The next 4 weeks are about preparing us for ‘living with covid’

[solarlights]

There’s been so much scaremongering and manipulation so far during this pandemic - rightly or wrongly. But now I get the distinct impression that the tide is about to turn and over the next 4 weeks we are going to be braced for living with coronavirus and everything that entails including the fact there will still be significant numbers of deaths and some people will get long covid. I think we’ll be told having the vaccination is our only protection and after that we need to get on with it and accept the risk. Social distancing is not a viable option long term and neither is 10 days of isolation. Be interesting to see what unravels in the media over the next month.

@the80sweregreat

Aus and NZ can't stay locked down with their borders shut forever. They will need to open up at some stage. What will happen then? They will also have to learn to live with it too the same as we will.

Hopefully we might start to talk about opening borders and ‘living with covid’ after the next federal election in Oz. Until we’ll continue with our embarrassingly slow vaccine program and overreaction to a handful of cases.

Sadly the xenophobes and drama llamas seem to be winning here at the moment as closed borders and zero appetite for risk seems to be a big vote winner. Some of us are appalled at what is happening to our country but there’s precious little we can do.

Blue tongue Why is the vaccine roll out so slow in Aus etc ?
You would think that with such a low population ( compared to the Uk) it would be much quicker? Why the hold up ?
Genuinely interested and sorry that you are dealing with this situation. I'm in the UK and had both vaccines now ( thanks to our NHS)

The UK got orders in early and has production capabilities. The US blocked the export of components for vaccine production which made it harder for others who were not self sufficient for these. The EU also had an effective ban on exports of vaccines (which for various politicial reason wasn't imposed on the UK). And then Australia said they didn't want AZ at all, so they are reliant on Pfizer / Moderna which had particularly acute shortage issues as there was most demand for these.

Thats before accounting for domestic issues that might be hampering roll out which I'm sure exist but I don't know what they are. We have kind of taken the fast roll out in the UK for granted tbh.

Well it's all spin isn't it. The UK clearly can't judge AU an NZ on case or hospitalisation or death rates but by God we will judge then on vaccine roll out because we are world beaters don't you know!

Plus the ominous warning - you will have to be as bad as us. We got our deaths in early. Makes no sense. If the rest of the world quashes the virus and there are no more hosts the virus will die out. It won't suddenly reignite. That's not how viruses work. They need a host to survive and replicate. If AU and AZ wait it out and keep isolation measures they don't really need mass vaccination do they? Costs and benefits.

Would you be calling for mass vaccination for all, including children. if all rates were low and life carried on as normal - even if borders were closed and you might have a 3 day lockdown?

3 month lockdown - fuck - vaccinate my cat if you want to - just let me out!

If it is, can those of us perfectly happy to live with COVID be released now please?

Man. Hasnt everyone who’s going to get it had it yet?

Agree with the PP who referred to the 10 day isolation. Utterly ridiculous now.
If you have contact with a ‘case’ and have no symptoms snd have been vaccinated-ignore it.
If you have contact with a’case’ and have symptoms then test.
Simples.

@TeddingtonTrashbag

Agree with the PP who referred to the 10 day isolation. Utterly ridiculous now. If you have contact with a ‘case’ and have no symptoms snd have been vaccinated-ignore it. If you have contact with a’case’ and have symptoms then test. Simples.

Unfortunately a case can still close half a school. And there’s no choice : (

I cant see how long we can carry on like this. People will just give up, or the country would go bankrupt. There would be potentially millions of less tax payers and millions more people claiming benefits.
Not to mention the destruction of jobs for our children, our future.
We should by all mean gets though 4 more weeks, then go back to normal.

More talk in the papers today that the Delta variant spike is slowing and that they are hopeful that in two weeks time things will be look a lot more encouraging as vaccination levels are sufficient to start having an effect.

Aus/NZ will obviously open their borders again, but we can wait until vaccines are available to all that want them. Obviously there will be deaths after we re open, no one is denying that, but we will be vaccinated so numbers will be low. And in the meantime we've had very few deaths, a pretty normal life, and the economy is doing pretty well. Victoria has had the worst of it, but they are coming out of their short lockdown again. I know I feel bloody lucky to have lived here during the pandemic, my folks in the Uk have had a much more unhappy time of it. So don't worry about us here in Oz, we're doing fine (apart from missing our friends and folks in other countries).

I do think that the cultural acceptance of turning up for work or school with a hacking cough is past for at least some time too. It just won't be tolerated socially.

That'll make life difficult for people like me. I have a 'hacking cough' thanks to hay fever. Antihistamines take the edge off it but it's always there from February to September. What am I supposed to do, stay at home for ever more (I was actually told last year on here that I shouldn't leave the house!)?

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/17/how-do-we-learn-to-live-with-covid

The pandemic precautions meant we had no flu epidemic over the winter. It would make sense to keep some of the preventative measures like masks in crowded places and social distancing where possible.

If we are to live with it then schools and other public buildings will need to have better ventilation, easy access for handwashing and a limit on numbers alllowed inside at one time.

@DancesWithTortoises

The pandemic precautions meant we had no flu epidemic over the winter. It would make sense to keep some of the preventative measures like masks in crowded places and social distancing where possible.

If we are to live with it then schools and other public buildings will need to have better ventilation, easy access for handwashing and a limit on numbers alllowed inside at one time.

I think that going forward a lot of people, particularly older people will continue to wear masks without being asked to.

Certainly until people feel confident that things are definitely over they will be more cautious. And thats going to be this autumn and winter for a sizeable number whilst we all readjust