To think we soon won’t be isolating even when we have covid.

[Grida]

If covid is spreading as rapidly as it seems to be, surely people who have tested positive but who don’t have symptoms/aren’t feeling ill will have to carry on working. The country will stop functioning otherwise.

@Blossomtoes

There will always be a few - a very small few - who will die of the flu or covid despite having a jab. We cannot destroy everyone’s lives because of this.

22,000 flu deaths in 2017/18. Nobody raised an eyebrow.

Yeah, this Daily Mail article says there was a 42% spike in deaths in Jan 2018 due to 'killer flu'

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5440785/Killer-flu-outbreak-blame-42-spike-deaths.html?fbclid=IwAR3Qv9DIm3KzlstHrSIjlhNfAXJNqTa46ofOJ5S9dd2zkdvruQXaSd3aQZM

I’d go for a 6-7 day isolation (close to zero transmission after that anyway), with boosters and masks. That should be enough for now. I’m kind of hoping for omicron to become the dominant strain and everyone to build a degree of immunity, so that by March we can end isolation and masks

I think i read someone was saying may go 5 day isolation ? But wether that is even remotely true I have no idea
But i reckon it will get reduced before scrapping it
Same as testing one day that will have to stop as i imagine the costs are high

Who wouldn't love this, and I say that with vulnerable people in the house, but can't see the justification. Three doses of the current vaccines do not protect from infection itself. They give you a level of protection against severe disease and survival does not equal recovery. We need to sit on this thing until vaccines can stop infection or at least prevent sequelae.

@PissPotPourri

I am so happy to read this thread. I honestly thought I was alone in believing this is what we should be doing. Now I realise I’m not

You're not alone! I've been thinking this too. It's unrealistic to think that we can continue to live like this forever, because we can't. The world will just grind to a halt.🤔

Wow!
Can’t believe how selfish these comments are! So knowing you are infectious with a virus that will kill elderly and vulnerable, you’d like to go out because you get bored? You are disgraceful, utterly selfish and disgraceful.

@Londoncallingme

Wow! Can’t believe how selfish these comments are! So knowing you are infectious with a virus that will kill elderly and vulnerable, you’d like to go out because you get bored? You are disgraceful, utterly selfish and disgraceful.

Oh, give over and get some common sense instead of mindlessly bleating how 'selfish' people are.

A lot of people already are. But they just won’t be broadcasting it to everyone. Especially if they know the person they’re talking to has strong opposing views (like some of those on this thread and elsewhere on mumsnet).

Yes completely agree and so pleased to read this. Hoping this happens soon

Yes, bang on.

@PissPotPourri

I am so happy to read this thread. I honestly thought I was alone in believing this is what we should be doing. Now I realise I’m not

Thank you. Thank you Thank you My thoughts exactly

I was considering to cancel my account on MN as the constant gloom was triggering my anxiety.

Unless the Government reduces the 10 day isolation period for infected people, the risk rises that people simply won't test themselves?!

@Blubells I’m pretty sure this is already happening in practice. At an individual level there is very little incentive to test, and lots of disincentives. And the more that covid mutates into something milder the truer this becomes.

The NHS and other sectors are not grinding to a halt because staff are bedridden and seriously ill. They’re struggling because people are obeying (in my view outdated) guidance that they need to stay at home for 10 days nursing a mild cold.

well I am quite sure there are numerous people circulating who have the variant and no symptoms
The govt are urging us all to do LFTs regularly - that's a laugh, have they tried actually getting any. None to be had in my area!

Problem solved. Stop the isolation and the staffing shortages and disruptions stop.

Who would have thought. Fingers crossed that’s the future.

100% agree. Great thread - the first bit of sense I’ve read on MN for ages re Covid.

Yes definitely already happening. We are going to have to stop testing soon as we can’t take another nursery-led isolation and test for every little cough, we will have to start lying soon or I’ll lose my job. Fair enough if DC was actually too unwell to go to nursery but not when she would be fine otherwise.

For a long time, I have been more concerned about the ten days isolation than actually catching Covid. It should be scrapped. A friend who is a senior NHS nurse says the same, along with many of their colleagues. Any lockdown now is to protect those who haven't had the vaccine. The medically exempt and clinically vulnerable are generally good at protecting themselves, so it's just those who can't be bothered.

@RoomOfRequirement

That would be awful for the vulnerable!

I can understand stopping isolation for exposure, and not going into a lockdown anymore, but let's not forget people are STILL dying of Covid, and if someone tests positive they shouldn't be allowed to go into the office or work in a store!

People are dying of the flu as well.

@Awalkintime

I don't think that's true. I think anyone who is genuinely ill should recover at home as long as really necessary. They should be entitled to sick pay.

As a teacher I disagree, we are made to still work when sick. I was working from my bed when I had covid. My colleague was vomiting on zoom and another colleague in a previous job was working in hospital. It is filtering onto the children and they now see it as the norm for them to still work when they are sick because they see us do it. They are now asking for work to do at home as the gov have said we have to provide it for those isolating with covid so now it has become a thing that kids are expected to work when vomiting, have croup etc. It is really an awful model for our kids to follow and I've told my head we need to model good wellbeing when sick and ensure the kids learn this too.

Well you must be in the independent sector then because most state schools did sweet FA during lockdown - teachers were paid to do NOTHING and most private schools rose to the challenge and were superb, whole class teaching 8 til 4 all day every day - live. State schools were a joke.

@hopingforabrighterfuture2021

I agree it can’t carry on indefinitely. As far as I’m aware, covid is the only illness where you LEGALLY have to self isolate, obviously if you have flu or norovirus etc it’s not fair to go out, but most people are sensible about it.

A significant number of flu infections are asymptomatic or barely so... clearly we mix in those circumstances.

I completely agree, we have stayed in for 2 years to protect the elderly and clinically vulnerable, and while we should still get boosters etc, we cannot stop society forever. The cost in mental health is also huge, but rarely talked about. My stepdaughter basically missed out on her final year at school and 1st year at uni and is seriously depressed, my son has also missed out on courses, and he is doing a practical, arts-related course. Vulnerable people will have to take extra precautions, which is not happening where I live going by how many old and infirm people were out shopping, at the weekend, it was insane. And who is most guilty of wearing the mask under the nose? Elderly men. Personal responsibility is needed, not just societal responsibility otherwise there will be no society to go back to.

@Londoncallingme

Wow! Can’t believe how selfish these comments are! So knowing you are infectious with a virus that will kill elderly and vulnerable, you’d like to go out because you get bored? You are disgraceful, utterly selfish and disgraceful.

No point even trying on here, there’s too many daily mail reading, inward looking thicko’s. They won’t see differently until someone close to them dies, they have that little imagination

I love it when someone tries to call other people stupid and fucks up the punctuation.

[quote aliceca]@Awalkintime yep health anxiety, anxious, people are openly mocked if it is about covid.
I have an acquaintance who has always been anxious. Covid has made her virtually housebound. But apparently its okay to mock her now.

Honestly a lot of people are vile.[/quote]
I also have a friend with health anxiety. She needs that anxiety treating rather than forcing the rest of the UK into endless restrictions. Because she'll find the next thing to be anxious about even if c19 goes away entirely.

It's not mocking. It's real to her but it's not a top level concern for everyone else in the country. Nor should it be.