Concerns over visiting UK

[burningfromtheinside]

I'm due to visit UK to see my family soon, haven't been there for two years due to the pandemic. I live in Italy, in the north, in one of the places hit by COVID at the very beginning in Feb 2020, however despite this, I still personally don't know one person who has contracted it, not even the Delta, no one pre and post vaccination. I have a large network of friends and work in large company ( although we're still WFH) Reading here and hearing from plenty of friends in the UK, so many people seem to have had it there, despite being double vaccinated. I don't know if it's because masks are still mandatory here indoors, or that COVID passports are mandatory for nearly everything, but I can't understand why it's so different. This is making me concerned about coming to UK, I feel like I'll catch it there no matter what. The whole family are Pfizer double vaccinated ( most of Italy is Pfizered, could it be this?!) I wonder if a large proportion of people are not vaccinated there or if because the vaccine program was much earlier in the UK, most people are no longer covered ( I'm in my 50s and was vaccinated in June) Anyway does anyone, like me not know a single person who has had COVID or it is just rife there? I should add I also don't know anyone who is not vaccinated here.

I personally know 20 plus people who have tested positive in the last two months. These are mainly friends of my children, and also my own two children.

Yep, Covid passports are mandatory to pick the kids up, but only for actually entering the school building. Prices are capped at €15, and from 15 Oct we'll also require them to go to work, if not suspension and a €1500 fine. 69% of the population are fully vaccinated. Passports are making the vaccine nearly mandatory for anyone over 12 years old. You can't go on most forms of public transport, go to Uni, work in any medical field ( inc Vets), work in a school, go in a bar, go in a restaurant or do sports without one. I and most people I know are very much in favour of them, we cannot repeat what happened last February. I don0t know anyone unvaccianted so I don't know they manage the costs of getting a passport using testing.

Hello op,

I’m not so far from you but in a different country. Overall I’ve been very relaxed about covid, not specially anxious, though we’ve followed the local rules wherever we’ve been, and we’re double jabbed.

Like you we are going back to the UK soon, first time in 2 years, and I’m starting to feel nervous. One of my close friends there has just tested positive and obviously we want to see them. Moreover we have days out planned to London and museums, lunches, and a party. Most people we know have primary school aged kids.

So I am concerned about it. Here there are still masks and hand sanitizer in all indoor place, plus more recently the vaccine certified has to be shown too. And the restrictions here at all stages of the pandemic have made sense and people have generally followed them.

We will drive rather than fly but now even the petrol situation makes that less appealing.

We’ve been to several places in Europe over the past few months but sadly, going back into the UK feels most risky.

[quote lannistunut]@Imfedupwithallofthis

We have barely started with young people, the rate has slowed right down.

You left Portugal, Ireland off your list - they are both way ahead.

I know people want to believe the UK is leading, but we're not now. It was tortoise and hare, although with teens we are snails not tortoises [/quote]
Portugal - 85% fully, 88% partially
Ireland - 74% fully, 76f partially

If you want to prove a point, it is helpful to quote figures!!

I don't think UK are leading, neither do I think its a race between individual countries, rather as a race to get the world vaccinated. The higher percentage any country can do, the better.

I was merely correcting your statement that UK are now miles behind Europe in vaccination rates.

Or to put it a different way -

@lifehappened

If you're seeing family then it's a bit silly to think about not going. It really ripped through your part of Italy, it was very scary to watch, and you survived. Our healthcare system did seem to do a lot better too (only from what I saw with the people on the news who were having to be treated outside over there, or some not treated at all).

You need to relax, the vaccine doesn't stop you catching it fully no, but if you were unlucky enough to do so, your chances are EVEN LOWER than they were, of being seriously ill. Live life now, so depressing otherwise!

Yes risk is far lower now for the op

I was in central London recently and can only think it’s incredible how well the vaccines are doing their job.

@Jensonfromtheblock that is huge amount, I'm shocked!

@GrandeTerrasse I think we'll just have to be extra careful and keep our masks on in indoor places and use gel and if possible keep away from school children.

[quote lannistunut]@Imfedupwithallofthis

We have barely started with young people, the rate has slowed right down.

You left Portugal, Ireland off your list - they are both way ahead.

I know people want to believe the UK is leading, but we're not now. It was tortoise and hare, although with teens we are snails not tortoises [/quote]
Could you post the list where UK is way behind, I thought it was all pretty similar as list posted above shows

Are you more worried about your parents or you?

[quote burningfromtheinside]@Jensonfromtheblock that is huge amount, I'm shocked!

@GrandeTerrasse I think we'll just have to be extra careful and keep our masks on in indoor places and use gel and if possible keep away from school children.[/quote]
Yes indeed.

It’s just a wake up call when double vaxxed friends still get it.

'COVID passports are mandatory for all staff and parents picking children up, so the risk is lower I suppose.'

Wow that's absolutely bonkers! 🙃
Also, why are children still being talked about like deadly biohazards? Covid is absolutely everywhere, vaccinated or not.

Most the current transmission is in school aged children/unvaccinated young adults. Obviously you can catch it if vaccinated but it's likely to be mild and you may not even realise. If you are visiting parents it's unlikely you will be exposed unless they have visiting grandchildren (my friends caught it off grandkids recently, they are fine)

Hi OP, I’m in a similar situation although I live in Germany, and I have already taken a few trips to the UK this summer.

Percentages of Pfizer vs AZ will have something to do with it, yes. Having a 3 month wait between doses in many cases, will also have an influence. And like you said, many people were vaccinated 6+ months ago, immunity is starting to wear off. These aren’t my opinions, but those of scientists.

Many people on public transport and shops aren’t wearing masks - or just a cloth one - which still makes me uncomfortable. I put FFP2s on and I’m as protected as it gets, but that’s all I can do.

Obviously Covid is rife in schools (in some areas), so it will be a plus if you’re not spending your whole trip with school aged children.

Personally I have avoided pubs and other such crowded places. When I go to indoor events I wear a mask and everyone is sitting down instead of moving about and screaming at the top of their lungs, which helps a bit. I still can’t comprehend why a vaccine pass or negative test isn’t required for crowded, indoor venues.

I don’t know what else I can say to reassure you, but so far all my trips have been okay and I’m praying my next one is too. Some of us need to test before going back to work in our countries, and I absolutely cannot test positive in the next few weeks. I can’t not be available for work, even less if it’s due to a trip abroad. So yeah, nerve wracking times!

I found this link for stats: ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations

More concerned for us all tbh, but my parents are already there and are quite social still in their age group. We're not staying with them and have booked into a hotel instead.

@burningfromtheinside

I'm in the U.K. and I personally don't know anyone over 16 who is unvaccinated (I don't know any 12-15 year olds so can't comment). Most people are vaccinated and covid is very mild if you then catch it, I had my second in June too, due for booster in December

@FflosFfantastig

'COVID passports are mandatory for all staff and parents picking children up, so the risk is lower I suppose.'

Wow that's absolutely bonkers! 🙃
Also, why are children still being talked about like deadly biohazards? Covid is absolutely everywhere, vaccinated or not.

They’re not deadly biohazards. They’re playing a significant part in transmission, that’s it.

Covid isn’t everywhere - maybe in the UK it is, but not everywhere. Germany, France, Spain - all countries with a similar vaccination rate - don’t have an incidence of 400 and haven’t for a while.

I too know most double jabbed people won’t become too ill if they were to catch Covid, I’m not scared of catching it for my health. I’m scared of catching it and it disrupting my travel back, my work, my plans for the upcoming weeks. That’s what the OP is mostly fearing as well.

Plenty of people still testing positive 90 days after an infection. I can’t afford to spend up to 90 days in the UK, waiting for my tests to come back negative so I can go back home.

It’s a fine line between going back to living, and still being at risk of severe disruption. Everyone weighs their options and for me travelling comes out on top, but it’s still a very very fine balance, which can tip over at any moment.

Probably get yourself a proper mask OP as PP suggested as the ones we use here are not much good especially the cloth ones that many wear and only protect others.

Just come OP and take whatever precautions you consider necessary. Personally, I'm not taking any and I haven't caught Covid yet, despite having two DC in school, travelling on trains, going to shops, restaurants, coffee shops, etc without a mask and have been doing that for a couple of months now.

If you want to wear a mask, do so. There is evidence that it helps in crowded indoor situations and you'll have to wear one on the plane/in the airport anyway. But if you aren't going to be mixing with teens/their parents just come and see your DM. You'll be fine.

I work in a hospital. Covid patients have dropped recently but we had delta earlier in the north west. We are down to one ward. The vaccine works. It wasn’t made from Delta so the infection cover wanes over months. However it’s holding for serious illness/death on the majority of people.no vaccine will work for everybody. Bodies are complex and some people just won’t be covered unfortunately. The death numbers are high.

I know people that have now had it post vaccinations, all back at work within two weeks. None have seemed to suffer long term. A couple of these people could be classed as having risk factors but were ok. Symptoms ranged from just being really tired to full on cold/flu type symptoms.

The U.K. government are over it so consequently we have less measures in place. However I work on a ward in a hospital, I go out for meals/drinks and see friends etc and I’ve not yet caught it. So it’s not lurking on every corner. My areas schools however are very bad right now and have public health involved.

@burningfromtheinside
if you are coming to see parents just practice good hygiene and be aware. Wear masks as you need to but be aware that’s very minimal here in a lot of places now.

Wish we had an edit button. I meant death numbers daily are high in comparison to other countries right now.

@EileenGC that's good to know you've already been back. I'd feel so much safer if they had Covid passports there too, but I know they're not popular...We use FFP2 masks in crowded indoor places, and surgical ones outdoors. Some places here don't accept cotton ones, and they are totally banned for flying into Italy. We plan to avoid pubs and I haven't set foot in crowded places such as a supermarket since Feb 2020.

There is a lot of covid. For the first time in the pandemic we know several families who have it at the same time (and we've had it).

Everyone I know is vaxxed bar a handful of exceptions.

It is clear that you can still get covid when. Vaxxed and be quite unwell with it for a couple of weeks and then fatigue after. We had that. But a long way off from being hospitalised.

The fact that we have had it and it was not pleasant has made me thing about maybe being careful about seeing my double vaxxed parents - until they have had their booster which I think will be soon. I would not want them to have two/three weeks like we have just had with covid.

I recently went to a concert in a big venue (Albert Hall) and to a west end theatre. Both made a big deal in ticket emails about either having proof of vaccine or negative test. Neither venue actually checked on entry.

As a pp said, Anecdotes are pointless. However in July my son had Covid (3 days of super nasty flu then 2 weeks of being really drained), my husband had a positive PCR but zero symptoms and the rest of it didn’t catch it despite not isolating from son/husband at all. My sister currently has Covid and is very unwell. In my area (humberside) rates are high (690 per 100,000) with 79% double vaccinated. I know loads of people who’ve had Covid, I don’t know anyone who has been hospitalised.

If you’re worried don’t come. If you feel you must come then stay away from people as much as possible.

It sounds like this is more about general covid anxiety than going to the UK specifically. To get there, you'll need to go through two airports and fly on a plane.

I know a few people who've had covid including- I think - ourselves. For most people our age (50s) it has been like an unpleasant flu, so knocked out for a few days then back to normal relatively quickly. I know a few DCs that have had it with hardly any symptoms at all.

I'd suggest that you try a few trips to the supermarket and increase your interactions in your own country and get comfortable with that before attempting the trip.

It’s a shame to visit London and not do anything cultural ie theatre, galleries, restaurants and so on

I can’t imagine this level of anxiety post vaccination but I guess that is somewhat indicative of each country