Why have people forgotten February 2020 ?

[DottyHarmer]

When Northern Italy was in a terrible state - dreadful scenes of overrun hospitals and over 70s were told to stay at home if they were ill because they were being deprioritised for beds. In China the situation (that we could see) wasn’t thrilling either.

And now we have people - posters on here - saying that there’s no point in vaccines “because they don’t reduce transmission” and people don’t get that ill anyway.

I don’t think the world shut down in 2020 for a laugh, and certainly not for some nefarious purpose to which so many were privy but has never been revealed .

Good luck OP 🍀 the anti vaxxers and Covid deniers will be all over this in 3,2….1….

Because some people are utterly fuck witted 🤷‍♀️

I hate to say it, but I think loads and loads of people are just thick? And really selfish

A mixture of short memories, trauma, the fact that the UK did not tip over into a comparable scenario at that point, and the lack of all the confusing changes and tweaks that have been ramping up ever since.

From what I'm reading on here a lot of people just don't care now if the elderly or vulnerable get ill because that's "part of life"

I think it’s a mixture of denial and ego.

Denial - ignorance is bliss; it’s much easier to believe that you’re not living a slow-motion disaster that doesn’t have any concrete answers or solutions.

Ego - apparently everyone is fully versed in immunology and infectious diseases and it’s highly insulting to suggest or imply that their ‘research’ probably isn’t up to the same standard as the majority of the worlds scientists and medics.

I’m honestly flabbergasted to live in a time when it’s acceptable for politicians to use the word ‘science’ like it’s a dirty word.

I think it can feel quite "other" as it didn't happen here, so people feel safe, even if they aren't really. It could quite easily have happened here, but it didn't, so people are able to comfort themselves that it's simply not a scenario that will play out here because it didn't happen last time and things like that just don't happen in the UK.

Obviously this is completely false, it could very easily happen and the UK is no different to Italy, just arguably in a worse position with a more over stretched health care system to start with, but I think that can be quite hard for people to wrap their heads around, particularly when it's a very difficult truth to confront and feels easier to bury our heads in the sand and hope it doesn't happen.

I also think it's hard to sustain that level of fear for so long. Objectively I am worried about Covid, but not in the same way that I was because it's just been going on for so long now and it's not sustainable. A bit like we're all hyper vigilant in the immediate aftermath of a terrorist attack, but memories fade and we slowly become less aware of our surroundings the longer it goes after an attack.

A mixture of short memories, trauma, the fact that the UK did not tip over into a comparable scenario at that point, and the lack of all the confusing changes and tweaks that have been ramping up ever since.

exactly, normal human behaviour

Darwinism at its finest!!

I also think it's hard to sustain that level of fear for so long. Objectively I am worried about Covid, but not in the same way that I was because it's just been going on for so long now and it's not sustainable. A bit like we're all hyper vigilant in the immediate aftermath of a terrorist attack, but memories fade and we slowly become less aware of our surroundings the longer it goes after an attack.

yep

I don’t know about on here. IRL many people I meet and know are at best exhausted and at worst traumatised by their experiences over the last year or so, so no, they definitely haven’t forgotten what February 2020 was like and have everything crossed that the vaccines will make the necessary difference.

Italians are still deeply traumatised by the experience. They are wholly compliant with mask wearing, hand sanitiser, vaccinations and social distancing. It’s been eye opening really considering the usual deep mistrust of government.

The UK should be grateful for not having the same experience and doing EVERYTHING possible to avoid it. It’s baffling really.

I hate to say it, but I think loads and loads of people are just thick? And really selfish.

I think this is part of it too. As well as denial/ignorance or optimistism that the horror of mass graves just wouldn't be "allowed" to happen in the UK.

@Treaclepie19

From what I'm reading on here a lot of people just don't care now if the elderly or vulnerable get ill because that's "part of life"

I think this is a disturbing shift in society.

Death happens, we all know we’re on a one way road, but acceptance of large, largely preventable, death tolls as ‘meh’ is really unhealthy. Anyone who thinks this - you’re absolutely not ok.

It’s a defence mechanism I’m sure, but I can’t think of any other situation that it’s been acceptable to voice this kind of view. Well, I can think of certain situations that societies have largely accepted mass deaths but none of them are anything to aspire to imho.

Things are different now. We know much more and the death rate is much lower than it was in 2020. Sadly winter pressures feature every year in the NHS, and people just tend to get on with life in most winters when there are critical incidents, cancellations and no beds.

@Duopuss81

I hate to say it, but I think loads and loads of people are just thick? And really selfish

There's still people that don't believe Covid is real. There's people that believe the earth is flat. There's people that think Paul McCartney died. There's people that think Sandy Hook was staged. There's people that believe the queen is a lizard. Endless idiotic beliefs.. There's millions and millions of morons that'll buy into them, even in the face of evidence.

People have very short term memories and feel ‘they’ve done their bit’ and now want to move on with their lives.

Personally I think we’re heading into a completely new epoch of this virus and when eminent scientists like Jeremy Farrar calls the case numbers ‘eye-watering’ I think we might be in big trouble.

Thick and selfish just about sums it up.

@Treaclepie19

From what I'm reading on here a lot of people just don't care now if the elderly or vulnerable get ill because that's "part of life"

I was on a thread under another user name where i merely said i was worried about my CV child going to school. I got a rant about how people like my child was ruining normal life for their child and either should just stay at home or understand that in previous times my vulnerable child would never have survived so long anyway. (Which I am not 100% sure but think meant that it did not matter if they died).

I honestly have not really gotten over that point of view. It truly hurt and shocked me.

and i know it's only words on a screen, but tbh I think there are more out there IRL who actually think like that.

I think this is just the nature of online forums (which doesn’t make it ok), you get the shitty comments and in extreme circumstances they get more extreme. Back in March 2020 I saw a poster who wasn’t pregnant take the time to go into the pregnancy forum where pregnant women were worrying about the availability of healthcare to tell them that they should be grateful not to be giving birth in a refugee camp like Shamima Begum. Awful things have been said on here but very few in real life

@LadyCampanulaTottington, I’m not sure the UK has avoided it tbh, I think we’ve stage managed it better.

I have quite a few HCP’s in my social circle, they’re pretty traumatised and of the few people I know admitted for covid their stays on covid wards were by far the most traumatic thing they’ve experienced and they’ve most certainly been traumatised by what they’ve witnessed far more than the actual illness they had.

The majority of us have largely been completely shielded from the realities of what has been dealt with.

But we haven’t seen the sane scenes from South Africa that we saw fro Italy suggesting the situation has changed! Apart fro pro lockdowners for whom it was very important to learn from Italy but we absolutely shouldn’t look at all at what is happening in South Africa because it doesn’t fit their narrative

I don't think it's normal for society to be altruistic, most people to things that protect themselves & their loved ones.

I don’t know but it seems difficult to change the views