Is it just me or is this board getting a bit quieter?

[bumbleymummy]

That’s a good sign, right? :)

Perhaps people are tired of having the same circular arguments.

True! 😁 I like to think that people are just busy getting back to living their lives rather than worrying about the virus. I had a really lovely ‘normal’ weekend and everyone around me just seemed to be getting on with it. The negativity seems to mainly be online now. Most people IRL seem quite positive and optimistic.

Covid hasn’t gone away no matter how much we try to get on with things and ignore it, the optimism you mention could be mistaken for denial. Right now my main Covid concerns are:

the testing anomalies with LFT and PCRs,
the widespread sickness seemingly everywhere you turn,
school infection rates,
Booster delays,
Supply chain issues that will only get worse,
NHS general wait times,
The coming cold weather,
Our next wave.
Immunity wane
Reinfection rates

The sense of normality is a novelty for us all but it’s also quite dangerous because Covid will take every opportunity we provide. Hardly anyone is wearing a mask nowadays and social distancing is out of the window so we could be in for a shock if things reverse course.

I like to think that people are just busy getting back to living their lives rather than worrying about the virus.

The 100-200 a day being killed by the virus sadly won't ever live their lives again. I expect their families aren't having too much fun either. Then there's the many people suffering long term illness (and potential organ damage) of Long Covid.

Of course in countries where simple and easy mitigation measures were taken, the majority of people are able to quite literally live their lives.

The UK is the only western European country with high rates of infection, hospitalisation, and death. France, Italy, Germany, Spain, etc all continue to take sensible mitigation measures - with the consequent ability to live lives.

(Is the fact that they are mostly using the mRNA vaccines another factor? AZ is good and effective but not as good and effective as Pfizer and Moderna. Hopefully the boosters will help here in the UK).

@bumbleymummy

That’s a good sign, right? :)

This board is quite a negative place and has become even worse over the last few months. I think that may have scared more than a few posters off. There's no support to be found here, is there?

I have found in real life Covid is barely mentioned. It’s there of course, it will always be there. However, in general conversation it’s barely featured. It’s a huge contrast from this time last year when it was all people spoke about.

I have found that over the last few weeks, even those who I know who have been the most anxious and cautious during the pandemic have seemly ‘got over’ their fear of Covid and are back living their lives.

I am finding it quite weird how (at least where I live) it’s almost like Covid never happened. It definitely doesn’t appear to be a ‘big deal’ anymore.

The only time Covid is really mentioned around here is annoyance if someone is required to test and/ or isolate.

There is also a little fear/ anger at the thought that restrictions will be introduced/ we’ll be lockdown again.

I find coming onto MN like a parallel universe where people are still highly anxious and are still living restrictive lives. Although, I do think even on here the mood is slowly changing. Very slowly.

The UK is the only western European country with high rates of infection, hospitalisation, and death. France, Italy, Germany, Spain, etc all continue to take sensible mitigation measures - with the consequent ability to live lives.

That's a very strange way to spin it. The northern European countries like Denmark have now stopped almost all mitigation measures and are doing close to bugger-all to control the virus, and also appear to be living normally as well.

Anyway, I thought that, according to you, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Singapore, China and Hong Kong all offered the Eternal Solution to COVID and were the source of all that is good and holy where that virus is concerned? Care to comment on those countries' situations?

Life in Oz and NZ doesn't look terribly normal right now (251 days of lockdown in some places, now?), compared with northern Europe, and the Chinese-speaking countries all appear to be resigning themselves to life stuck behind the Plastic Curtain of two-week quarantined restrictions on travel for... the foreseeable future. Singapore is the only one which seems to be doing things sensibly.

Do you live in Australia? It's okay where I live. We have just emerged from 'lockdown', and while it does feel somewhat like stepping into unknown territory, I think we'll be fine as we have a high proportion of people vaccinated. So, yes, the lockdowns have been onerous, but they have and are coming to an end as vaccination goals are being hit. That puts us in a good place IMO.

@Thewiseoneincognito

Covid hasn’t gone away no matter how much we try to get on with things and ignore it, the optimism you mention could be mistaken for denial. Right now my main Covid concerns are:

the testing anomalies with LFT and PCRs,
the widespread sickness seemingly everywhere you turn,
school infection rates,
Booster delays,
Supply chain issues that will only get worse,
NHS general wait times,
The coming cold weather,
Our next wave.
Immunity wane
Reinfection rates

The sense of normality is a novelty for us all but it’s also quite dangerous because Covid will take every opportunity we provide. Hardly anyone is wearing a mask nowadays and social distancing is out of the window so we could be in for a shock if things reverse course.

Or its the fact people know covid is never going away so are moving on with their lives. What's the point in worrying when it's here to stay.

This topic had become quite toxic anyway. So many ‘experts’ ready to pounce thinking they know it all, but actually had an agenda and knew very little, it all got very Groundhog Day.

Covid hasn’t gone away but people’s appetite for discussing it relentlessly on here seems to have.

@Thewiseoneincognito

Covid hasn’t gone away no matter how much we try to get on with things and ignore it, the optimism you mention could be mistaken for denial. Right now my main Covid concerns are:

the testing anomalies with LFT and PCRs,
the widespread sickness seemingly everywhere you turn,
school infection rates,
Booster delays,
Supply chain issues that will only get worse,
NHS general wait times,
The coming cold weather,
Our next wave.
Immunity wane
Reinfection rates

The sense of normality is a novelty for us all but it’s also quite dangerous because Covid will take every opportunity we provide. Hardly anyone is wearing a mask nowadays and social distancing is out of the window so we could be in for a shock if things reverse course.

Covid is never going to go away. Are you hoping for zero Covid? That ship sailed around February 2020. You, like the rest of us, will need to make a decision as to how many more weeks, months or years you are going to continue to let it affect your life. For me, it was 2 weeks after I got my 2nd dose. Not sure what more there was to wait for after that.

@Tealightsandd

I like to think that people are just busy getting back to living their lives rather than worrying about the virus.

The 100-200 a day being killed by the virus sadly won't ever live their lives again. I expect their families aren't having too much fun either. Then there's the many people suffering long term illness (and potential organ damage) of Long Covid.

People will always die of Covid, as well as flu and many other respiratory diseases and all sorts of other reasons, for ever more. It is a sad and tragic thing, death. Never before has there been this idea that that should mean no one else should be able to live though.

I'd be interested to know the relative flow of traffic between boards OP - over the whole pandemic in fact.
Yes, I think it's quieter. Personally, found about 6 months ago it stopped always being my go to board, and gradually over the next few months, AIBU was more and more likely to be my first hit again.
It's not a sign of Covid denial, or even that everything's 'normal' again... Just that for myself, other issues are making it through the covid noise now.

Yes, it's definitely quieter and yes, it's a good thing.

Hopefully one day in the not too distant future it'll be gone altogether, and Covid will be just another illness discussed on the General Health board.

So many people on this topic have behaved appallingly throughout and continue, still, to attempt to cause fear and alarm (although I've noticed that one or two prolific posters haven't been on for a while, thank goodness).

Covid is here to stay and we need to live alongside it. Yes, there may be vaccine evading variants. Yes, cases might increase over winter. But imo there are far more worrying things going on in the world right now which will affect more people in a far more negative way than Covid will. Shortages, fuel/food price rises and removal of the UC uplift are going to cause to much hardship over the winter - poverty will kill more than Covid in the coming months.

Hopefully one day in the not too distant future it'll be gone altogether, and Covid will be just another illness discussed on the General Health board.

Yes! Can’t wait for this :) Although the swine flu board was a separate thing for several years so it could be a while!

I agree that most people know it hasn’t gone away so it’s not denial, they’re just accepting that and getting on with their lives.

Quieter thanks to the over 90% who got vaccinated. I myself have got on with my life and am travelling overseas ( seems pretty safe thks to the rigorous testing at every stage), taking the Tube, and going to the movies. I continue to mask, but I don't notice what other people do any more, since all my friends and family are vaxxed.

Everyone has been offered a vaccine, we can't live a restricted life to save a very small proportion of the population so people have moved on. Once we had all been infected we very much lost interest as it was a mild virus, as the numbers in that position increase the threat of the virus will decrease.

We've all got to die someday might aswell enjoy it whilst we are here.

It's wonderful is'nt it?
There has been a seismic shift amongst the majority.
The very vulnerable seem to be very careful still, but the rest of us are living with covid as part of daily life.
Covid seems to have largely downgraded to nearer being a bad cold. Difficult to fret about that when things like cancer, heart problems, strokes are more devastating.

If only our UK tv main news channels got the message.
Talking about vaccinations on b B c news last night lasted for ever...
Why?
They seem so out of sync.

@lightand

If only our UK tv main news channels got the message. Talking about vaccinations on b B c news last night lasted for ever... Why? They seem so out of sync.

I wonder are they worried about the pockets of low vaccinated rates around the country? I think coming into winter there is probably a concern that rates will spike. A bit like those states in America with very low vaccine rates where healthcare was really under strain.

Yes, the media really seem to be trying to keep it going! Easy headlines I guess.

Yes it is. I still check, purely out of habit I think. I’m usually suitably bored very quickly.

@lightand

If only our UK tv main news channels got the message. Talking about vaccinations on b B c news last night lasted for ever... Why? They seem so out of sync.

They still want people to get the booster and flu vaccine, hence the news recently that people who catch flu and Covid together have a greater chance of dying.

I notice they are also retargeting pregnant women again, trying to convince them to get their first/ second vaccine.

They still need the media to spread their desired message (hence why it all went a bit quiet towards the end of the summer).

I think they are going to see how this winter goes, and depending on how it goes will determine how much Covid will feature in the news next year and the overall general messaging going forward.

If it goes as expected/ better than expected then Covid will just fade away as eventually just be grouped together with cold and flu in publications.

If it goes worse then they expected then Covid will feature for a while yet.

@bumbleymummy

Yes, the media really seem to be trying to keep it going! Easy headlines I guess.

Here’s a headline for you

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/12/extraordinary-omission-key-findings-in-scathing-uk-covid-report