ICU full of young people

[Sleeplessinsaltend]

I keep hearing from people on here that ICU is full of young people, if we unlock then the wards will be full of 30/40 year olds. Looking at this it seems not to be the case.

Random - looking at the numbers you just know all this people in the ONS statistics.

It makes no sense to say that the risk will increase once people are vaccinated.

If restrictions remained such so the same/fewer number of young people became infected then the same/ lower number of young people would need ICU care.

If restrictions are eased so much that more young people became infected, more young people will need ICU care.

Also, because at the same time more older people are vaccinated the number of older people infected will drop, the proportion of older people in ICU will drop.

Random Grammar You have 8 friends under 50 are or have recently been in ICU with Covid?

Hospitals only put people in ICU if they think they have a chance of surviving. For that reason, people in ICU tend to be younger. My mum had CPAP on a regular hospital respiratory ward at the age of 61. They were never going to transfer her to ICU because she was terminally ill and had no chance of surviving.

I saw an article on the BBC showing a 35 year old man in Scotland with an oxygen mask on. He looked to have a BMI of 40+

@Tryingtryingandtrying

Random Grammar You have 8 friends under 50 are or have recently been in ICU with Covid?

I smell BS

@Sleeplessinsaltend

Random - looking at the numbers you just know all this people in the ONS statistics.

The ONS stats are quoting numbers per 100,000 of that age group, not actual numbers.

@PracticingPerson

Okay, send me an article from a doctor, that's been peer reviewed, that shows through the maths that this is the case?

@Tryingtryingandtrying

Random Grammar You have 8 friends under 50 are or have recently been in ICU with Covid?

No. I know the two people in their 50s and one in their thirties.

I said the rest of the thirties were friends of colleagues. All in our local ITU the same week. We were talking at work and it turned out lots of us knew someone very, very ill and very young in ITU that week. Like, I said probably occupation related rather than health condition. None of them obese, BTW.

*Yes absolutely, because the scientists and medical doctors (you know, the ones who have degrees in this stuff) are just sheeple who are obsessed with the roolz and love lockdown.

People who can't do maths are the real experts, we should listen to them more I think.*

I haven't seen any scientists or doctors claim that ICU is full of 30 year old. I've seen people on mumsnet who say "my friend who is a nurse says..." or "I work in a hospital and..." they could be anyone.

@Pootle40

I saw an article on the BBC showing a 35 year old man in Scotland with an oxygen mask on. He looked to have a BMI of 40+

Your point is?

@Sockwomble

Younger means under 70.

In my ICU younger means our patients in their 40s, 30s, 20s and late teens. They are definitely the larger percentage by far this time.

@PracticingPerson

If you have GCSE maths, then you should be able to work out that if we unlock too quickly ICU would be full of unvaccinated people, including a much higher number in their 30s/40s than there are currently.

A higher proportion perhaps but given that the risk of hospitalisation, never mind ICU admission for that age group is incredibly low, it's hardly going to be 'full'. Not to mention that many cases have been in that age category so quite a few of them will already be immune, without vaccination.

I know 3 people who have been hospitalised since Christmas. 2 in icu 1 on a ward. One late 20s one early 40s and one late 40s. All have a bmi well over 40

The only other people I know who were quite ill with it last year , 1 ended up in hospital and didn't have any underlying health conditions were both heavily pregnant

Not a huge sample but I’ve got 5 good friends/family all ICU consultants and they’ve always said it’s full of very old, very over weight people with major heart issues.

I've seen the breakdown for icu where I live, the average age was 71 (mid jan so before any vaccine effect). Remember the very elderly and those who have chronic underlying illness may not be candidates for icu because they have a dnr.

My friend is a hospital doctor and overwhelmingly those admitted are old (over 75) or have a bmi over 35.
That’s just one hospital, but it’s not full of young people.

I know someone who was hospitalised with Covid in his thirties, (not in ICU and he’s home and ok now). Just the one person, but it did shock me. I’ve never known a young healthy person go to hospital with seasonal Flu, it made me realise how nasty this virus is.

OP I think you should edit your post to say 'ICU is NOT full of young people'

Some anxious people are going to see it and worry

"Younger means under 70."

"Probably - depends who is speaking."

My nurse sister describes the under 70's as young. The ones going to icu tend to be in their 50s and 60s but there are some younger ones and if we open up too quickly there will be more.

Last spring, were the ICUs awash with 'young' people? Is that people it was full of 'old' people and there was no space for the young people? No, it was because the 'old' were the ones that needed hospitals. Now they're vaccinated I really don't see the logic of why they'd suddenly be awash with 'young'

Friend is an ICU nurse. Said that where they are (London) their older patients have all left and they only have younger cases in there now. Total numbers are significantly lower though.

Yes a tiny % of a much larger group could end up more than a big % of a smaller groul..
I think you might be overestimating how big icu's are. The one my friend was in had 7 beds. 3 beds were taken up just with her family.

@Sleeplessinsaltend

Under 50’s are not at great risk of hospitalisation unless CEV and they will be being vaccinated. It makes no sense to say that the risk will increase once people are vaccinated. Covid won’t decide to go harder on the under 50’s as it hasn’t got them to infect anymore. Physically the under 50’s are not particularly in danger of hospitalisation from covid of healthy.

Hmmm, my 49 year old unvaccinated brother has been in hospital for 2 weeks and struggling to breathe. He is getting weaker and sicker every day. His fellow ‘inmates’ are all in the same age range.

My fit and healthy boss is 35. She is also in hospital with COVID after getting this 3 weeks ago. My work colleague who is 47 is still on reduced hours as he has long term effects from COVID he contracted last March.

In contrast my 69 year old MIL and her 91 year Mum (both have underlying health conditions including COPD) have both recently recovered from COVID and only had mild symptoms.

I think what this tells me is no one is really sure why some people get sicker than others and until we know for sure it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Both pils and bil are frontline and tell me the people under 50 needing hospital treatment is very rare. But I come on mumsnet and see people saying that they know 10 people in their 20’s in hospital or as soon as we unlock capacity is going to be taken by younger less vulnerable groups. It makes no sense and is in many cases dubious. Hence thread. Also, last year when we unlocked we saw hospitals with capacity, very low infection rates abs deaths and that is without the vaccine and without masks for the early part of the season. To say things will be worse for people this year is unfathomable.