To think it's borderline inhumane to tell the elderly they can't mix after vaccine?

[Jouets]

Just the title really. I'm aware we've all 'lost' a year of our lives but if you're younger, you have (most likely) a lot of time ahead. But it breaks my heart that it's still illegal for me to see my elderly grandparents inside.

I do it anyway (vaccinated, three weeks past, at their request) as they've both said they're not willing to waste anymore time when a) they've been vaccinated which they've said was the whole "end goal" all along to make them safe and b) they don't want to live like this anymore.

Surely if vaccines cut risk of transmission and death, it's borderline inhumane to tell vaccinated elderly people who are over the 'average' life expectancy that they are to carry on with this very limiting life, when they may not have years left anyway?

Maybe I'm just being emotional.

The top and bottom of it they’re still not safe

If the vaccinated aren’t safe, then who is?

And if vaccines don’t make people safe then what actually will!

@ThornAmongstRoses

The top and bottom of it they’re still not safe

If the vaccinated aren’t safe, then who is?

And if vaccines don’t make people safe then what actually will!

Nothing is "safe".

Those vaccinated are safer than those who aren't but still able to catch and spread covid. No vaccine is 100% efficient. The vaccine is said to reduce the seriousness of the symptoms and looks likely to reduce how infectious it is.

The more people who are vaccinated, the better. We need "herd" immunity by most people having the vaccine. Once we get to a very high percentage, fewer people will be actively infecting others, i.e. the few who aren't vaccinated, so it will also reduce the risks of those not vaccinated too as they'll be coming into contact with fewer people who are highly infectious.

Top and bottom is that if a vaccinated person is in a room full on non vaccinated people, they still have a high risk of catching it, although seriousness is likely to be less. Then may then go and pass it to others who havn't yet been vaccinated (or those who have!). If, however, they wait a couple of months, and go into a room full of vaccinated people, their risk of catching it is far lower as few, if any of the others will have covid and even fewer will be highly infectious.

It's all a numbers game. The more people vaccinated the safer it is for everyone else, vaccinated or not.

@user1497207191

The young/healthy have put their lives on hold to protect the older/vulnerable. If the latter start to ignore the restrictions everyone else is still adhering to, it's sticking two fingers up to everyone else.

Those shielding who've had the jab are now safer to actually go out and do the things everyone else is allowed to do. That itself is a big win for those who've barely left the house in nearly a year.

They don't know that at all.

We've been told to keep shielding until at least March 31st, which means following harsher restrictions than anyone else, including (in theory) staying away from the people we live with.

Also, many in the shielded group have blood cancer, and - as there weren't any people with blood cancer in the trials - they don't know how well it will work for us.

It would be helpful if people didn't state things like the above as fact, when they've misunderstood. My life has been - and continues to be - much more restricted than most due to COVID, and I'm in my forties. I feel sorry for younger people, but it's bollocks to say they have it worse than people like me. I bet they wouldn't swap places.

Vaccines do not take effect immediately. Please don't forget. Especially when you have yours.

They can only release everyone at the same time or there’d be uproar and rightly so

Imagine being 18/19 right now. You missed out on your A levels, your prom, a summer of fun, freshers week. You have haven’t had the opportunity to meet new friends or maybe a relationship. You’re paying for university accommodation that you haven’t been to in months. You can’t get a part time job because they’ve all gone to people who are on furlough. You already know that you’re last in line for the vaccination. You’re pretty certain you won’t be going on a girls/ boys holiday this summer. Then you’re told that anyone who has had the vaccination can go out and meet people, but you can’t until you’ve had it...

They might have more years left but everyone has lost out on something major no matter what point of your life you’re at.

If, however, they wait a couple of months, and go into a room full of vaccinated people, their risk of catching it is far lower as few, if any of the others will have covid and even fewer will be highly infectious

And there in lies the point isn’t it......I’m vaccinated and my parents are vaccinated, so why shouldn’t I be able to visit them?

The media are to blame for this completely false view that many hold - easy to see it as selfish if you're informed about risks etc.

The vaccines have cut hospital admissions and deaths - they have NOT eliminated them. If you are over 70, say you had a 2% chance of dying before if you contracted the virus. Vaccinated, after 21 days, you're down to 0.5%. THAT is roughly what the data currently says.

Now I have visited my mother during lockdown (allowed due to bubble), but I self-isolated for 2 weeks before I went. She's now had the vaccine, but she's STILL AT RISK, a lower risk, but do I want to be the person who kills my mum? NO! So if I visited again, I would again self-isolate first.

Ditto across the country which is just one resaon why the virus CANNOT be allowed to spread uncontrollably through the younger age groups. Even leaving aside the fact that a lot of hospital admissions have been in the under 50's, and many in all ages are currently suffering from possibly permanent serious post-viral conditions, it would result in the deaths of a huge number of the elderly whether they've been vaccinated or not!

And that's before you get me started on creating the perfect conditions for a vaccine resistant mutation to arise.

@ThornAmongstRoses

If, however, they wait a couple of months, and go into a room full of vaccinated people, their risk of catching it is far lower as few, if any of the others will have covid and even fewer will be highly infectious

And there in lies the point isn’t it......I’m vaccinated and my parents are vaccinated, so why shouldn’t I be able to visit them?

I haven’t been vaccinated, but If I’m low risk and my parents are low risk why shouldn’t I be allowed to visit them now? Why haven’t I been able to visit them throughout the last year?

I haven’t been vaccinated, but If I’m low risk and my parents are low risk why shouldn’t I be allowed to visit them now? Why haven’t I been able to visit them throughout the last year?

You should have been. I completely agree that doke people, based on their own individual circumstances, should be able to make their own risk assessments.

My father-in-law, 70 years old and generally in good health, has been popping in to see us over the last few months. He doesn’t stay long but he comes over for 10-15 minutes and then goes again. He lives on his own, is incredibly lonely, and just misses seeing us and especially his grandchildren.

It’s his risk to take and if he’s happy to come over then I’m certainly not going to refuse him entry.