Deflated after tonights press conference

[TFInearlyspring]

Hi,

Was starting to feel a bit more positive - a bit lighter, but it sounds as though people are already behaving like we're out of lockdown, according to latest hotspot data.

I felt a difference earlier today when walking the dogs. I noticed there were bigger groups together, likely not the same household. I haven't seen this in such bulk for months.

Please someone tell me this is just a blip.

just as a case and point, looking at the darkest hotspots against the recent council area vaccine take up figures.

Telford & Wrekin was in the top spot for their over 65s having had their vaccine, something like a 98% take up... they're also one of the darkest areas for cases with only a 2% fall in the last week.

Chances are then, their cases are all in the working age population, and as the vaccine roll out continues, they will drop.

People outside enjoying themselves..whatever next!!!!!

You do know we're in a pandemic, right?

A pandemic where outdoors is the lowest risk place to be.

I actually wonder if it'd be better for the government to legally relax outdoor stuff now?

I made this point when the roadmap was announced. Telling people they can in a few weeks time do what they're already doing (meeting people outdoors) is pointless.

@Lynora

They have to give us the fear to try and control us. It doesn't really matter how many cases there are if the they don't end in hospital cases and death. Which is the whole point of the vaccine.

This. If the vaccine is the way out then we are heading to the exit.

Obviously, with the implicit understanding that this virus will never be eradicated and that some people will still succumb. If you know you are vulnerable then it is down to personal responsibility to keep yourself as safe as possible. The same premise as if you had lowered immunity due to any illness.

You do know we're in a pandemic, right?

Don't you mean a global pandemic?

You do know we're in a pandemic, right?

A pandemic? Really? I had no idea! I was wondering why everything has been shut for most of the year and why I have been unable to do my job or visit my family, but had no clue as to why. Now I do! Thanks @User133847!

I think people forget that the only people who were vaccinated long enough ago to have developed some level of immunity were those vaccinated in late December and January ie groups 1-3. Many older people and the ECV ( group4) will not yet have built up any immunity. My letter to book a vaccine ( group 4) was part of my latest shielding letter just over a week ago!
I work in the nhs and we were reminded yesterday that ICU in all London hospitals and locally are still full- we still have to be careful. The only change will be that all school children can go back on 8 th March. ( I personally wonder at the wisdom of having all children back at once when most their families will not have even sniffed a vaccine- but that’s just my thoughts). The other ‘rules’ and advice remain the same. However there are hopeful signs, we just have to stay careful and enjoy the start of spring responsibly- knowing that vaccines are beginning to help and will help even over the next weeks and months.
We might just be seeing the light at the end of a very long tunnel- but we don’t want to trip over running blindly towards it!

People saying 'schools won't be closed again' - no, but if teachers are ill, then bubbles will be closed without KW cover, and if enough staff are off sick, schools will close too. There aren't enough suppy teachers to cover this, and it's not like it's possible just to shove people in to teaching positions. Same with the police and prison officers. Not sure when they weren't prioritised for vaccination as NHS staff were.

NHS staff were vaccinated to prevent them being off work long term, and disrupting their ability to work - same applies to other highly trained or professional roles. The government doesn't care about them. Can't fill a nurse, prison officer, copper or teacher's job with an untrained person, but you can for lots less effort, fill factory workers or supermarket workers or delivery drivers jobs.

there should not have been an exact date given, people are talking about partying etc in June, nice weathers not helping, me and my husband have been isolating since the beginning, he is classed vulnerable, i have visited a couple of shops but thats all, best not to worry about what others are doing , it only eats you up and there is nothing you can do about it unfortunately, thats the human race for you,

It was always going to be the case....as soon as the roadmap was made public, people assume the pandemic is over and we can all go back to normal. Look how many have already booked holidays abroad and in U.K., as soon as the sun comes out people go mad.

@TheDuchessofHaste

Of course it's going to rise again, the schools are going back. Kids from thousands of households will be freely mixing even if the adults don't, so cases will rise again. And then schools will close again. And not vaccinating teachers who stand there all day in front of several hundred pupils from different classes with no PPE will bite the government on the bum when they all get sick and without teachers there's your childcare gone and your education and we are all back at home where we started. It wasn't random cases were low over summer and as soon as schools go back up the numbers come

Such positivity. As long as the hospital numbers and deaths continue to fall then the number of cases don’t actually matter. Now that the vaccine is being rolled out so well then there should be no reason to close the school. Primary aged children are not the super spreaders they once thought, and secondary aged children are ‘mostly’ being tested

Ha! Lockdown seems to have been totally forgotten where I live....

We might just be seeing the light at the end of a very long tunnel- but we don’t want to trip over running blindly towards it!
But dozens of posters on Mumsnet know for certain that covid doesn't spread if you're having a wholesome gathering with nice people on a sunny day. Anyone who says otherwise is a meanie who must love lockdown and want everything closed for a century.

Who needs a range of scientific opinion when MummyNeedsGin34618** has a degree in infectious diseases from the University of Facebook?

** made up obviously, hopefully there isn't actually a user with that name.

COVID did not spread in January because of Christmas, it got worse because it is mid winter. Most people did not go mad and have huge mixing get togethers on Christmas Day. Seasonal viruses get worse in January.

We don't know how seasonal it is yet.

We allowed high prevalence for months, got more contagious new variants and the exponential spread did what exponential spread does. Any time groups of people were together it was spreading. Including Christmas Day.

Also, I think "cases don't matter" is the new "covid is over" which was the new "children don't catch it or spread it" which was the new "Let it rip" which was the new "it 'only' affects people who were going to die soon anyway" which was the new it's just FLU!" which was the new "it's not a problem for us in this country".

It

Who needs a range of scientific opinion when MummyNeedsGin34618 has a degree in infectious diseases from the University of Facebook?

If the virus can no longer get to old people, because they've all been vaxed up, it may mutate into something thats more efficient at infecting younger people.
To be able to infect young people, who are generally fitter and healthier than elderly people, it would have to become a LOT stronger.

What do those of you who agree with Boris’s Big Bang think of this?
Do you think vaccines will cope and cover every mutation? Or the virus won’t mutate any more? Or something else I haven’t thought of?

The vulnerable have been offered the vaccine so this will hopefully prevent hospitalisation. The vast majority of healthy people won’t be hospitalised if they catch Covid19.

The government keep changing the goalposts. Lower deaths, deaths became so low they focused on cases, cases went down. Then it was to “protect the NHS.”

We have been locked up for long enough so let people enjoy the sunshine.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/up-40-per-cent-covid-23493498.amp

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9305405/Grieving-relatives-demand-inquiry-loved-ones-wrongly-certified-virus-victims.html

@Mialain

If others are responsible for your health......can i have a look at whats in your fridge?

What’s in my fridge won’t infect others.

@BonnieDundee

I agree. I am sick of selfish people not following the rules. This is what led to the last lockdown.

It's really not

Of course it is. And it will be the reason we go into another lockdown if people start acting as if the virus has gone away, it hasn’t.

@Xenia

Since March 2020 we have had one of the biggest breaches of our human rights in our history which has gone on about 12 months too long.

That’s because there’s been a pandemic across the whole world! Who are you trying to blame for “one of the biggest breaches of our human rights”? The virus is to blame, do you not get this?

@lunapeace
Wow 😳 you’re a real charmer! Covid obviously hasn’t touched you personally, that’s for sure.

In the press conference Boris clearly said that there isn't going to be any more lockdowns. Schools are opening on the 8th March, and if cases and hospitalisations rise, then the next step to opening up will be delayed.

People ignoring the measures are increasing the risk to their families, and also delaying the further relaxation of restrictions such as opening up all shops, restaurants, hairdressers etc.

I live in Manchester so have effectively been in lockdown throughout the whole pandemic. Do I like lockdown? No. Do I want lockdown? No... would I love to see my family and friends? God yes!

However, me wanting that and the fact Johnson said there won't be anymore lockdowns doesn't make it so. We will end up in lockdown again for 2 reasons.

1. Because Boris is weak and won't stand up to the wing of his party that wants to either lockdown too late or unlock too soon.

We saw it with lockdown 1, with the mini tier lockdown in November and again after Christmas. How well did that go?

2. Because the British public cannot be trusted and takes the piss. Tell them that we can start lifting restrictions in 2 weeks if cases continue to fall and they act like those cases have already come down and start doing what they want.

People will obviously say that things are all different now because we known more about the virus, have better treatments and because we have the vaccine.

Let's examine that.

1. Knowing more and having better treatments didn't stop more people dying in the second wave compared to the first when we knew less.

2. Only around 2% of the adult population has actually been vaccinated (both jabs) and not all of those have had the 3 weeks time to bolster their immunity. There is still a large amount of vulnerable people who have not yet been vaccinated.

Let's say that doesn't matter though because the most important have been vaccinated and are safe, so it doesn't matter if cases are high. Errr... yes it does. Every new case represents a chance for the virus to mutate and the last thing we need are new variants to fuck everything up. It's already going to take 6 months to vaccinate everyone, if we have to do it all over again we won't be ready for Winter 2021, and then we're fucked again.