Under 50s with no risk factors - how will the rest of 2021 look for us?

[Amidone]

Does anyone expect we will actually be vaccinated with even one dose anytime in 2021? There are already reports that after the current phase 1 groups are completed, teachers, childcare staff, police and shop workers will get next priority and I can see why - I expect teachers might get bumped up the list even quicker if the Gov wants schools reopened. Life will slowly return to more like normal, albeit with distancing and other measures still in place as we still don't know if the vaccines prevent transmission to the unvaccinated or whether the controversial dose spacing approach will give full protection to the vaccinated. I am also unaware of whether anyone knows if the vaccines prevent long Covid. Serious infection seems to be all we know that they help with at the moment so vaccination should reduce hospital pressures.

But for those under 50 and with no health or occupation risk factors, are we going to have to continue to try to dodge Covid until the end of the year, albeit with the reassurance that there'll likely be an ITU bed available for us if we get it badly? Given how lockdown and distancing rules haven't been observed by a significant minority so far, do we think that once vaccinated enough people will continue to put themselves out so to speak, for the protection of others?
I feel quite nervous about it all tbh. I certainly won't be rushing to hug vaccinated family members who may also be hugging other unvaccinated family members.
Can I really expect to avoid Covid infection for the best part of a year and three quarters? Especially as I have school age kids.
Already vaccinated and obviously otherwise healthy older people are telling the TV and radio reporters that they're looking forward to their next holiday abroad soon and trips to the theatre and restaurants. I don't feel able to travel abroad until I've been vaccinated. 2021 feels a write-off still despite the advent of the vaccines. :(

I read somewhere they are hoping to vaccinate everyone over 18 by September, the UK has ordered 100 million vaccines so hopefully if they can fulfil the order you will be vaccinated by the end of September.

Trying to stay safe at home until the autumn while everyone over 50 or with a medical condition or with a strong union enjoys life.

Being told schools are safe because teachers are vaccinated, because students are inherently 'safe' and unvaccinated parents are invisible/without value.

@Baileysforchristmas

I read somewhere they are hoping to vaccinate everyone over 18 by September, the UK has ordered 100 million vaccines so hopefully if they can fulfil the order you will be vaccinated by the end of September.

I think whilst it would be fab if this were true I think it's probably incredibly optimistic. Given that we are nearly into February and we've only vaccinated about 5% with loads of people in Priority 1 who have not been vaccinated I sadly cannot see it being feasible for everyone over 18 to have been vaccinated by September.

thecustomerisalwaysright it does feel a bit like that doesn't it? Hmmm, wonder if I can change job temporarily into one that's more of a vaccine priority? Probably not worth the increased short term risk though.

I think whilst it would be fab if this were true I think it's probably incredibly optimistic. Given that we are nearly into February and we've only vaccinated about 5% with loads of people in Priority 1 who have not been vaccinated I sadly cannot see it being feasible for everyone over 18 to have been vaccinated by September.

If vaccinations continue at current rates, and assuming no vaccine-proof 'new variants - there is every reason to believe all adults will be vaccinated by September.

Here it is, on the BBC, it does say Autumn

www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/health-55045639

September does assume no hitches at all though either in supply or distribution and even without any problematic new variants emerging. I kind of forsee the Government taking it's foot off the pedal once vulnerable groups have been done and other groups that allow education, retail and hospitality to open up again.

Best case scenario though, only another 9 months of this shit to endure!

I'm an overweight 48 year old. One of the categories for deaths/hospital admissions is 45 to 64, and I wish vaccinations had been extended to my age group.

The rest of my wider family and in laws will have had the vaccination or Covid, so we will be the odd ones out, with lots of family pressure to mix.

I’m 47 and no conditions and I am fully expecting to receive my first dose by early summer. That’s based on reading a lot of research and information.

I'm 30 and have asthma. I'm happy to take my chances without the vaccine, once priority groups have been vaccinated. In all likelihood it will be a mild cold for me and it's not worth putting my life on hold for the tiny risk it could be more serious.
I haven't spent the last 30 years staying indoors all the time in order to "dodge" flu or norovirus or meningitis or sepsis or any other million things which carry a risk of death. The only reason covid is different is because in an unvaccinated population it risks overwhelming the NHS. If that risk is gone, we just treat it like any other disease and get on with life.

What is 'early summer'?

@middleager

I'm an overweight 48 year old. One of the categories for deaths/hospital admissions is 45 to 64, and I wish vaccinations had been extended to my age group.

The rest of my wider family and in laws will have had the vaccination or Covid, so we will be the odd ones out, with lots of family pressure to mix.

They don't have the data yet but it is likely that the vaccine prevents or at least lowers viral spread, so mixing with vaccinated family members would be low risk.

@Amidone. ? Summer is June July august. Ergo early summer is june-mid July

Everyone saying ‘they've heard’ all adults vaccinated by sept - this is what the govt have said, it’s not just a rumour !

Please read up before starting scaremongering threads .

The government have actually said something like 'all adults will have been offered their first dose of the vaccine by the autumn', or something like that.

Autumn = Sept-Dec.

tootyfruitypickle The Government have said all kinds of things in this pandemic. I stopped accepting anything they say at face value and without scrutiny a long time ago. And I'm not the only one.

Everyone saying ‘they've heard’ all adults vaccinated by sept - this is what the govt have said, it’s not just a rumour!

No one is saying it's a rumour but just because that's the Governments plan doesn't mean it is definitely going to happen. I would absolutely love nothing more than to think by September everyone will be vaccinated but I genuinely think they will slow down and take their foot off the pedal when the most vulnerable are vaccinated and schools etc are back open.

I have an 18 year old, I am completely confident she will have had her first vaccine before her birthday in the autumn and she’s presumably going to be the bottom of the list.

@middleager

I'm an overweight 48 year old. One of the categories for deaths/hospital admissions is 45 to 64, and I wish vaccinations had been extended to my age group.

The rest of my wider family and in laws will have had the vaccination or Covid, so we will be the odd ones out, with lots of family pressure to mix.

yes, it is incorrect of the government to say that the increased risk is above 50, it is actually above 45.

They are letting down everyone aged 45-50.

It will be interesting with Covid wards, ICUs and mortuaries are full of the under 50s while the older/ECV are on their summer holidays/in the pub/gym.

@Same4Walls

Everyone saying ‘they've heard’ all adults vaccinated by sept - this is what the govt have said, it’s not just a rumour!

No one is saying it's a rumour but just because that's the Governments plan doesn't mean it is definitely going to happen. I would absolutely love nothing more than to think by September everyone will be vaccinated but I genuinely think they will slow down and take their foot off the pedal when the most vulnerable are vaccinated and schools etc are back open.

But we will have been told to 'leave home', Eat Out To Help Out, return to the office long before we get our vaccinations, so what is the incentive to vaccinate us?

We will catch Covid and either live or die, long before the government gets around to vaccinating us.

From what I understood, aren't we all supposed to be offered the vaccine by the Autumn? It seemed a slippery thing to say - 'offered' doesn't mean we will have been given it by then.

Regardless, my confidence in the government's ability to see through huge bloated promises is not high, and I don't really expect to be given it until this time next year. It doesn't matter that I'm a key worker, I can't believe that suddenly my workforce will be prioritised - we haven't been so far, I can't believe we will pushed to the front of a huge queue.

That I can probably cope with, what will grate on my very last nerve though is that there will be those who've had the full dose of the vaccine behaving like everything is fine now, because they're fine, that they don't have to SD, or use masks, to protect those of us who haven't had it. FFS we can't make people without legitimate reasons, shop alone now, how are they going to maintain the message 'face, space, hand's or whatever it is, for so long?!

Well yes, we could all just speculate and predict the worst. With absolutely no evidence to back it up.

If that floats your boat, go for it .

Im not a medical expert but i have 2 close family members who are scientists, 1 of which works with viruses and they tell me this year (apart from Summer) will not be back to normal.

1 thing that they mentioned that people haven't perhaps considered is the length of time you have immunity for with the vaccine. The scientists predict it will provide at least several months immunity. That means all those currently being vaccinated will need to be vaccinated again (or have another booster vaccine) come August time.....i highly doubt we have enough doses to cover the whole UK adult population for 2 jabs each then another round of boosters come autumn / winter 2021! (another 30 million doses +)

I'm not trying to be pessimistic, but its worth considering how we will cope this year and into next winter and ensure the flu and covid jabs are given whilst trying to have a normal life again!

In answer to OP's question......summer will be a lot more normal but not back to normal......autumn will be don't cautiously......winter will probably be like tier 3 for the whole country. Autumn / winter next year (2022) will be a lot more normal.

From what I understood, aren't we all supposed to be offered the vaccine by the Autumn? It seemed a slippery thing to say - 'offered' doesn't mean we will have been given it by then.

Yes @BlindAssassin1 - the language is very slippery indeed and you can see from the replies of this thread that people are interpreting it for themselves - from the 'there's no chance in hell' to 'I'm confident that my 18 year old will be vaccinated by Sept'. Andrew Marr tried to pin Dominic Raab down about the wording (and about the rumour of 'everyone vaccinated by June' that was in some of the Sunday papers), and he admitted that it would most likely be the autumn and the promise is to 'offer' a vaccine to all by autumn. Well, the winter solstice (start of winter) is 21st Dec ... so as long as everyone has been OFFERED a vaccine by then (note: not given), then the govt will have fulfilled its pledge!

Having said that, we're vaccinating 300,000 people a day at the moment and if, IF that continues and IF the supply of vaccines improves (as vaccine supply has so far been the main limiting factor to the roll-out), then yes, those of us

I'm very lucky in that I qualify for early vaccination through work. To be honest I'm fully expecting distancing and masks to remain in place until everyone has been offered the vaccine as surely we still have a duty to protect eachother no matter what our age is? Also, even a certain level of restrictions, ie we might go back to a maxium of six ideally meeting outdoors.

I'm beginning to really think this year will be almost identical to last. Easing of restrictions over the summer but lockdown again in the colder months. I would love to be wrong but the vaccines will need to be boosted again most likely before those in the younger age demographics receive one and there will be another inevitable surge come September. I'm 33 with a rare condition not included on the shielding list so I doubt I will have much of a life this year regardless.

I'm also really, really worried about new variants. Yes the vaccine can be tweaked but then what? Another mass roll out taking months? I have these really dark days where I can't see a way out of this, at least for the next year.