Has everyone just accepted that it’s not an “if” but a “when”?

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Just that really. Me and DH are still trying to be relatively careful, we do meet up with people and do things but we are avoiding certain things eg not going to soft play with DDs this week as it would have been full of school kids. Our eldest goes to a childminder who has school age kids so she could very well catch it that way (or from the supermarket etc) but we need childcare to work. So basically we are not completely “hiding away” but we are thinking carefully and not taking risks when there’s no huge benefit.

Are we alone in this approach now? And is there any point? Part of me thinks we aren’t going to be able to avoid it forever so we may as well just get it and then we could get on with our lives. People I know who’ve had it are now just doing whatever they want (although I know you can get it twice) which sounds quite appealing.

For anyone interested, my reasons for still trying to avoid it despite being double jabbed are 1. I have a rare blood clotting condition so although I’m not CEV I am classed as being higher risk than average joe and 2. DD2 is only 6 months, she is EBF and hasn’t taken well to solids yet and has some allergies. I’m worried that if I get it now and feel totally wiped out that my supply will suffer and I’d be exhausted trying to breastfeed her while feeling really poorly etc.

I also think there’s a lot of peer pressure to take risks at the moment and get on with our lives, but for people like us with serious health conditions, we have to make our own decisions and not worry about what everyone else is doing.

@GoldenOmber

Up till 22 October, 8 in 10 (82%) adults reported they wore a face covering when outside their home in the past seven days and 84% adults felt that social distancing from others not in their household was either very important or important.

And do you think this reflects the actual behaviour of 82% and 84% of the population?

I can’t say I’m seeing this day to day

I would imagine many of the millions who were advised to shield are still taking whatever steps they can to protect themselves from some of the highest cases we've had during the whole pandemic.

They're still Clinically Vulnerable or Vulnerable to covid 19, and with high cases the danger of catching it is higher than it's been for most of the last two years.

No one wants to take up a hospital bed during a pandemic and a winter crisis if they could have avoided it, do they?

Yes it's here to stay so is likely a case of when not if.
We have already had it but prior to vaccination and I was unlucky with a moderate case (mid 30s fit and healthy).
Would I want it again? No thanks! Hence double vaccinated which is showing good immunity if after having covid.

I think everyone needs to adjust to doing their own risk assessment to what they are comfortable with. If people are comfortable somewhere then either don't go or use a FFP2 mask.
I don't think we can keep everyone limiting their lives for an indefinite time period for a illness which isn't disappearing.

We have had spells of being extremely careful prior to covid when family members were undergoing chemo I think it's the same for covid. If there is a reason to be extra cautious then people should take it same as they did before.

@PrincessNutNuts

I would imagine many of the millions who were advised to shield are still taking whatever steps they can to protect themselves from some of the highest cases we've had during the whole pandemic.

They're still Clinically Vulnerable or Vulnerable to covid 19, and with high cases the danger of catching it is higher than it's been for most of the last two years.

No one wants to take up a hospital bed during a pandemic and a winter crisis if they could have avoided it, do they?

Yes my CEV relatives are cautious about public things but are no longer avoiding mixing with family.

Yes definitely. I’ve tried to limit my chances prior to big events and there have even been times when I’ve thought it would be a good time to get it although I haven’t gone out of my way to catch it!

So far I’ve avoided it despite working in close contact with others, using public transport, attending mass events and shopping normally.
I can’t believe 18 months ago I was washing my hands (literally-I took a flask of soapy water out with me!) after touching gates etc. in the countryside and quarantining my post!

Yup. Just getting on with life. If I catch it, I catch it.

I work in a school. I wear mask in public because I'm probably the highest risk to most people I meet.

I've been taking my own approach to the risk since the beginning. Gov didn't care about me, so I made my own choices that were frankly more sensible.

@PurpleOkapi

It's from the ONS, which is the best source of covid data that we have

When the best source we have is spitting out numbers that anyone with eyes can see are wildly wrong, that's not very reassuring.

I think we all live in bubbles to some extent, don't we. The M and S supermarkets in the 2 city centres near to where we are have some people in with masks and some without masks; but they are an awful lot emptier that they were a couple of years ago.

There are a lot of people still being very very careful I think, and another section of people who take some risk, but choose their risks careful and wear masks etc.

Maybe some of the people who think they know everything aren't really seeing the whole picture at all.

I work in a place that has had multiple staff outbreaks before anyone was vaccinated and I was the only one not to get it (I think...).
I'm not daft enough to think I'm immune or anything, but I won't worry. I'm generally anti social anyway so not much mixing going on.

*There are a lot of people still being very very careful I think, and another section of people who take some risk, but choose their risks careful and wear masks etc.

Maybe some of the people who think they know everything aren't really seeing the whole picture at all.*

I agree with this. As someone with elderly parents and young adult children, I would say that there is a huge disparity between generations (unsurprisingly). I would say that young adults with no serious health conditions are not generally restricting their activities due to Covid concerns (unless they see this as necessary to protect close family who are more vulnerable). In contrast, my parents certainly know other people their age who are taking a very cautious approach, eg not socialising indoors other than with close family.

@PrincessNutNuts

I would imagine many of the millions who were advised to shield are still taking whatever steps they can to protect themselves from some of the highest cases we've had during the whole pandemic.

They're still Clinically Vulnerable or Vulnerable to covid 19, and with high cases the danger of catching it is higher than it's been for most of the last two years.

No one wants to take up a hospital bed during a pandemic and a winter crisis if they could have avoided it, do they?

That ^^ I feel less safe now than I did when people were distancing and wearing masks and (this sounds awful) a bit worried about it I've had three vaccines and will have a booster but I can't fight infections so covid would not be great

Yes.
Life is pretty much back to normal.

If it's a case of "when" rather than if, then it's going to take years for us all to get it. Most of the country still hasn't had it.

And then maybe we can all catch it again, or catch the next variant?

Is this what living with covid looks like?

A million cases a month and 4000+ deaths a month? More in wintertime?

This level of pressure on the NHS indefinitely?

Yeah I’ll probably get it at some point but I’m not bothered, and not wore a mask since July 18th - I’ve got a life to be getting on with.

Yeah, basically. Although, I've thought that with the flu for years and still haven't had it in over three decades (knocks on wood).

@PrincessNutNuts

If it's a case of "when" rather than if, then it's going to take years for us all to get it. Most of the country still hasn't had it.

And then maybe we can all catch it again, or catch the next variant?

Is this what living with covid looks like?

A million cases a month and 4000+ deaths a month? More in wintertime?

This level of pressure on the NHS indefinitely?

According to a Cambridge uni report, 48% of people have been infected to date in the U.K. so (assuming this is accurate) whereas you are technically correct, a huge proportion have, especially in some areas (London 58% and North-West 57%) and 5-14s (78%).

Hmmm some interesting points here. A lot to think about.

I echo some pps who say they are trying to find a middle ground where we don’t cower away all the time in fear of a virus BUT we only really do things where there is a clear benefit. Like for example we used to go to the cinema fairly often and now we aren’t, purely because we can easily rent films at home and neither of us really care that much about not sitting in the actual cinema anymore. However we still go to family gatherings, friends weddings, engagement parties etc as these are all things we really enjoy and keep us connected with people we love.

I feel like we are currently living in a way that is relatively sustainable for the foreseeable future, it’s not a slog like it was during lockdowns where we are wondering what the hell we’re going to do each weekend. But equally I’d like to get to a point where it’s not always at the back of my mind. I guess maybe that comes with the territory of having a medical condition though?

www.mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk/blog/new-estimates-of-real-time-tracking-of-covid-19/

It's still a scary time.
A neighbour 72 relatively fit spent 3 weeks in ICU fully vaccinated before he died.

@RichTeaRichTea

“ It's a mistake to say that the only options are to and live exactly as before, or alternatively to go to the other extreme and be fearful all of the time. There is a happy medium that involves taking some precautions, avoiding some high-risk situations, and then getting on with life and having the interactions and experiences that are most important to you.”

I agree that it doesn’t have to be a binary, but on the other hand the interactions and experiences that are most important to many people are also likely to be some of the most high risk situations in terms of catching or transmitting covid. Everyone is comfortable with their own decisions, but many people still fall foul of the “SELFISH!” accusations because they make different decisions to others.

And many people fall foul of the "MENTALLY UNWELL!" type accusations because they make different decisions to others...

Only two or three years of this to go then if that is correct. @Warhertisuff? Longer if more people are still susceptible.

Assuming we can't catch it again.

Which some of us already have.

And assuming that a vaccine resistant variant doesn't pop up.

Perhaps the poor sods who have been on NHS waiting lists for two or three years already won't mind a few more years of suffering while the NHS is kept busy with covid until 2025?

I'm immunosuppressed with dc in schools. It's when for me. And how badly and how many times because I can't build immunity.
And before you ask I wasn't immunosuppressed before Covid and everyone in the house has had every vaccine they can to shield me.

Perhaps the poor sods who have been on NHS waiting lists for two or three years already won't mind a few more years of suffering while the NHS is kept busy with covid until 2025?
The impact is horrendous on all services.
There is 11 free ICU beds in Ireland, no paediatric ICU beds available with 97 covid cases in ICU.
Everyone is back to normal.

The problem with accepting it’s a “when” is that “when” is not a once off, it looks like “again and again”. Natural immunity doesn’t last and it’s not clear that the second, third, or whatever infections are milder.