Covid anxiety and CEV/CV

[Jourdain11]

I'm struggling to understand the anxiety specifically around Covid as restrictions are due to be lifted. Obviously there is a need for anyone who is CEV/CV to be cautious and put measures in place, but essentially the same as any other illness. If one has a compromised immune system or another clinical vulnerability, there is always more of a risk of picking up illnesses and/or being more seriously affected by them. I'm struggling to understand why people say they will have to go back to shielding if people no longer wear masks, since this had never been the case in the past (when flu and noro or bad colds, for example, are doing the rounds).

I feel like there's a disproportionate fear of Covid and it's not reasonable for us to expect people to wear masks and social distancing forever. Admittedly there's a big degree of media culpability in terms of spreading a culture of fear and Covid hysteria.

We spent months being told that Covid was dangerous, indiscriminate and deadly, because it was the only way to make the majority of people comply with restrictions. I don’t think it’s terribly surprising that many people are struggling to move past the idea that they might be seriously affected, particularly since there’s been significant reporting of the very small minority of high profile cases where somebody young and fit became very ill, and little reporting of the hundreds of thousands who barely felt unwell.

Maybe because it's still a new illness, the cases are still rising sharply?
I understand the need to open up and I'm fully vaccinated but as the parent of a disabled child and a clinical extremely vulnerable husband I, m still going to be cautious I don't understand why you can't understand other people's concern, s?

But it’s also worth noting that specifically on MN, there are a large number of people with hypochondria / what they prefer to call health anxiety as a baseline anyway. I think the real world perspective is generally far more proportionate.

My son is 6 and CEV and he gets vaccinated against flu. For the other diseases, if there is even a hint of chicken pox or rotavirus at school, he has a week or 2 weeks off till it's cleared. I get telephoned for every infectious disease in the school.
With covid, it's much harder to track in primary school and his reaction to the virus is a total unknown, unlike the other diseases. Plus with other diseases such as chicken pox, there are antivirals he can take.

Agree that there are some real maniacs on here. I am cev and know that any virus is a risk for me. I'm not demanding that the world stops for meeeeeeeee.

Similarly out in the real world people are polite about food. I know people with various allergies (some serious) and they are always good-tempered and cheerful with any requirements. In the MN world there are angry-faced harridans yelling about how weddings should accommodate their every vague preference.

Given that cases are high and growing I understand why vulnerable people would want to be more cautious right now, in the same way they might if there was a local norovirus outbreak or similar.

But also, a lot of people without any particular vulnerabilities have been genuinely left terrified or traumatised by the past 18 months. Add to that the idea that the government is totally in control of covid levels and could make it all go away if it could only be bothered/be more competent, and you get “we NEED legal requirements for masks or everyone will die!”

If you are CEV, then it's not health anxiety/hypochondria because the concerns are well founded. When the early estimates of the vaccine working with your co-morbidity range as low as 9-13%, and it's the condition most over-represented in ICU admissions, and about 50% of those admitted (to hospital, not onwards to ICU) die, you are at significantly elevated risk.

Yes, vulnerable people take more precautions when a disease is going round their area. Covid is not an exception, and cases are currently doubling every 9 days.

@Jourdain11

I'm struggling to understand the anxiety specifically around Covid as restrictions are due to be lifted. Obviously there is a need for anyone who is CEV/CV to be cautious and put measures in place, but essentially the same as any other illness. If one has a compromised immune system or another clinical vulnerability, there is always more of a risk of picking up illnesses and/or being more seriously affected by them. I'm struggling to understand why people say they will have to go back to shielding if people no longer wear masks, since this had never been the case in the past (when flu and noro or bad colds, for example, are doing the rounds).

I feel like there's a disproportionate fear of Covid and it's not reasonable for us to expect people to wear masks and social distancing forever. Admittedly there's a big degree of media culpability in terms of spreading a culture of fear and Covid hysteria.

Javid has said admitted we expect to have 100,000 Covid cases daily. The fear is that we do not yet now the proportion of people who will require hospital treatment - this could translate to 1000 new admissions each day based on predictive figures. This is without the impact of new variants which are highly likely due to levels of uncontrolled spread.

Depending on numbers, which we don't know enough about, this could be extremely difficult for the NHS to manage (and totally ignoring the impact of lots of people being mildly ill at once and LC) and will have a knock on effect on health services that CEV and CV are dependent.

I'm not anxious about personally getting COVID but I certainly am about needing healthcare services in the next couple of month.

CV/CEV have never been told to shield for any of these viruses before though have they?

They spent a year of their lives being told they had to stay at home and allow others to protect them. Cases are rising rapidly still and its great that cases aren't meaning high hospitalisation rates anymore but nothing has changed for alot of people.

For certain people the vaccine is not effective due to their treatment. Some of this treatment is long term so what do they do?

But any virus or infection can be a risk and there are many that there is no vaccine for?

Not been deemed dangerous enough to shield from though have they?

My own experience of being on the CEV list is of getting a letter from the government or NHS pretty much every 2-3 weeks that repeatedly said I should (pretty much) lock myself away from the rest of life. It got farcicle how often I received a doom letter and the wording on some of the earlier ones was pretty stark (e.g. 'don't open any windows', 'stay more than 2m away from the people you live with, at all times').

Now, I'm fairly pragmatic about it but I could easily see how such an experience could cause real anxiety in some people. Especially considering this is a (relatively) nerw virus and they have not yet had the chance to experience normal life with it, yet.

In my own case, I have long since gotten used to the precautions I take against other diseases. The decisions I make where I balance risk vs life, for those, are well established. But I genuinely don't know what my balance will end up being with C19. All I can do is keep looking at the situation and reacting as I think best and letting this settle in a kind of normal, for me.

I think what it boils down to is that for those who the vaccine isn't working for nothing has changed except they will lose the protection they have had through mask use.

For them the world has just become a whole lot more dangerous again and I don't blame them for being scared. I've spoken to multiple people today alone who are now back to square one and are worried about their health and what their future looks like.

My job means I see the other and its looking grim for them.

Other side*

I am CEV - never shielded but was bombarded with the shielding messages constantly by post and text from the start of this. I think that’s really messed with people’s perception of risk. The govt spent months directly telling CEV people that they weren’t even allowed to go in their own garden or be within 2m of anyone they lived with because they were at huge risk of severe Covid - that’s so mentally damaging!

@Senso21

I am CEV - never shielded but was bombarded with the shielding messages constantly by post and text from the start of this. I think that’s really messed with people’s perception of risk. The govt spent months directly telling CEV people that they weren’t even allowed to go in their own garden or be within 2m of anyone they lived with because they were at huge risk of severe Covid - that’s so mentally damaging!

Agreed - it's just insane! And in most cases impossible (how can you actually isolate from the people you live with indefinitely?).

Honestly I think this guidance has been very psychologically damaging.

I think your tone is quite insulting. Regardless of whether or not you think an individuals anxiety is proportionate it's none of your business just focus on yourself and be glad you arent unwell, anxious or a combination of the two.

I feel desperately sad for anyone CEV in this situation. Some people appear to be assuming CEV means you’ve had your health issue all of your life so you should just accept it and be accustomed to being segregated from society.

Imagine having to accept the fact that not only are you having cancer treatment but also life outside your bubble is potentially lethal, what joy is there to be had if a visit to a cafe or shops suddenly becomes high risk? A great number of people are about to be left in the most callous way by being told to just accept it.

Foresight is better than hindsight?

I was in the Brownies when I was younger so my motto is 'be prepared'.

Can't see what is wrong with that. CEV or no CEV.

Expect the worst and then if you get anything better it is a bonus...

Government made mistakes before with Covid, so I'd rather trust my own judgement thanks. After all, isn't that what they are urging us to do now?

In response to @Jourdain11, I agree with @Athinginitself that your tone is insulting. I’ll also go a step further to say it’s naive and ignorant too.

The novel corona virus COVID 19 IS NOT THE FLU or noro or a nasty cold seriously how many times does this need to be said.

I don't understand why my tone is insulting, and I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone. Sorry if I did.

And I obviously realise that Covid isn't flu etc, but it doesn't change the fact that another illness could be just as dangerous for someone who has a compromised immune system.

You are deliberately ignoring that CEV have been told the opposite of that OP.