It's all over isn't it?

[Bornslippery]

Just that really. Thankfully. Used to have a high temp twice a year and spent a few days in bed (few times knocked me for 6 and spent a week in bed as feeling so rubbish). So no change there for most. Seems it's normal again now. Been abroad twice this year and it feels no different than before.

I was talking about staff. For patients and residents, there have always been caveats around testing depending on vulnerabilities.
It's worrying that it seems from your comments that some care homes are walking straight into another crisis and negligently putting their residents at risk.

TooMuchToDoTooLittleInclination didn't mean to be goady (is that a word 🤔). Meant have spent a lovely holiday in Greece and nobody mentioned Covid once. Travelled home and no mention of covid either. Went shopping today and didn't see a single mask or mention of Covid. Chatted to people at work and nobody admitted to hospital with Covid or discussed Covid. Chatted to a friend receiving cancer treatment, no mention of covid.

lotsofthem that's what I meant. Thank you

Yes pretty much. Conversations that include covid these days mostly seem to be along the lines of ‘that was a bit crazy wasn’t it’

Tacocatgoatcheesepizza yep!!!

Your experience is so removed from everyone I know that I'm genuinely shocked . We had a call from a relative yesterday to say they'd tested positive. Last week three of DH's relatives tested positive. My friend who works in a care home is still testing twice weekly. My SIL in Germany is still wearing masks in all public buildings. And every time I go to a shop or supermarket, there are people wearing masks.

Our friends who work in hospitals and GP surgeries are still masked at work.

Two of our friends are still receiving hospital treatment for lung damage caused by Covid.

The world does not think Covid is over. And the UK numbers are only going to get worse again because of the festivals.

My friend who works in a hospital has today recieved an email informing her that staff are no longer required to wear masks.

She thinks it's absolutely ridiculous, as their cases are just about hovering at a manageable level

AlexandriasWindmill not trying to be goady (apparently a word) but testing positive means nothing. I did and sneezed a few times. Before Covid chest infections put a lot of people in hospital and they can be awful maybe caused by Covid- maybe not your friends' case. But in 2019 we would have just said a chest infection. Hope your friends ate OK

My husband read the stats for this yr versus last yr. Yes less people are getting it but actually more people have died of it!! That is very much NOT an improving picture. My mam died in hospital , her death was not caused by COVID, she had tested negative, however it very much affected her health to a point she could not recover.
Hospitals in our area are at +90% capacity and when winter hits we are gonna be in the same trouble we were last year.
Germany are already reintroducing masks in public places to try and gain some control and we are sat with people slapping each other on the back saying well done we're back to normal!! Pure ignorance.

AlexandriasWindmill 'are ok'. But I hope they ate OK too

^^this.

The whole "it's just like a cold, chill out" narrative is immensely frustrating.

There's plenty of evidence to suggest that COVID affects the body in ways that the simple cold virus doesn't. Even a mild dose of COVID can cause long term effects. And in healthy people. You don't need to be old or infirm to struggle to recover from COVID.

Immunologists have been frank that they don't yet know the long term effects of infection, but there are signs of serious damage being done that may take a while to be fully revealed. The heart and other organs can suffer damage from COVID, and there's a whole collection of mystery symptoms such as fatigue, weakness and neurological changes.

But yes, it's just a cold, right?

As for the case numbers, last week there were still 109,000 new cases per day, with 100 people dying from COVID every day. 850 people are being admitted to hospital every day due to COVID.

These are not insignificant numbers and we're at the point where we should be at our lowest levels. When the kids return to school and everyone starts socialising indoors again, there's only one way the case numbers are going - and that's up.

Wearing a mask in supermarkets etc shouldn't be a big ask when it's a basic measure that could save lives but apparently it's something that no one is prepared to do unless they're forced to. I just don't understand people.

Nurse here.

Covid is nothing like the flu. The way it attacks body systems is scary.

We are STILL very much in a pandemic.

It is a horrible disease and in decades we will have a generation whose health outcomes and quality of life will be poorer because they had covid.

Other than that I have no time for people who minimise covid.

Georgeandzippyzoo so sorry about your Mam I lost mine so I know how you feel. However, i have worked with hospitals for the last 20 years and 90% is OK. Before Covid it was the same -ie it was black alert and we had to prioritise getting people out. It hasn't changed due to Covid

I agree with you OP. I don't know anyone who has it currently or has had it in the last few months. I don't hear about it impacting anyones day to day lives as it did before (either from people I know or from the news).

Clearly reading some of these posts here I/we are in a lucky minority where life seems to have gone back to almost a complete normal.

please forgive me if I’m wrong but I do believe testing is over.
lateral flows were only ever supposed to be used if asymptomatic.
if you had symptoms you went and had a pcr.

It's not over by a long shot. Studies are showing that the more times you get covid, you increase your risk of either long covid or bad side effects are with each subsequent re-infection. So being infected once doesn't protect you, it actually increases your body's chances of a bad reaction.

But yeah, just a bad cold/flu... yadda, yadda, yadda🙄

sofap. Thank you. That is was I meant. Nobody in my life or work (vulnerable adults - generally older, dementia, people with cancer or terminal illnesses) mentions it now.

nanny2012nanny you are right. Only do it now if I am visiting a care home who wants it. Most say unless provided personal care then no. Also they are starting to drop masks unless the adult wants you too

Succinctly but perfectly explained.

It really is this simple but people don't want to hear it because it's inconvenient. It's a classic case of "I'm alright Jack"....

I would like to.disagree in many ways:

My family had Covid for the first time this June. We were all really ill, including the 20 year old. Could barely function for at least 8 days. I've had flu. It was much worse than flu and recovery was slow.

Work in a school, so that was the longest time I've ever had off sick. So two weeks of my classes being taught by supply. Same for all the other teachers who had it in increasing numbers in the last few weeks of term. Lots of disruption to learning.

Dh is CEV so had the infusion. He was initially really ill but actually quite good after it and recovered more quickly than ds or me. Was told at the hospital it confers him about a month's protection as it is known that, for patients like him, the vaccines barely work.

Visiting is suspended at my local hospital once more as case rates are so high.

Care home working friends are still testing twice weekly.

People I know with symptoms are still testing and I know people coming up positive all the time and being quite ill with it, others fine.

People are still wearing masks when. You have to assume some are actually positive or live with someone who is. Others are being cautious.

Lots of people are still dying OF Covid, not with it.

What about chicken pox? It kills plenty of people every year, there is no NHS vaccine and no one gets uppity demanding that we lock down the county for that.

Yes it’s definitely over where I am. No one talks about covid anymore, except to remember the craziness of lockdowns. Those of us with young kids have just had to get on with life, as it isn’t fair to our kids not to. I’ve been going to soft plays, swimming, play villages, parties etc. for the last year as normal and without masks as it’s bad for toddlers development for adults around them to wear them. So it’s become normal in my circle not to think about covid and it is over in our world. Of course we know it’s still around, but I don’t actually care if I get it now anymore than I do other illnesses.

The only place where Covid affects my life these days is trying to get into libraries/archives. They are still very much on a Covid footing, limiting access and numbers, quarantining documents. I don't think they'll ever go back, and will provide an inferior service forever.

Even the 6 foot long KEEP YOUR DISTANCE barriers vanished off the school railings this week. Never think about covid, wear a mask, use the app, look at the figures.

Difficult for people who do feel themselves to be at particular risk but they can't expect the rest of us to put as much thought into it.

It’s obviously still around,and vulnerable people are more at risk
But for the vast majority of people it is done
Testing no longer necessary,hardly anyone wearing a mask,never in the news headlines,no constantly talking about it
It hardly enters my head now
thankfully

I agree OP. Was thinking just yesterday that life is as it was before, except DH works from home mostly now. So relieved.