Normal life is back

[ExmoorValley]

I don't know about you but life where I am is pretty much back to normal, masks in shops falling rapidly. People having a good time. Covid barely gets mentioned now. (and yes I know people are still catching it and a tiny proportion will die)

It feels great. So what happened to the 200,000 cases a day doom scenario peddlers on here? They seem rather quiet.......

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/10/delta-variant-renders-herd-immunity-from-covid-mythical

We are not going to reach a period of herd immunity, according to Andrew Pollard.

The fact that immunity can wane also means that people can be reinfected.

I am linking to the Guardian as not behind a paywall, but this was also posted in the Telegraph.

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/10/delta-variant-renders-herd-immunity-from-covid-mythical

Double vaccinated and got Covid. Now self-isolating with the whole family. Trying to keep away from my elderly mum who lives with us. Certainly not over yet.

Even more reason to just crack on and get on with life herecomes If we can't reach herd immunity - although I question that, as we have definitely reach a point of resistance with the vaccine as we can see from the drop in infection numbers. Andrew Pollard might well be wrong. Something positive is happening, we are all mixing and the numbers are NOT sky rocketing, they are not even increasing any longer.

A steady trickle as we return to normality looks the most likely outcome now. I think the vaccines are working.

I am CEV. I have every reason to be careful. You do whatever you choose (and anyone vulnerable will just have to hope they don't get infected by someone more careless than them).

Oh and lol that you lot know better than Andrew Pollard,

You can't expect everyone to sacrifice their lives endlessly here it is unrealistic and causing huge problems with mental health.

If you are CEV then you have a responsibility to yourself, you can not expect others to change for you. The vast majority of people are not CEB and are vaccinated, at some point we have to get back to a happy normal life. I don't know what that looks like for you, and I am sorry covid is compromising your life, hopefully you gain more confidence with the booster shots and soon covid will fall into the background along with flu etc.

We only have one life, for many with terminal illnesses they can't get this time back again - so we do what we can, in the safest possible way to enjoy a normal life, or as close as we can get to it.

Andrew Pollard might well be wrong

He might well not be too. He was reporting to a cross vomited of MP’s

Cross vomited!! Wtf?!

Cross committee…

But Pollard – who chairs Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) but is not specifically a member of the Covid JCVI committee – questioned whether boosters would be needed.

Think it’s all over? Why the Covid experts are not so sure about that
Read more
“The time we would need to boost is if we see evidence that there was an increase in hospitalisation – or the next stage after that, which would be people dying – amongst those who are vaccinated. And that is not something we are seeing at the moment,” he said.

Even if vaccine-induced antibody levels waned, our immune systems would probably remember the vaccination for decades and offer a degree of protection if exposed to the virus, he said. “So, there isn’t any reason at this moment to panic. We’re not seeing a problem with breakthrough severe disease.”

He is quite positive here though. Tbh Delta variables had made many question herd immunity already. I don’t think it means we can’t have steady infection and not overwhelm hospitals

Precisely. We don't need herd immunity if the cases are steady, the hospitals are not overwhelmed and the country is motoring comfortably along.

Perhaps Andrew is basing his predictions, not on this country, but on the fact that we need to vaccinate the whole world, which is unlikely in the next six months.

Therefore the possibility of a variant springing up creating more of a challenge to the vaccines is higher, and therefore the idea that any permanent herd immunity can be achieved in the long term, and remain in place is perhaps a little optimistic? That doesn't mean we live in the darkness of lockdowns, but it might be that we are constantly rolling out boosters, and tweaks and there won't be a moment in time in the foreseeable where this is 'over' and herd immunity is achieved. He is most likely warning that we need to remain realistic.

We can still live a relatively normal life even with the new variants though, we will need to become nimble with quick vaccine responses should they arise - so Andrew's forecast may well seem gloomy but it does not mean we have to give up the idea of normal life or we have to return to anything like the misery of the last two years. Marsha posted his comments and they seem quite buoyant to me.

@stepupandbecounted

You can't expect everyone to sacrifice their lives endlessly here it is unrealistic and causing huge problems with mental health.

If you are CEV then you have a responsibility to yourself, you can not expect others to change for you. The vast majority of people are not CEB and are vaccinated, at some point we have to get back to a happy normal life. I don't know what that looks like for you, and I am sorry covid is compromising your life, hopefully you gain more confidence with the booster shots and soon covid will fall into the background along with flu etc.

We only have one life, for many with terminal illnesses they can't get this time back again - so we do what we can, in the safest possible way to enjoy a normal life, or as close as we can get to it.

So, for example Chris Whitty's idea of wearing a mask indoors when it is crowded eg in a supermarket is appropriate, sensible and courteous.

Not "sacrificing your life" for goodness sake, just decency.

And of course exceptions for autism, PTSD etc.

"Gain more confidence" - er DFOD

Do we need herd immunity from a disease that the vaccines have rendered mild for most? We’re just going to bumble along like this with around 20,000 cases for a while. Deaths aren’t going up. They rise a bit then they fall but nothing like what we had. Hospitals aren’t overwhelmed. There’ll be nothing to report soon.

Back in the real world (not Mumsnet) people are getting on with their lives.

A little selective, Pollard was arguing that boosters shouldn't be given to those with decent immunity when others around the world are going to die without vaccines.

@Delatron

Do we need herd immunity from a disease that the vaccines have rendered mild for most? We’re just going to bumble along like this with around 20,000 cases for a while. Deaths aren’t going up. They rise a bit then they fall but nothing like what we had. Hospitals aren’t overwhelmed. There’ll be nothing to report soon.

Back in the real world (not Mumsnet) people are getting on with their lives.

Around a 100 deaths per day is 36,000 a year or 200 Airbus 320s crashing each year..... if you are willing to be one of them, thats fine if not, your just someone who is willing to sacrifice other people so you can go to the theatre and not wear a mask in Tesco.

Right so no theatre, live shows, comedy, gigs ever again. Ok that makes sense.

Are we going for zero deaths before we can go to the theatre?

Interesting isn’t it, the the three main doom and gloom mongers have all reappeared on the forum on the same day?
Who’d have thought, eh?

@RosaMoline

Interesting isn’t it, the the three main doom and gloom mongers have all reappeared on the forum on the same day? Who’d have thought, eh?

I know. It's just NUTS, isn't it?

Jasjas1978 I am not sure your analogy makes sense on any level. Not only is it not comparable in a sense each time you are getting on a plane you are taking a risk that it might crash - there is always a chance. There isnt a single flight for whom crashing is an impossibility.

Neither is going to the theatre sacrificing other people either. I am confused as to what point you are trying to make

I think at the moment we have a acceptable level of normality - i.e whilst it isnt normal (masks/isolation etc) it is a level we can live with in the shorter term. Lockdowns and restrictions simply arent

It is quite strange isn't it? Is there a klaxon or something do you think?
Someone mentioned normal life! Quick-into action!

*So, for example Chris Whitty's idea of wearing a mask indoors when it is crowded eg in a supermarket is appropriate, sensible and courteous.

Not "sacrificing your life" for goodness sake, just decency.*

Ah Chris Whittys colleague didn't agree with him, Vallance at Wimbledon crowded in no mask. And I stopped taking Whitty and Vallance seriously last year when they fudged figured to suit theirselves.

I wore a mask when it was part of law but now it isn't now I'm not wearing one I'm not a decent person pull the other one.

Astonishing how 'normal' seems to involve 'bring a bit of a cunt' for so many posters. Still, nice to see 'em having fun I guess.

@Aposterhasnoname

Oooo, hello Nanny, I was waiting for you. On July 8th you said there would be 3000 hospitalisations a day in a month. What’s your thoughts on that today?

Nanny has moved on from shouting about EXPONENTIAL GROWTH.

It's now all about "waning immunity" and how the vaccines only work for 5 minutes and after that the immunity disappears and by [insert random date here] there will be [insert random number] of cases and the bodies will be piling up.