Elderly relatives catching covid post vaccination

[Whathefisgoingon]

Has anybody had any experience with this?

I’ve been following the news and as cases and deaths are creeping up, I’m worried.

I did read that the majority of deaths in the vaccinated are in the immunocompromised.

My 76 year old father is considering travelling to the UK (4 hour flight) - he is double jabbed and will have had a booster by then too.

Has anyone’s parents/grandparents of this age caught covid post jab and been ok?

It still remains that most people are ok. It's still the very elderly (average is 84 I think?) who are dying anyway with other diseases and the unvaccinated who are dying now.

Covid Vaccination was never designed to stop anyone catching Covid (although chances of doing so are lower). It’s primary benefit is to reduce seriousness of disease and therefore reduce likelihood of hospitalisation / death. There is also a reduced likelihood of transmission to others.

Your Dad should come, take sensible precautions and enjoy his visit

@VanCleefArpels Well, this is the thing. Travelling through airports to another country in a pandemic when travel restrictions have been dropped doesn’t strike me as “sensible.”

I would never forgive myself for encouraging him to come over if he was to then die from Covid.

On the other hand, anything could get him at his age and we have already spent a year and a half apart.

Surely your df is old enough and wise enough to make his own decision if he wants to travel to the UK or not

I would consider a number of different aspects…from the point of view of catching it, if his immune system is good and he’s just had a booster he’s probably as safe as anyone else if not more. This doesn’t mean he could not catch it- but he’d have done the best he could to protect himself from consequence.
On another aspect: would he have a decent health insurance when he’s here? Just in case? I suppose he’d be ok in terms of time as well- he doesn’t have to go back by a particular date in case he was in isolation here? Could he have fully flexible tickets, and a safe place to stay here?
The other variable is what his native country will ask of him flying back from the U.K., particularly if the numbers here keep on growing. I would not be terribly surprised if countries re-start putting quarantine or test rules even to vaccinated to inbound passengers from the U.K., particularly in the run up to winter.

Lastly, but as important as the other points: tempus fugit. Elderly parents will not be abound for ages; if you have children for instance they might not have seen in person their grandpa for almost 2 years. My mum and my in laws really really needed to see our kids this summer. They’re older and quite frail and we took an abundance of precautions, but it did do them good to see their only grandkids. My MIL was so depressed before- now she has decided to take more care of herself and do treatments to be better so that she can be again the nonna she wants to be. I think that’s important. It might be important for your dad too- so if he decides to come you might just want to plan for ways to make the trip memorable without being unduly risky.

(The countries me and DH come from have a Teeeeeeeeny number of cases and I can totally understand how looking at the U.K. they see it as a primordial broth of breeding viruses…)

My 86 year old father caught it in August, 4 or 5 months after his 2nd jab. He had been classified as CEV and was shielding previously. It was the equivalent of a bad cold, nasty cough, some breathlessness, loss of smell and taste. However he was at no point bedridden and fully recovered within 3 weeks.

@Wellbythebloodyhell He will obviously make the decision but we discuss it as a family.

Yes! My in laws got covid. In 70's and 80's. The 80+ year old is diabetic and asthmatic. They were absolutely fine after the isolation and went on their planned uk holiday last week. We were so scared at the time. They did feel awful but were both double jabbed.

Life is for living. Nobody knows what is round the corner.

My mum and stepdad, both in their 70s and double jabbed have just got over covid. My very fit and healthy mum was really knocked for six by it all, my stepdad was hardly effected. I won't be flying anywhere just yet, ymmv.

My mum caught it (she is in her late 70s). She felt pretty rotten but didnt need to go to hospital. Her partner then caught it. Was off his food, felt rotten but again didnt need to go to hospital, just stayed in bed much of the time for a few days.

Thanks all. This is reassuring!