk

[quote Orangeblossom77777]of this new variant of covid?

It's not more severe, just more contagious? So why do people seem more scared, I mean for their own health if they are not vulnerable?

If you read this, it is mild for the majority of people...

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52758024[/quote]
It's like Russian roulette where you have one bullet in a six shot revolver & five empty chambers, now try playing it with two bullets.

This is what many of us have been trying to explain. It's not personal risk of dying from Covid that scares healthy people (but there's a lot of people who are at an increased risk and should not be forgotten), it's that anyone of us could need urgent medical care at any time, accidents happen to everyone. If that care is not available and you, your partner, kids, parents, etc., need treatment they would probably die. Is that not scary enough for you, or is there no one you care about enough for it to be real for you?

If you get it, you may get very sick and die. You may get sick and recover. You may get sick and only partially recover. Or you may not feel bad at all.

You are now far far more likely to get it, so far more likely to suffer one of the above.

Worse, anyone who needs medical care is now less likely to get it, whatever they are sick with, because the medics are overwhelmed.

Does that still seem like no increased personal risk?

I know what you are saying in that, as individuals we shouldn't be too scared of it, it's the societal wide impact that's scary... but the societal wide impact is actually very scary and very risky.

Don't fall off a ladder right now, OP.

@Orangeblossom77777

Yes, I understand that, of course, but that doesn't equate to risk on a personal level.

It does if you have a car accident and you can't get an icu bed

I don't get the impression they are more scared of covid, just that they're more scared of the rate of spread. It was only a week ago government decided to lock down schools. It was the usual pissing around by government, like hearing a warning siren, ignoring it and standing outside looking up at the sky waiting for a bomb to drop. People are scared of needing hospitals right now full stop for covid or anything else.

The risk from the illness isn't the same though if the NHS is overrun.

Yes, as a 30 something with no underlying conditions I am unlikely to be seriously ill. However, I might be (plenty of people in exactly that situation have died, albeit unusual).

If I get seriously ill I will be relying on the NHS which is on its knees and, in many cases, there are nurses covering multiple intensive care beds rather than the usual one on one specialist nurse care.

So I am actually more likely to die as a result of the new variant because the care I receive will likely be compromised by the fact it is increasing case numbers and therefore putting extreme pressure on the NHS.

I’m not scared of covid personally but the overwhelmed NHS scares me a lot. I’ve got young kids & the idea they might get ill & not get the care they would normally have done is not a pleasant one. Illnesses like meningitis & sepsis are far far more worrying to me than covid but if hospitals are full of covid patients ..