Who is planning to ditch masks as soon as we are legally allowed?

[polar81]

Is anyone else planning to ditch the masks asap? The only reason I wear one atm is because of the legal mandate and it will go as soon as that's dropped.

If you are staunchly pro-mask then this is probably not the thread for you! I know all the arguments on both side and they have been fully rehearsed on this board for the last 2 years. I am simply interested to gauge how many people also want to ditch masks asap, when the law allows.

It would be fab if we could have a thread on this topic that didn't include the words- selfish, it's no hardship, why wouldn't you?, we're in a pandemic ffs, I wear my mask to protect others etc.... that's lovely, and we already know!

@JellyOnAPlatewithicecream

I've been saying since Christmas COVID is basically a bad cold now (as long as triple vaccinated) and we need to just start living with it, like how we do flu, and get on with our lives. People were saying things like we just need to accept that things will never be the same again, we need to get used to doing all our exercise classes / work / dates / socialising on zoom, and you're unreasonable / stupid / selfish if you don't get that. Hmm clearly not...

Ok tell that to the families of the couple of hundred people still dying daily. 🙄

@FajitaBonita, exactly.

@Whammyyammy

This time next week.... FREEDOM DAY II 🎉🎉🍾

Does the virus magically go poof! and disappear that day or something? Is that what happened last 'Freedom Day'?

@ilovesooty

I think there's certainly a vibe of implied judgement going on and a fair bit of gloating from some posters, which isn't very pleasant. I honestly think it's a bit early to say how things will turn out.

Agree with this - very mean-spirited tone to this thread. I do enjoy, though, the instant obeying of Boris' command to toss the masks, although they wouldn't do anything else so willingly at his behest.

@JellyOnAPlatewithicecream

I've been saying since Christmas COVID is basically a bad cold now (as long as triple vaccinated) and we need to just start living with it, like how we do flu, and get on with our lives. People were saying things like we just need to accept that things will never be the same again, we need to get used to doing all our exercise classes / work / dates / socialising on zoom, and you're unreasonable / stupid / selfish if you don't get that. Hmm clearly not...

So how do you account for the fact that death rates have gone up?

Yes. I’ve been very ill for months after catching it double jabbed. I don’t want to get that ill again on top. I also don’t want anyone else to get that ill. I’ll wear decent ffp2 masks everywhere indoors to protect myself and others. The way chains of transmission work even though most have it mildER now, it will help to protect those who get more ill.

The US is sending FFP2/n95 to everyone for free. Germany gave them to all the elderly abs vulnerable. Most countries now require these better masks. In the U.K. they have just finally been mandated for the NHS. But the rest of the U.K.? Nah we say let’s get better masks. We ditch them altogether.

It’s embarrassing. The world is laughing at us. Again.

@BashStreetKid

Exactly. The deniers will say something about with not of Covid or something similar.

The ONS death stats are clearly following the daily dashboard ones though. These figures are reliable not incidental.

You do you and I'll do me. I think that's good enough. Same with the vaccine!
I'm in the minority I'm sure!

Sorry when I said rest of the U.K., I meant rest of England. Above.

Wales and Scotland should recommend ffp2/3 though

would be fab if we could have a thread on this topic that didn't include the words- selfish, it's no hardship, why wouldn't you?, we're in a pandemic ffs, I wear my mask to protect others etc.... that's lovely, and we already know!

Well what's the point in asking then? Unless genuinely unable to wear one (a small minority), it is selfish, and shows utter disregard for the vulnerable (who will include newly disabled Long Covid sufferers).

[quote Aimeehedge]@BashStreetKid

Exactly. The deniers will say something about with not of Covid or something similar.

The ONS death stats are clearly following the daily dashboard ones though. These figures are reliable not incidental.[/quote]
I never get the "with not of Covid" argument. The records demonstrate that the co-existing conditions recorded are frequently ones where people would normally expect to live for years, albeit possibly with treatment - including learning difficulties, asthma etc. Why doesn't it count if someone with those conditions dies prematurely because they catch Covid? Indeed, even with a fatal condition it matters if someone with a reduced life expectancy loses those last precious months.

@BashStreetKid

I completely agree with you. It’s a cruel and nonsensical argument. A quarter of the country have underlying conditions but they’re not due to drop dead tomorrow. Or next year. Or even in ten or thirty years.

Also even those few who are very very ill… if catching Covid on top of being very very ill leads to their death…. Covid was still a cause.

It’s ableism and discriminatory thinking.

I've been saying since Christmas COVID is basically a bad cold now

And your qualifications are? Virologist? Immunologist? Epidemiologist?

Say what you like but that won't make it true.

SARS-COV-2, a vascular and inflammatory disease that often but not always has respiratory symptoms, is still new (and possibly human modified in a lab).

It can cause long term damage - clotting, heart problems, strokes, lung or brain damage, diabetes, and more. Including sometimes with initial 'mild' cases.

we need to just start living with it, like how we do with flu

It is not the flu. And, 'living with' a disease that kills and disables many (more than 300 dead in just one day - again) means mitigations.

Masks, vaccine passes, and good ventilation like HEPA filters. Just as we have seat belts, speeding limits, and drink drinking measures to live with cars. Otherwise it's less living with and more dead or disabled with.

Yes an furthermore those on ICU with positive test
Between 91 and 96% are there because of COVID. It is there In ICNARC data

[quote Aimeehedge]@BashStreetKid

I completely agree with you. It’s a cruel and nonsensical argument. A quarter of the country have underlying conditions but they’re not due to drop dead tomorrow. Or next year. Or even in ten or thirty years.

Also even those few who are very very ill… if catching Covid on top of being very very ill leads to their death…. Covid was still a cause.

It’s ableism and discriminatory thinking.[/quote]
Yes this. Although I'd say it's more than a quarter. It's closer to half. Plus, add in all the newly disabled Long Covid sufferers.

It's not as if mitigations - masks, vaccine passes, and good ventilation - stop us getting back up and running. Quite the opposite in fact.

@Tealightsandd

You’re right. I was thinking of the number classed as vulnerable for vaccines. But the number with all underlying conditions (the ones whose deaths don’t matter to Covid deniers) but don’t all qualify for vaccines… that number is far greater. I have asthma severe enough to need extra strng steroid inhalers and bronchalators every day… and it’s worse now I have long Covid. But I’m not vulnerable enough to be on the vaccine priority list. And yet my death wouldn’t matter. I was fully vaccinated when I developed long Covid.

Hepa Ventilation and good fpp2 masks as minimum would make such a difference.

It blows my mind to realise some people are privileged enough to think none of that matters.

Until they get long Covid or complications.

You do you and I'll do me...

...said the smoker puffing away on the train and in the pub. Said the speeding and/or drink driver...

You can do you off-grid, but it doesn't work without terrible consequences in a (civilised) society.

We're seeing more than 300 a day killed by SARS-COV-2. Many more left with underlying conditions from Long Covid.

It's a shame that the government doesn't want to get us properly (and safely) back up and running - to genuinely live with it.

Meanwhile most other countries are taking steps to 'live with' it. Mitigations. Masks, vaccine passes, and ventilation.

[quote Aimeehedge]@Tealightsandd

You’re right. I was thinking of the number classed as vulnerable for vaccines. But the number with all underlying conditions (the ones whose deaths don’t matter to Covid deniers) but don’t all qualify for vaccines… that number is far greater. I have asthma severe enough to need extra strng steroid inhalers and bronchalators every day… and it’s worse now I have long Covid. But I’m not vulnerable enough to be on the vaccine priority list. And yet my death wouldn’t matter. I was fully vaccinated when I developed long Covid.

Hepa Ventilation and good fpp2 masks as minimum would make such a difference.

It blows my mind to realise some people are privileged enough to think none of that matters.

Until they get long Covid or complications.[/quote]
My DP had to work all through this and is classed CV priority vaccine. DP wants all restrictions lifted, the main one is so they can get on with their job and life despite being a higher risk than yourself

I'm so sorry @Aimeehedge

Yes the UK's official list of vulnerable - particularly CEV - ignored a significant proportion of people with underlying conditions.

I hope in time your Long Covid symptoms will improve and/or find a way to manage it. There's a lot of research going on globally, and hopefully new treatments will be found.

There's some studies that suggest monoclonal antibodies might help with Long Covid. Other possibilities are also being explored.

In the future there'll be better access to these treatments (for Covid and Long Covid) but they're currently in very short supply around the world.

So, for the time being mitigations are a simple and easy way for people to 'live with' it, whilst protecting themselves - and others.

Yes the UK's official list of vulnerable - particularly CEV - ignored a significant proportion of people with underlying conditions

It also, particularly as more was learnt about this still new disease, classed some people as more CV than they actually were, whilst leaving off others who are more CV than initially thought.

And again. Mitigations like masks, vaccine passes, and good ventilation (eg. HEPA filters) are what enable people to get on with work and life - without unnecessary risk of being killed or disabled. Whilst also protecting others.

@howdiditcometothis666

Cheers for that minimalising of my experience it really helped.

My point was … that you missed… I should have been classed as more vulnerable abs eligible for a vaccine but the gov and jcvi screwed asthmatics over and that has caused asthmatics a great deal of stress.

Every other country added those with milder asthma than mine to vaccine list.

The list is not scared it doesn’t decide someone is more deserving than another.

I need to take several medications to breathe every day. More since having Covid,

Oh yeah it’s a hoot.

Your post was vile.

@Tealightsandd

Yes the UK's official list of vulnerable - particularly CEV - ignored a significant proportion of people with underlying conditions

It also, particularly as more was learnt about this still new disease, classed some people as more CV than they actually were, whilst leaving off others who are more CV than initially thought.

And again. Mitigations like masks, vaccine passes, and good ventilation (eg. HEPA filters) are what enable people to get on with work and life - without unnecessary risk of being killed or disabled. Whilst also protecting others.

They also removed most asthmatics from the list because not enough of us died in the first wave. Because we shielded! Data shows we are at the highest risk for long Covid and that many more died in subsequent waves but jcvi refuse to backtrack.

@Tealightsandd

Thank you for the kind words and advice.

I shall ask about the monoclonal antibodie at my next consultation.

@Aimeehedge Hopefully they'll update the list, if there's any additional boosters?

@Tealightsandd Hopefully. It looked like they might do it for the last round of boosters then they just didn’t. The asthmatics community have been caused a lot of unnecessary stress over this.

We all get flu jabs even those with milder asthma than me. Every year.

But not Covid jabs.

I keep writing to my mo but he doesn’t care. He just copied and pasted generic replies. I shall keep trying though.