Page 2 | If you had to shield but are fully jabbed, how careful are you being?

Beebityboo · 2021-07-08T14:04:48+00:00

As someone who shielded for most of last year, I'm finding it really hard to adjust to the new policy which seems to basically be "covid is over, you're on your own" [hmm] I suffer terribly with anxiety and am very risk averse, so although I am double jabbed I have no idea how cautious I should be now case numbers are going up so much, and after the Euros they will probably be astronomical. Any other shielding people going through similar, how cautious will you be now?

Original poster

Beebityboo · 08/07/2021 16:17

It's just such a minefield with family who want us to go on trips to busy places etc. Any cancelation and I get passive aggressive comments about my "anxiety" and how there's no reason to be worried now I'm fully vaxxed. I was so looking forward to having a normal summer. I had no idea cases would get out of control again like this.

OP posts:

PrincessNutNuts · 08/07/2021 16:19

@hopeishere

I've never really understood "bring back shielding". If you want to and need to shield you are free to do so. It's not and never was mandatory. Is there any advantage to "official" shielding?

DH is super vulnerable and careful anyway.

There are if you work. It has legal standing with your employer.

BabyDuedate · 08/07/2021 19:57

@noblegiraffe

Yes, twitter suggests new guidance will be out soon.

Government forgot about shielding people it seems.

Not surprising 🤦‍♀️

Crispycremedelight · 08/07/2021 20:36

I was the CEV in our house and I go and do what I want now. I’m so over COVID and want my life back. I went back to work last year (COVID secure but pass people) never got COViD husband goes to local shop (masked and gloves) and buys only milk ends up with COVID…go figure 🤷🏻‍♀️

Original poster

Beebityboo · 09/07/2021 06:18

I'm just finding it so hard. I'd gotten so much better about going out a bit more and doing things but now I'm quite scared again and canceling plans

OP posts:

LoveManyTrustfewAlwaysPaddle · 09/07/2021 06:31

I manage my own risk as best I can, we went out for the day last week, walked in a very open area and then chose a pub with about 16 covers.

Went to another on the way home, sat in the beer garden, this was our summer holiday, we should have been in Spain.

Our good friends are having a party this weekend, they all have a significant birthday, open house from 2.00 until midnight, we will drop in between 3.00 and 5.00, normally would have gone late and stayed late.

DS has an appointment for the first jab mid month, he has been told if he goes to a night club after that and before second jab, he can either undress in the hall and put his clothing straight into a black sack for his Dad to deal with in the morning or he needs to stop out for 72 hours.

LoveManyTrustfewAlwaysPaddle · 09/07/2021 06:35

Oh and have a shower before he falls into bed.

Alannawhorideslikeaman · 09/07/2021 06:45

@Beebityboo

It's just such a minefield with family who want us to go on trips to busy places etc. Any cancelation and I get passive aggressive comments about my "anxiety" and how there's no reason to be worried now I'm fully vaxxed. I was so looking forward to having a normal summer. I had no idea cases would get out of control again like this.

The point is that double vaccination breaks the link between getting covid and suffering serious illness. There will always be people who are vulnerable, these are mostly the immunosuppressed. But they will be vulnerable to all illnesses and would probably need to be living a very careful lifestyle anyway. I can't link it as I didn't save it but I did read a report the other day that said in all other CEV and CV groups the link has been broken. In America something like 99% of cases of hospitalisation are in the unvaccinated. Cases were always going to rocket once society started opening back up. The point being it doesn't matter in the same way. This is why they want to reduce testing (making LFT cost etc) because it stops being helpful having so many cases reported. If there are 100,000 cases a day and 80,000 are unsymptomatic then it doesn't matter. This is the first illness we have ever tracked unsymptomatic cases and it has totally skewed our sense of reality with it. They are going to want to start taking focus off the daily cases and reporting that figure because it means very very little. What matters is the hospitalisation and death rate which remains very low. I'm not saying I don't care about those few who are taken by it but people will always die. It's sad and I feel desperately for the families involved. We have CEV and CV in our close family, so I know the fear but the double vaccination is the best and only hope we have to getting back into society. Cases will remain high no matter what we do, it will not be eradicated just as the other 99% of illness you were probably vulnerable to before are still out there - but we didn't lock ourselves inside for those (unless, again, you are immuno suppressed in which case you will treat life very differently anyway). My uncle is Immunosuppresed and we have always had to be careful about visiting, keeping distances, not going if we have even a hint of a cold etc etc.

User5827372728 · 09/07/2021 07:20

@hopeishere

I've never really understood "bring back shielding". If you want to and need to shield you are free to do so. It's not and never was mandatory. Is there any advantage to "official" shielding?

Because if it’s official employers will understand more and let people wfh or be paid furlough if they can’t

Egghead68 · 09/07/2021 09:35

But they will be vulnerable to all illnesses and would probably need to be living a very careful lifestyle anyway

Alannawhorideslikeaman you don’t know what you are talking about. CEV people are your doctors, dentists, shopkeepers, teachers, cleaners - all jobs and professions and all around you. Most of us live normal or near normal lives in non-Covid times.

Egghead68 · 09/07/2021 09:38

And as you clearly did not have to shield I am not sure what you are doing on this thread.

FizzyBiscuits · 09/07/2021 09:46

@hopeishere

I've never really understood "bring back shielding". If you want to and need to shield you are free to do so. It's not and never was mandatory. Is there any advantage to "official" shielding?

DH is super vulnerable and careful anyway.

No, you're not free to shield if you want. My DH is ECV and double jabbed but is immunosuppressed so the vaccine may not have worked well for him at all. He is a teacher and is currently at work in a school with barely and students in due to so many cases and in-school transmission. There is absolutely no way he's allowed to shield if he wants as he has to go to work in these conditions with no masks, no more isolations for close contacts in kids. It's scary for us. I've lost a family member to covid already. I can't lose another.

Alannawhorideslikeaman · 09/07/2021 10:25

@Egghead68

But they will be vulnerable to all illnesses and would probably need to be living a very careful lifestyle anyway

Alannawhorideslikeaman you don’t know what you are talking about. CEV people are your doctors, dentists, shopkeepers, teachers, cleaners - all jobs and professions and all around you. Most of us live normal or near normal lives in non-Covid times.

I didn't say that for CEV. I said it for immuno suppressed. If you read my post you'd see I said results suggest most CEV conditions have had the link between infection and hospitalisation broken. Immunosuppressed people are still vulnerable as will always be the case and by it's very nature immunosuppressed people are vulnerable to every illness and often have to take more care - my uncle for example.

PineappleMojito · 09/07/2021 10:46

CV here and would have been in CEV bracket had I been on immunosuppressants, which thankfully I’ve managed to avoid for the past few years.

I’m also a key worker and work mostly on a self employed/contract basis. Shielding was never an option financially. No support was available for my particular situation. Early on in the pandemic I was more concerned, but now they know a lot more about it, I’ve worked face to face throughout with patients without masks (would be impossible due to communication needs in my job) and to my knowledge I’ve never had Covid. Regularly tested, double jabbed etc. Being a key worker who couldn’t go behind a screen has undoubtedly affected how at risk I personally feel.

I’m also not a very risk averse person so that probably impacts how I feel too. I’ve always been into things like outdoor swimming, extreme sports, I love the outdoors, it’s my sanity, and I probably wouldn’t have shielded completely (as in staying at home 24/7) if I’d been told to. I have very anxious parents and I think my attitude is probably a result of being around that to a certain extent, I seem to be wired very differently to them and definitely kicked against their cautiousness growing up. They didn’t think I should continue working, they fret about me going to the gym, going out etc. But I’m simply not prepared to give up living for the sake of not dying. It’s always been my way of thinking.

nether · 09/07/2021 10:51

CEV person in the household, and yes we've been following the precautionary post-shielding advice.

And will continue to do so, as it's a condition that affects immune system and no-one knows how well the vaccine will work, if at all.

Yes, we feel very abandoned and overlooked.

Not all the 2.5 million are as badly affected as we are (as some are not immune compromised) but if vaccines don't work well for the CEV who are, we as a group are numerous enough to make the NHS fall over.

All we can do though is stay in relative isolation, with all the difficulties and MH repercussions that brings. Shit situation to be in.

pintsizeprincess · 09/07/2021 11:10

I'm a bit anxious . I'm CV ( but was added to CEV list in Feb) so was shielding Feb/March . I work in retail and worry what the new way will look like and if we will still be allowed screens behind the desk/tills and if they will allow us to wear masks a bit longer if we want to. Alot of customers aren't social distancing . Security guards are no longer asking customers why they're not wearing a mask and an awful lot more people than before are just shrugging and saying they're exempt. I've had both jabs but still don't particularly want to catch covid incase i'm unlucky with it. I know I just need to get on with it and take as many precautions as I can. However not going to lie I am very nervous of the 19th.

TheNameTheWebsiteForgot · 09/07/2021 11:17

I'm CEV. My mum died of Covid. I've had Covid and was double jabbed by February.

Getting Covid saved my sanity. I'm not shielding and I won't shield again.

Egghead68 · 09/07/2021 11:56

most CEV conditions have had the link between infection and hospitalisation broken

I’d be very interested to see the evidence for this. What are you basing it on? As far as I am aware, nothing has been published.

MilesJuppIsMyBitch · 09/07/2021 12:02

Sorry you're feeling like this @Beebityboo

I certainly feel apprehensive, but I've been comparing it to the way I felt this time last year, when I genuinely thought I was going to die, and leave my children motherless.

The vaccine has not been shown to have completely broken the link between hospitalisation and deaths. There are ongoing studies as to how much protection they offer to people with conditions like blood cancer, but the results won't be out for months. In the meantime, we have been told (by our consultants and blood cancer UK) to continue to be cautious. Please don't come on to CEV threads and lecture us as though we're idiots - especially when you don't have all the relevent information at your disposal.

NotMyCat · 09/07/2021 12:40

Exactly @MilesJuppIsMyBitch my consultant has advised me to carry on wearing FFP2 mask and distancing
It's technically not because of covid, but if I get covid then pneumonia. I can't fight bacterial infections. It's not even so much I'm bothered about dying/hospital but I don't want weeks or months of being unwell, possibly affecting my lungs for longer, complications etc

Egghead68 · 09/07/2021 13:54

Well said @MilesJuppIsMyBitch

PRabbit · 09/07/2021 14:01

I’m CEV. Currently I go to the supermarket, the shops... I’m making the most of it now because I know that after 19th July it won’t be safe for me to go out at all. I’ll have to go back to ordering everything online. The only difference is that last time I kept DS off nursery - but he’s suffering too much now so he’ll have to go to nursery this time.

I’m just so angry. Masks and distancing aren’t a big deal and it allows people like me to continue living their lives. But because (healthy) others don’t want those things they’re being removed and leaving me in danger. I don’t understand why we can’t just keep masks and distancing? It’s not exactly a hassle.

msbevvy · 09/07/2021 15:53

@PRabbit

I’m CEV. Currently I go to the supermarket, the shops... I’m making the most of it now because I know that after 19th July it won’t be safe for me to go out at all. I’ll have to go back to ordering everything online. The only difference is that last time I kept DS off nursery - but he’s suffering too much now so he’ll have to go to nursery this time.

I’m just so angry. Masks and distancing aren’t a big deal and it allows people like me to continue living their lives. But because (healthy) others don’t want those things they’re being removed and leaving me in danger. I don’t understand why we can’t just keep masks and distancing? It’s not exactly a hassle.

DH and I are in the same boat and agree with what you say. We have only just started venturing into shops and restaurants but don't feel confident about doing so after the 19th.

Egghead68 · 09/07/2021 16:46

We have data on vaccine effectiveness in CEV people! BBC news website. I will link when I get a chance. It’s looking good.

nether · 09/07/2021 16:54

This is the BBC report, but it does not say which groups of CEV these findings cover

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-57781073