I did not sign up to this **selfish rant alert**

[Notthissticky]

Warning: this is a selfish rant about the unfairness of COVID. Please don't read it if you've been strongly affected by COVID or its economic impact. I am posting this on an anonymous forum for a reason.

I have a 2.5 yo and a 2 month old baby. The only family who have met the baby are the in-laws who looked after the toddler when I was in hospital. On Tuesday night, the baby spent a rather unnecessary night in hospital. I had both kids alone yesterday. The toddler started coughing so we've done a test. It's been 24 hours but no results yet, meaning another day shut in the house with two small children, when it was supposed to be me and the baby. All because a 2 year old has a cold.

I haven't seen my parents since July, I have a 5 month old niece I've never met and haven't seen my siblings since Christmas 2019, because our freedom-loving government has made it illegal for me to travel abroad to visit them. There isn't a single baby group running or in fact anything to do to make life enjoyable, rather than just an existence that needs to be borne.

I am absolutely not against taking precautions to prevent COVID spreading and am following the rules as much/ little as the next person. Looking at the situation from a distance though, the simple fact is that I only know a handful of people who've had COVID, none of whom have been hospitalised, let alone died. Meanwhile, this pandemic has cost me an awful lot emotionally. I fully realise I am extremely fortunate compared to many, but it just feels unfair and I am so so done with it. When will we reach the point where the impact of the inevitable mental health crisis that is developing begins to outweigh the risks of COVID? Rant over.

Let's all agree on this - This is a pandemic. No government in the world has dealt well with it. Our government hasn't dealt well with it. It's difficult to compare countries because all countries are different. The pandemic has shown us that we don't have enough good quality housing- many people are squeezed into small substandard homes in multi generational families. That's resulted in whole extended families being affected. And let's agree that EVERYONE has suffered - young mums, children, students and the elderly. We're all in the same storm - just in different boats. And many people are stonkingly and understandably angry. But let's be angry with the disease, not the humans who govern us. Keir Starmer has, in the main, backed the Conservatives because it's an unknown disease with no answers. He didn't have any answers himself. It's easy to criticise (boy, have I had my moments!) but please don't criticise Chris Whitty. I gather that he has been working on the wards throughout this. No wonder he looks exhausted.

Lynn - totally agree. The pandemic has been bad for every generation. Not worse for one. The Tories have been useless (no worse than usual) but there isn’t a manual as how to manage a worldwide pandemic which is killing thousands of people.

Hi everyone. I just wanted to clarify that I am not a COVID sceptic, nor do I oppose lockdown or believe it should be brought to an abrupt end. I do not want to engage in competitive misery either. I was merely observing that the pandemic is starting to have a serious negative impact on my mental health. In contrast, in my case, the impact of the illness that is COVID-19 itself on me and my loved ones has been minimal/ negligible. I realise I am extremely fortunate in this respect.

I do not feel comfortable with the turn this thread is taking, hence this clarification.

@bunny85

Completely agree! Enough of this shit! Now that so many people have been vaccinated, why not open up?? At first according to them it was all about not overwhelming the nhs, well now with 70% or so of population being immune in one way or another, this overwhelming can't possibly happen so what's the problem? I have 2 little ones as well and it's been horrible for them, I miss softplays, baby groups, play dates, all the activities we used to do. I'm extremely scared they'll adopt the same attitude to other illnesses, like as you say flu or pneumonia, what the hell will our life look like? Honestly if people (I hope) stand up and protest, I'll be there protesting and rebelling against it all. I want my life back as it was, they have no rights whatsoever to restrict us, this is against human rights it really is

I am not sure who you are agreeing with, but I don't think it's me, as we seem to have very different ideas. Opening everything up now will just set us back massively. BoJo is a libertarian and much as I dislike him, I do believe that this level of government control over and intrusion into people's lives makes him feel very uncomfortable. The government isn't on some kind of power trip.

No one signed up for this.

You and some other posters on here are extremely fortunate compared to some. For starters you have family and friends to miss. Some people have no one or have lost their nearest and dearest to this dreadful pandemic and couldn't even be with them when they died alone. Count your blessings.

Oh bore off Willyoujustbequiet. The Op made clear in her title she felt selfish for saying these thing.

You are not selfish at all! We have all had enough of this. Those that have lost love ones have the right to be angry and tired of this as do all those who have not and are suffering with isolation. Hopefully some new normality will be here soon x

@Willyoujustbequiet

And you are very fortunate to not be a Syrian refuge seeking asylum in a refugee camp.

Notthissticky
'BoJo is a libertarian and much as I dislike him, I do believe that this level of government control over and intrusion into people's lives makes him feel very uncomfortable. The government isn't on some kind of power trip.'
Agree. And thank you for clarifying 😊

Yet they cannot even find it in themselves to tell students who have been home since Christmas that they can go back to university for the summer term. They still force measures on us all - g we cannot even sing - the 13 guests in a massive church all distanced and in masks - because the law says no singing at my child's wedding this month. It is hugely restrictive in all kinds of unfair ways and the litigation is being won bit by bit against the measures because they are in parts unlawful.

Hi OP
I've felt like this for a long time - I now feel alternatively traumatised or numb and I certainly have no emotional resilience left. I no longer know what is accurate or what is frankly manipulation or coercion. For months we were bombarded with stories of people who died from Covid yet everyone I know (bar one) has not needed hospital treatment and from a cohort of middle aged people. And they have all recovered well without long covid. So now because all my sense of risk has been skewed after months of doom and gloom, I am now worrying about the risk of blood clots following the AZ vaccine (even though this is tiny). This is a sign of poor mental health - but hardly surprising given the shit we've lived through and the coercion and control tactics at play. Rant over.

Well op
I was right there for you
Till I read your comment about vaccine hesitant twats

Since when did it become not ok to seriously consider what you are allowing to be put into your body for something that has only mildly affected a handful of people you know that haven’t been hospitalised.

So much for people with health concerns who worry that side effects could worsen their conditions
My friend, who never got covid, got the az vax and was a whisker away from calling an ambulance because the pain in her chest was like someone stabbing her in the heart.
She’s seriously considering not having the second jab.she was really poorly for three days

So yes , she’s definitely a vaccine hesitant twat and also my cousin and her husband, 12 hours after their az jabs were so ill they crawled up the stairs toget into bed.
Yep, I can understand spthem being vaccine hesitant twats also and yep they never had covid either

It's something compared to the first lockdown. That's not setting the bar particularly high though, is it? Compared to normal life it's absolutely shite. And there's no guarantee that the roadmap for unlocking will actually happen, especially with all these vaccine hesitant twats. I was just having a rant, but thanks for the "cheer up"/ "it could be worse" put down.

Last paragraph belongs to op

@bunny85
You’d better make sure you sign and share this as our rights to peacefully protest are being eroded

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/579012

@Dowser signed! It's pretty unbelievable really what is happening and very disturbing

I was going to sign this. Then I remembered Extinction Rebellion cutting off road traffic so someone couldn't get to a hospital to see a very sick relative. And some demonstrators have been sitting down on the M32 so people can't get in an out of Bristol (hospital there, nurses needing to get to work, elderly relatives needing support?). Peaceful protests should definitely be allowed, but in parks etc so others can still go about their lawful business. And then you have the problem of troublemakers who all seem to infiltrate demons after dark. Would you want a policeman son of daughter to face the abuse and thrown fireworks in nearly every demonstration? So, no. I won't sign this - I want to, because I have taken part in a small demonstration myself and I strongly believe in the right to protest. But I think that it needs rethinking and rewording.

because our freedom-loving government has made it illegal for me to travel abroad to visit the
Well, I'm glad that they're not allowing travel. And, yes, I've got grandchildren that are now a year old and I haven't seen them.
Just check out what has happened in Chile....

@Dowser

Well op I was right there for you Till I read your comment about vaccine hesitant twats

Since when did it become not ok to seriously consider what you are allowing to be put into your body for something that has only mildly affected a handful of people you know that haven’t been hospitalised.

So much for people with health concerns who worry that side effects could worsen their conditions
My friend, who never got covid, got the az vax and was a whisker away from calling an ambulance because the pain in her chest was like someone stabbing her in the heart.
She’s seriously considering not having the second jab.she was really poorly for three days

So yes , she’s definitely a vaccine hesitant twat and also my cousin and her husband, 12 hours after their az jabs were so ill they crawled up the stairs toget into bed.
Yep, I can understand spthem being vaccine hesitant twats also and yep they never had covid either

It's something compared to the first lockdown. That's not setting the bar particularly high though, is it? Compared to normal life it's absolutely shite. And there's no guarantee that the roadmap for unlocking will actually happen, especially with all these vaccine hesitant twats. I was just having a rant, but thanks for the "cheer up"/ "it could be worse" put down.

None of those people would fall under the vaccine hesitant twats. Firstly, they've had the vaccine. Secondly, they've personally had very bad side effects, so it's understandable that they're unsure about getting a second dose. They're vaccine hesitant, but not twats I was referring to people who believe all the disinformation about the vaccines and therefore refuse to take them, when they're our only chance of getting back to normal.

@Parker231 your dh may have worked but considering noone is yet getting an actual appointment in my gp surgery they are not all taking a leaf out of his book.
As someone who works in medically profession I do understand difference between covid and flu.
I also understand the capacity of my local hospital and know that not every available ward was used for covid patients. Actually know of a nurse who got sacked for breach of confidentiality...in that they felt they couldn't lie anymore about the massively inflated numbers . In that in all of the county's 3 hospitals there was a total of 8 covid patients. It would take a brave person to speak out and end their career.
Perhaps at peak hospitals busy but a year later I see no reason why normal services can not resume its just ridiculous now

My baby is 10 months. So when I fell pg Covid-19 wasn't an issue. I can honestly say that if we'd have known about it we would have stopped ttc (and this is from a 40 yo woman).
My maternity leave has been awful. I really struggled mentally with being on my own (OH works away from home in the day) and have felt crippingly lonely and isolated. The newborn stage was the worst and at that point there wasn't even the option to form a bubble.
She is my last baby so I will never get to experience a decent mat leave again. I return to work ft in May, just as things are beginning to open back up. I feel cheated but that's probably selfish.
I hope things get better for you, OP.

@lynnshelley I would have to disagree. Yes no country has a manual but a lot of them did extremely well including an area in India who you will find are pure definition of large multi generational families packed into a small dwelling.
This has been going on for over a year long enough for the geniuses at Downing Street to look at what is working and take a few hints.
All they have in their arsenal is lockdown and hope to god vaccine works... the money they have pissed away is scandalous and after this is over I hope he is investigated for squandering public funds that our kids will be paying back for the rest of their lives.
In answer to another comment as to why no one reacts to flu deaths is this and In my opinion the same would apply to covid deaths if the media and government hadn't got involved.
They also would have been accepted. Reason being is that people die especially the elderly and those with illnesses. It's how the world operates and is no different to natural selection. By announcing deaths daily it made it into a problem and increased awareness the same if they announced daily cancer deaths or heart attacks.
Unfortunately I am a bit of a realist and although people are applauding when someone else reaches 100 the actual fact are people are living too long which are a drain on the state, on employment on housing not to mention care homes and the strain on carers. To be honest I'm still not convinced that this wasn't something planned at a g8 summit to reduce the world's elderly population and it got out of control. Wouldnt surprise me as our government only cares about money . They don't care about debt accrued as that will be repaid as tax but they love the vast amounts they are making via vaccine program or trapping everyone in a quarantined hotel. It's a joke

I’ve really struggled too trust - also 40 and on maternity leave.

I had ds in December and January nearly broke me.

I am a bit hesitant about the vaccine though and I’m not a twat. Well, I don’t think I’m a twat! I’m just scared.

@daffodilsandprimroses I was also hesitant too 're the vaccine at first as I'm still breastfeeding, but now I want to have it.

I'm returning to teaching in May in a huge primary and am honestly terrified as I won't have been offered it by then.

A significant umber of my colleagues have had to self-isolate as Covid has been doing its rounds.

[quote Fembot123]@MmeLaraque People aren’t ignoring you because they think your opinion is damming it’s because they think you are being unnecessarily spiteful and talking about having a seriously job wholly unsuitable to your skillset[/quote]
Spiteful? Nope. There are some incredibly stupid and ignorant people here.

talking about having a seriously job wholly unsuitable to your skillset
Please re-write that in proper English.