New Boris Statement: Where is this going?

[DadAManger]

‘We recommend masks but only recommend them’
‘Deaths will increase and we may reach 100,000 new cases per day’
‘We must open now and if not now, when?’
‘The slower we take it, the smaller number of people will die’
‘Return to the office of you can, otherwise keep working from home’

Just before Boris spoke, there was a BBC piece claiming that 10-20% of all Covid cases (mild, without symptoms, or otherwise) will be long-Covid cases of some sort or another. Now there a million long-Covid cases.

Are we aiming for herd immunity? Anyone else think this is going to be confusing for most and lead to a default setting of ‘normal’? Where is this going?

@NotPersephone

CV has totally fucked up all my plans, can't wait for it to end, however, i also realise that confidence will not return with hospitals full, no elective surgery, people in your community ill and/or isolating

Vaccines are also becoming less effective at controlling infection, what do imagine will happen if we help the virus along and become vaccine resistant?

Get vaccination up to 85% of the pop. then ease current restrictions, not have this mishmash where shops/pubs/venues/transport etc are all doing completely different things!

This is Government by abdication

I would also add that i bet those advocating "learn to live with it, something will always kill us" would not be willing to die themselves to allow that to happen, its always someone else who can die instead.

15 months is enough.

I think this is a weird way to look at it, like we locked down in December because 9 months was ok, but now 15 months is enough. Surely it's more important to look what the virus is doing? As in, are cases going up (yes), are hospitalisations going up (yes), are things about to get difficult for the NHS (most likely yes), is everyone fully vaccinated (no), is getting rid of every restriction a good idea (ok, maybe not).

Living what way?
Or is Denial better 🤦🏼‍♀️

@NotPersephone yeah right. You first then. Or maybe go and work in ICU unprotected and see how 'safe' you feel. How ambivalent you are about catching it

It's going to be interesting for many countries to watch what happens with England after you lift all restrictions.

The UK hasn't yet reach the 80% fully vaccinated population many scientists think is necessary with the Delta variant. I think England will give a lot of data about how this virus performs with an over 60% fully vaccinated to the rest of the world.

We've only got 50% of the country fully vaccinated plus two weeks.

@QueenStromba

We've only got 50% of the country fully vaccinated plus two weeks.

It’s 65% actually.

You're forgetting children.

@NotPersephone literally feel like you ignored my comment numbers that end up not under control will effect all therapies🤦🏼‍♀️.
Also under the tories it’s always been lacking.
It’s not going to go back to normal even this won’t be normal. We are in a pandemic sadly things will get better but we are not there yet.
If you think over 100,000 people a day catching Covid is not going to impact tye therapies your child receives well.
Considering the tories failed my kids a lot of things I have researched how to do my self or paid privately.

@CosmicHeat

Masks on children does a grand total of nothing regarding virus control. It does however cause them serious physical and mental harm, but sure let's put the children in the firing line to protect the old folk who've all been jabbed.

Ridiculous statement for most secondary pupils. Jesus

@NotPersephone it’s not or irrelevant thought If loads of staff are off with a positive test even if they get rid of self isolation if you are so close to them! We could be talking lots of people of at the same time in any business.
Must be your area, my daughter has hers beginning of august (ot) school are paying for private salt now.
My daughter was seen but a private sensory ot during lockdown too.

@TheDailyCarbunkle
Just wanted to say how sensible your posts were.
Made sense on many points and things I had thought from the very beginning. Thank you.

@NotPersephone

Well at the moment my DS receives nothing so my baseline is zero. I’ve been on a private waiting list for OT for 6 months - amazingly private OT can continue despite the pandemic but the NHS can’t - hence the waiting list. My overwhelming impression is that huge swathes of the NHS has just used Covid as an excuse to slam the shutters.

People “catching Covid” is irrelevant - it’s hospitalizations that will determine what happens next. And they seem to be okay (for now). Children need an education and normality and - selfishly - disabled children need support and therapy.

Thats what my DD does, i can ensure you they are flat out out trying to see people but they are very short staffed, community, hospital setting, MH, she had her pick of jobs once qualified.

Even on her placements, they gave her lists of up to 15 patients in year 3 oh and they don't offer any pay either, extra travel and accommodation costs out her grant or from me! claimed back months later :(

They were all vaccinated early, she didn't know anyone who isolated either, hols cancelled, training courses postponed.

But the NHS went into this situation after 10 years of austerity, blame the government not the NHS.

[quote Tinydancer321]@DogFacedWoman but we are not out of restrictions yet! The “fun” hasn’t started. Going to take at least a month to see what this next step has done. We are now in the calm. I also don’t think they have thought is school kids at all. It’s really not worth 6 weeks of freedom and numbers increasing as by the time they go back it’s going to be awful.[/quote]
Do you suggest we do it during the winter? Maybe wait until next spring? Or once the schools break up for summer next year? Once the 12-18 yr olds are vaccinated? Then it'll be the 8-11 yr olds....
When, If ever, do you think we should do it?
If you read my post, I do state that I expect things to get a lot worse over the coming weeks. My post was more directed at a couple of posters who jumped to the defence of PrincessNutNuts, who stated that hospitals in the NE were on their knees. She claimed some had called a "black something" I can't remember the exact term now, but they were really struggling.
She claimed the information was readily available on the internet. A few people looked for it and found nothing. Nothing.
Then they rightly rounded on her for, yet again, spreading false news to scare other posters. Once she'd been called out she disappeared until the post above where she claims to blessed with being ahead of the curve.
The BBC article I linked is the nearest you can find to substantiate her claims and it goes no where near doing that. She even admitted it was incorrect and offered to ask the admins to remove the post.
I have since asked, as she is blessed with "being ahead of the curve" to provide a link, a tiny morsel, of evidence to substantiate her claims, but nothing. Perhaps she's waiting until it actually happens before she can say "there, I told you so"
I also find it quite odd that once princess disappeared NannyandJohn turned up with their incredibly similar views and over the top drama.

*Blossomtoes

QueenStromba

We've only got 50% of the country fully vaccinated plus two weeks.

It’s 65% actually.*

No that is the adult population. Very few under 18 have been vaccinated.

I also have two SEN children. One still on a pathway and one recently diagnosed.

Maybe we are fortunate as we don't use SALT but things are very different now than the time we were in full lockdown so I don't really see things as being bad from a restriction point of view now.
School closures in January did nearly tip me over the edge. My ADHD pathway child wouldn't engage at all and dd2 therapy stopped again. But to be honest it stops and starts regularly enough due to staff shortages.
My only fear right now is that cases get out of control again and that hospital admissions and deaths rise to the same degree or worse.
Yes we have the vaccine which is amazing but it is not fully effective for all and it does not protect our children. Thankfully COVID is mild for most but it is still a worry.

When I say degree maybe I should have said proportion.

@DogFacedWoman
I suggest we ADAPT! Evolution is all about adapting! I have 3 children with autism and constantly see the strain they go under to adapt to what society says is normal!
Yet grown up men are crying over wearing a mask in shop! While my kids have to learn how to cope around the shops when crowds, noises lights actually physically hurt them!! Sorry I’m seeing it as pretty pathetic!!
As human species we have constantly adapted (or we would still be in a stone hill somewhere).
How we live now is just a social construct, it’s not normal we were not meant to go clubbing, busy superstores, restaurants that was all created by man. It’s natural or “normal”, we have made that normal.
Whether is 20 years our society has changed to a place where pubs and clubs have restricted numbers, we are use to masks, and social distancing in shops.
The soft play near me is actually keeping to the same restrictions!! Yet meaning less income, they are adapting to the pandemic . I strongly believe we need to adapt, this virus will always be here abs clearly staying in 24/7 isn’t the way forward but living like normal isn’t a option either.
My autistic children who hate change have to live in a world that doesn’t work for them, they are told to adapt, therapies to adapt. Except neurotypical adults can not adapt!!
Why people assume those are worried just want a lockdown or are scared. In my eyes the people that are scared are the people who want nothing to change!
Humanity and caring for others is more important than money and the fear of change!
This I feel was a really silly move of the govement, no thought to school children in September . Also we had 48000 cases yesterday no way by September we will only be at 100000. This wasn’t thought out or planned, this was a need of normality because no one can think out side the box. When history shows us time and time again we change and we adapt.

[quote Tinydancer321]@DogFacedWoman
I suggest we ADAPT! Evolution is all about adapting! I have 3 children with autism and constantly see the strain they go under to adapt to what society says is normal!
Yet grown up men are crying over wearing a mask in shop! While my kids have to learn how to cope around the shops when crowds, noises lights actually physically hurt them!! Sorry I’m seeing it as pretty pathetic!!
As human species we have constantly adapted (or we would still be in a stone hill somewhere).
How we live now is just a social construct, it’s not normal we were not meant to go clubbing, busy superstores, restaurants that was all created by man. It’s natural or “normal”, we have made that normal.
Whether is 20 years our society has changed to a place where pubs and clubs have restricted numbers, we are use to masks, and social distancing in shops.
The soft play near me is actually keeping to the same restrictions!! Yet meaning less income, they are adapting to the pandemic . I strongly believe we need to adapt, this virus will always be here abs clearly staying in 24/7 isn’t the way forward but living like normal isn’t a option either.
My autistic children who hate change have to live in a world that doesn’t work for them, they are told to adapt, therapies to adapt. Except neurotypical adults can not adapt!!
Why people assume those are worried just want a lockdown or are scared. In my eyes the people that are scared are the people who want nothing to change!
Humanity and caring for others is more important than money and the fear of change!
This I feel was a really silly move of the govement, no thought to school children in September . Also we had 48000 cases yesterday no way by September we will only be at 100000. This wasn’t thought out or planned, this was a need of normality because no one can think out side the box. When history shows us time and time again we change and we adapt.[/quote]
I've read a lot of threads and a lot of posts and I can say with absolute confidence that this is one of the most sensible and rational posts I've seen in the whole damn 16 months!

@Tinydancer321 what a great post! Spot on!

Aww thanks guys. Hopefully things will improve for everyone xx

@Tinydancer321 best post I've seen on MN in ages 👏 👏 👏