Re-opening…we aren’t the only country!

[Pantene23]

So I’ve seen lots of doom and gloom recently about reopening and all the people we are about to kill off. Also that we are the only country dropping all restrictions.

I’ve just spoken to my friend in Canada. As a whole they were extremely impressed with the UK vaccination rollout but although they started later, Canada has now double jabbed over 50% of adults and children over 12, over 80% with one vaccine. They are now open as usual to people who live there. There doesn’t appear to be the same media coverage with such negative connotations there. Why?

Are we addicted to the drama? Is it all scaremongering?

I double checked all figures so it’s not just “my friend said”.

What do you all think?

I’m not an antivaxxer (though am unvaxxed due to a chronic illness) and this isn’t me being biased against vaccines, I’m just stating this objectively.

There are probably also people not bothering to get tested because they are vaccinated and assume they can’t/won’t have it.

We seem to have massive population density compared to other nations, I used to notice it driving to France /Belgium /Netherlands, absolutely rammed on our roads down to Dover etc and as soon as you get past calasi or Dunkirk.. Very quiet roads, we are rammed to the gunnels in populated areas, so I imagine we just can't be compared to other places..

If everyone could take a breather from insulting our country for 5 minutes... you might come to the realisation that there's method in the madness! Think back to the herd immunity at the beginning, now we're the first to officially remove all restrictions. We've dealt with every variant that's come our way, 70% of the population has had at least 1 vaccine & around 55-60% 2 vaccines, that's on top of anti bodies built up from around 80% having covid-19 with or without symptoms. I really believe now we can rebuild our economy ( obviously deaths are still inevitable ffs people still die from flu ) maybe just maybe herd immunity was the way to go which was originally pointed out, we might have a high death rate but other countries still have all that to come we've worked our way through different variants from every climate, 3 lockdowns. We were the last to lockdown yet first to vaccinate & first to open back up. ( obviously every life we've lost is sad ) but we are now on track & nearly through a 3rd wave most countries haven't even experienced there 2nd yet! And if history has taught us anything about pandemics it's that the 2nd & 3rd wave is usually 30-50% more deadly than the first but us the ( English ) are nearly through it! We've took risks & we've lost a lot of old & vulnerable. It hadn't even begun to screw other countries yet. Then we'll be the ones sitting back watching in Horror wondering why they didn't follow our lead. If nothing else no doubt we are still the bravest.

@AlexaShutUp "If case rates were that low in the UK, I'm sure most people would support the reopening. With cases sky high as they are, it's a very different scenario. The government are being reckless and they know it."
This.

@Od130990

If everyone could take a breather from insulting our country for 5 minutes... you might come to the realisation that there's method in the madness! Think back to the herd immunity at the beginning, now we're the first to officially remove all restrictions. We've dealt with every variant that's come our way, 70% of the population has had at least 1 vaccine & around 55-60% 2 vaccines, that's on top of anti bodies built up from around 80% having covid-19 with or without symptoms. I really believe now we can rebuild our economy ( obviously deaths are still inevitable ffs people still die from flu ) maybe just maybe herd immunity was the way to go which was originally pointed out, we might have a high death rate but other countries still have all that to come we've worked our way through different variants from every climate, 3 lockdowns. We were the last to lockdown yet first to vaccinate & first to open back up. ( obviously every life we've lost is sad ) but we are now on track & nearly through a 3rd wave most countries haven't even experienced there 2nd yet! And if history has taught us anything about pandemics it's that the 2nd & 3rd wave is usually 30-50% more deadly than the first but us the ( English ) are nearly through it! We've took risks & we've lost a lot of old & vulnerable. It hadn't even begun to screw other countries yet. Then we'll be the ones sitting back watching in Horror wondering why they didn't follow our lead. If nothing else no doubt we are still the bravest.

What a load of nonsense!

Undoubtedly SOME are addicted to drama.
Our society also allows the anxious worriers to have things to worry about.
Countries that have day to day problems with survival don't have time for the pandering of worries

@Frazzled2207

We aren’t the only country reopening but we are pretty much THE country with most cases right now relative to population.

Beggars belief that the government would think now is the best time to get rid of all restrictions, at the point where cases are almost higher that they have been at any point in the pandemic!!!!

Maybe we test much much more than other countries 🤔

@TheTallOakTrees, have you read the thread? Our positivity rate for testing is way higher than Canada's, so this isn't about us testing more.

@AlexaShutUp we'll see

[quote Od130990]@AlexaShutUp we'll see[/quote]
We will indeed. I'd love to be wrong on this one, but unfortunately, I don't think that's how it will pan out.

@ZZTopGuitarSolo If the US is so good at Covid measures why is their rate of excess deaths higher than the U.K.?

www.economist.com/graphic-detail/coronavirus-excess-deaths-tracker

@AlexaShutUp why? By the time other countries do lift all restrictions a good 85-90% of our population will have had both vaccines & covid-19 at some point & be getting on with life. They've still got it all to come, no point playing the long game and increasing anxiety & MH... suicide through the roof! Herd immunity along with vaccines was the way out of every other pandemic, why should this pandemic be any different?

[quote BunsyGirl]@ZZTopGuitarSolo If the US is so good at Covid measures why is their rate of excess deaths higher than the U.K.?

www.economist.com/graphic-detail/coronavirus-excess-deaths-tracker[/quote]
Most other sources including the FT show the UK and US with almost identical rates of excess deaths.

So let's see.

Much of the US has been out of lockdown since last summer. Our students took their national exams as normal this year. Very few hospitals overwhelmed. Access to doctors, surgery and dentistry is back to normal. Life is good thanks.

Many other countries are catching up on the vaccination front, so they should be able to reopen without the high level of deaths, hospitalisations and long covid that we will have to deal with. Plus we are at significant risk of creating a vaccine-resistant variant by letting the virus rip in a partially vaccinated population... and that could be very bad news for us all. The scientists are all warning us to be more cautious, but yet again, this government is ignoring the scientific advice. It hasn't worked out well when they have failed to listen to this previously.

@ZZTopGuitarSolo you spend double the amount per person on healthcare and still have the same amount of deaths. I wouldn’t call that a great result.

population density in many Canadian cities is very low.
i've never ever tested, no need, i live in a relatively remote location and haven't seen a soul other than my dh for a week?
i have nipped into a shop masked, with the clerks behind plexiglass. certainly not 15 minutes contact with anyone. public transport sucks..
maybe there is a silver lining to the dense smoke and fires...everyone is indoors.

Maybe we test much much more than other countries 🤔

@TheTallOakTrees That sounds like a line straight from the Book of Trumpisms.

What rot Od1. Shame about those 150k dead, eh? I am glad to live in a country where we will all have the opportunity to get vaccinated before re-opening.

www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jul/20/lockdowns-do-not-harm-health-more-than-covid-say-researchers

[quote BunsyGirl]@ZZTopGuitarSolo you spend double the amount per person on healthcare and still have the same amount of deaths. I wouldn’t call that a great result.[/quote]
I know where I’d rather be…

I don't know where your friend is in Canada but it's certainly not 'open as usual' here. They are planning to lift most restrictions next month but this depends on vaccinations rate. Still masks everywhere, reduced venue capacity etc. We've only just started allowing travel between provinces. Every province has their own covid rules though so it is complicated.

“I can’t think of any realistic good scenario to come out of this strategy, I’m afraid,” said Julian Tang, a clinical virologist at the University of Leicester. “I think it’s really a degree of how bad it’s going to be.”

That about sums it up.

I’m just back from a two week holiday in a green country and the uk was seen as the “leader in dealing with covid”. The locals would give their right arm to be part of the Uk strategy…. No furlough being the main one.

The self flagellating and doom mongering is intense here. The small minded hatred for the Uk from uk people is saddening. We really are very lucky

Both Canada's and the U.K.'s respective situations are on this graph:

We really are very lucky

No, we really have not been lucky. We have an awful death rate and a wrecked economy - both made worse by Johnson's failures and hubris.

I love Britain, nothing to do with hatred. It is because I love Britain that I want the best for us. We have endured a very poor Covid response from government.

@hamstersarse

I’m just back from a two week holiday in a green country and the uk was seen as the “leader in dealing with covid”. The locals would give their right arm to be part of the Uk strategy…. No furlough being the main one.

The self flagellating and doom mongering is intense here. The small minded hatred for the Uk from uk people is saddening. We really are very lucky

If you don't want British people to be put in the hospital, get Long Covid and/or die you hate Britain?

Do I have that right?