Why are people determined to believe the absolute worst?

[TheDailyCarbunkle]

As of Jan 21st 4,717 people in England between the ages of 0-59 died with coronavirus. That includes people with severe health conditions who are very vulnerable to all illnesses. Considering there are about 50.6 million people in that age group in England, that number represents 0.0093% of that age group. To put that number in context, in 2018 27,198 people under the age of 64 died of pneumonia and influenza (which are categorised together by the ONS) - conditions that most people don't worry very much about, especially if they are generally healthy.

In Sweden, the number of deaths of people under 70, as of Feb 2021, is 1,113. Again that includes clinically vulnerable people. It represents about 0.013% of that section of the population. That's with schools open for younger people the whole time, shops and restaurants open, hairdressers open, gatherings of up to 50 people allowed etc etc.

All over the world, no matter what the mitigation measures have been, the deaths of under 70s have been low, especially when compared to other respiratory illnesses like pneumonia and flu. The threat to people under 70, even people who are clinically vulnerable, is not high. The threat to people with no illnesses is extremely low, so low that at times the ONS has had to stop reporting it.

So why do people still believe they're in huge danger?

Perhaps you are. If you are, are you equally worried about flu and pneumonia, which kills five times the amount of people that covid has killed?

It doesn't though, so not sure why you keep posting this? In March last year you said it would not be surprising if flu was found to be 5 or 6 times more deadly than Covid19. Almost a year later, despite all the evidence and you are still pushing that line? Just like your statement as a fact that "there won't be a second wave" , you have been consistently wrong throughout, yet refuse to change your mind.

Flu deaths reallocated as covid deaths?

Drama

Paid trolls? www.naturalnews.com/042093_internet_trolls_chat_rooms_federal_government.html

@Haffiana

But the danger is still very tiny indeed.

Oh is it?

Can you please show me any research whatsoever that states that it is a very tiny danger if the NHS cannot treat anyone because it is overwhelmed with covid cases?

How did I know you would ask for research? Now the NHS is not treating anyone! I can see that you do not want the danger to be very tiny. The question now becomes why. Interesting.

You are right, OP. People are not very good at quantifying risk. I include myself in that. I still worry that I will die of COVID even though, rationally, I know that the chances of this are vanishingly small. I know it isn't rational, but I can't just switch off the fear @AlexaShutUp

See this is ok. Ok and understandable that you know the risk is vanishingly small, but some people like yourself find the fear hard to cope with.

Not ok with the previous post to for some reason, not want it to be small. Though maybe there is some good reason for that too, but I am struggling to come up with one.

@SandysMam

I’ve had Covid, it was mild and didn’t kill me. However I need a kidney transplant and because the NHS was overwhelmed with the virus they are all cancelled and the list is longer than ever. Covid didn’t kill me, but waiting for a transplant might. I am young with 2 small children, work for the NHS myself and you wouldn’t know I was sick to look at me. The threat to health from Covid is real, just not necessarily directly from the virus.

Sorry to read that @SandysMam

Well this is a nice little corner of mumsnet
They’ll all be on in a moment to throw lots of ‘evidence’ at you as to why we should stay locked down
Arseholes, with their nasty 'evidence' they'll be throwing facts next.

Because some of us have relatives who were clinically vulnerable, who have died of covid but could otherwise have lived another 10 years and seen grandchildren grow up. And you are dismissing their lives as less valuable.

Where has anyone said that their lives were not valuable?

The thread is specific that it's about the mortality rates of covid for those under 60 and the perception of risk to those under 60.

Where have you been, OP, that you have managed to completely MISS what the danger is?

Why are you MISREPRESENTING what the danger is?

Are you another Russian bot?

U ok hun? Honestly, get a grip.

I'd be much more interested in seeing the rates for long term complications caused by COVID in these age groups. Dying is not the only thing people worry about and maybe not even the worst thing for some.

Interesting comment, @animalfarmagain.

Do you know more and better than all them scientists/ doctors/ epidemiologists/ health ministers/ government advisors across the world? They all seem to be in some form of agreement that there Covid is dangerous, dangerous enough to implement restrictions and lockdowns.

Maybe you do know better. Maybe you are wasted on mumsnet... maybe not. Who knows.

Of course covid is dangerous. Where did the op say covid wasn't dangerous? It's taken the lives of well over 100,000 people in this country alone. It just doesn't have a high mortality rate in those under 60. Do we have to pretend it does to take it seriously?

Most people don't believe that they, individually, are at huge danger of death (that I come across anyway). At a population level we are clearly in danger from covid and the very real threat of heath care collapsing.

Plenty of posters on this board provide evidence to the contrary GalesThisMorning but, like you, it's not something I have come across a lot in real life.

Because it is not all about deaths. Many people are ill and needing hospitalisation. Otherwise fit and healthy people, who would not have been hospitalised with just flu.

There is a big difference between the UK and other countries so the comparisons are meaningless.

Glad to see one page in someone already screamed Long Covid. I dont remember all this concern when I had Long Glandular fever and spent 5 months bed bound, 18 months before I could return to my job. Since having GF I catch every illness going, even covid. I promise GF is WAY worse than covid was for me.

I think the fear propaganda the government and media have peddled from day one will take a long time to fix, social conditioning can be embed within 3 months but takes many many months if not years to break free from.

@AlexaShutUp - thank you for telling your account. I think you're probably not alone in this.

Maybe people are scared because its scary, its unknown, they or someone they know is vulnerable, we've never lived through a pandemic before and don't always know how to handle it calmly... any of those reasons are valid reasons to be afraid.

What are with these endless threads by people like OP that try to belittle other people's fears and make them out to be doom mongers or lockdown lovers or whatever stupid term you want to use. Guess what - most people are doing the best they can. Also guess what - most people have very little influence on government policy. Their "misguided fear" or whatever is not what's keeping you in lockdown.

I don't know anyone like this in real life and suspect it's a bored social media thing. Most people are doing their best and trying to support one another. I know that somehow that is not the mumsnet reality, but it is mine.

About 30 000 people die every year from air pollution in the UK. Most don't just drop dead, they live the same half lives besieged by the ailments seen this year with long covid for years on end. And yet you can't even convince people to stop firing up their shitty sub standard hygge log burning stoves or walk two minutes to the shops, so good luck convincing the world to stop for long covid.

Glad to see one page in someone already screamed Long Covid.

Covid - the first disease in the history of diseases to have the word “long” placed before it.

About 30 000 people die every year from air pollution in the UK.

This. Yet when the government announced a ban on the production of all diesel and petrol cars by 2030, there was outrage on MN. The hypocrisy is ridiculous.

@Pastanred

I’ve come to realise that actually there are more people with mental health and anxiety issues than I realised

Mumsnet seems to be full of irrational people who I genuinely believe need some form of help after all this

If you cannot rationalise and assess personal risk properly l that’s massively unhealthy and if you project it onto your kids, dangerous

There are people on here for whom I really worry about their kids mental health

Completely agree.

Mumsnet seems to be full of irrational people who I genuinely believe need some form of help after all this

If you cannot rationalise and assess personal risk properly l that’s massively unhealthy and if you project it onto your kids, dangerous

Well said.