Page 6 | AIBU to be sick of people who think it's all back to normal?

JanusTheFirst · 2023-01-01T09:16:56+00:00

Woke to the news that my cousin died early this morning of Covid. No underlying conditions and she was vaccinated. But she was elderly. She hardly ever went out but must have picked it up on a rare outing to the local shop. People are still dying and we should still be looking out for those vulnerable to this awful disease. It isn't all back to normal. My cousin is dead and she wouldn't be but for Covid.

DarkKarmaIlama · 01/01/2023 11:10

Unfortunately I do think you’re being unreasonable as it’s nothing new in the sense that influenza kills people each year (and all ages but predominantly the elderly).

I’ve just had flu and I can certainly see how it would be fatal in older people but this has been the case forever. There is no solution, medical science has given us vaccines and that is the best that we can currently do right now. No one is immortal.

IDontCareMatthew · 01/01/2023 11:11

@ancientgran shouldn't? Was a law passed or something then?

MarysGirlChildWasLate4ChristmasDay · 01/01/2023 11:11

ZiriForEver · 01/01/2023 11:05

I'm not saying it is perfect, but the thread was about elderly (so presumably retired), who are taking precautions on their side (not going to crowded places when unnecessary) so if the other shoppers/commuters do the decent thing, it would significantly help with their risk levels.

I am aware that working with children, especially the small one, comes with meeting illnesses left and right. I don't have a simple solution to that. Still, it doesn't prevent anyone from breaking the chain and just taking mask for those 15 minutes in a shop.

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Yes forcing teachers to mask up whilst you WFH fuckers can flounce around maskless.
That will help the teaching retention crisis.

ancientgran · 01/01/2023 11:12

Chippy1234 · 01/01/2023 10:52

I am not sure most people cannot afford a test. They are £2. Yes, of course there are few people but it’s not most….

During the height of the pandemic and before jabs were in place people were doing all sorts to suit their own lives.

There must be no more lockdowns, no shutting the schools. My DF died with Covid on his death certificate, it wasn’t the main cause. He was old and not in good health but if they had put Covid as the main cause I would have queried it.

Its one of the many things you could pass away from. Smoking is a killer. Doesn’t stop people smoking. Drinking excessively is a horrible disease yet it’s rife and causes so many issues. Despite alcohol being expensive some people just find the money for it to the detriment of their families.

There are laws about smoking, you can't buy tobacco products if you are under 18, you can't smoke in public buildings. Also laws about alcohol, again you can't buy it if you are under 18 and you can get arrested for drunk driving or drunk and disorderly. So there are steps to try and control them.

PurpleWisteria1 · 01/01/2023 11:13

Twiglets1 · 01/01/2023 10:26

I believe they don't work at protecting the wearer of the mask but they work (to some extent at least) at protecting other people if the wearer of the mask is infectious themselves, particularly if they are coughing.
The flaw is that people generally won't wear a mask while they feel well (I'm the same) and Covid (like flu) is most infectious before the symptoms really show.

I would still wear a mask if I was coughing though, it could protect some people from catching my infection.

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Are you not aware what is happening in China right now?
They have ‘proper masks’
Everyone wears one at all times when in public weather they are ill or not.
Close to 100% compliance as it’s an authoritarian state.
Millions upon millions of new infections DAILY now that people arnt isolating, despite EVERYONE wearing masks in public all the time.
They DONT WORK!

Aposterhasnoname · 01/01/2023 11:13

JanusTheFirst · 01/01/2023 09:28

I expect people to test if they are ill and isolate themselves until they are clear. I blame those who do not test and spread it around without even wearing a mask.

I blame those who think they may have it but don't test and don't wear a mask to stop it spreading.

I expect people to care for the wider community but it seems it's too big and ask for some here.

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How are people supposed to test when there are no free tests available anymore? Half the country can’t afford to heat their houses but you want them to pay for a test (several actually if it’s a family) every time they have a sniffle. And don’t get me started on the incredible privilege behind imaging that everyone can take a week off work when feeling absolutely fine.

Athenen0ctua · 01/01/2023 11:13

doingitforyorkshire · 01/01/2023 09:34

The hospitals at the moment are busy with people very ill with the flu, there are some covid patients, but most are flu patients.

There are no tests for flu, you don't know if your carrying it and are asymptomatic, you can't test to see if you have it etc.

I think the biggest issue at the moment is people will test and if the COVID test is negative they will crack on as usual despite the flu being the biggest danger at the moment.

I think there should be less focus on COVID and more focus on respiratory illness in general as clearly, it's not just COVID that's the issue, its now just one of many that can be dangerous for the vulnerable, but the only one that's tested for and that can lead to a false sense of security in relation to the others.

So yes in some ways we are back to normal as we have to manage our illnesses the way we did before with the likes of flu etc as all of the other ones are back in the game now and like I mentioned above, cant be tested for so to avoid singling COVID out and being complacent about the others we need to consider the danger of all of them.

Excellent post

Chippy1234 · 01/01/2023 11:13

But people still find the money to do it AncientGran. And then complain they won’t fund a £2 test because they don’t have any money.

Grassisbluer · 01/01/2023 11:14

FrostyFifi · 01/01/2023 09:48

I expect people to test if they are ill and isolate themselves until they are clear. I blame those who do not test and spread it around without even wearing a mask.

DH is self employed and can't afford to so sorry but no.

I do of course understand why people can't isolate in your DH's case, but people frequently cite this as a reason when it's certainly not the only reason people don't test.
I know siblings who were both sent home from school sick. Mum didn't bother testing and just sent them back the next day. Dad was ill with Covid so chances they had Covid were high. Mum is a stay-at-home-parent. I don't get it. Some people do behave selfishly without a good reason. I'm not sure if they don't think things through, or that they do but just don't care.

LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet · 01/01/2023 11:14

I’m sorry about your cousin but YABVU. Elderly people die of flu, of bad colds, of all manner of low level illnesses. This fear we have only because we’ve been told to have it is irrational and the COVID Stasi’s and their mouth frothing need to destroy lives with another lockdown or force people to confirm with mask wearing are far more scary IMO.

Also <prepares for flaming>
I think as a human race we also need to get over the thought of death being unnatural or offensive. Elderly people dying is always sad but it is also inevitable, and it will come to us all. Telling one another that death is an outrage is very strange when you boil it down, and it’s not healthy for people to be angry that death happens.

Fizbosshoes · 01/01/2023 11:14

When I had covid last year I was showing positive even on day 10. It was between Christmas and NY so I only needed a few days off work as I was off anyway. (At that point the rules were isolate for 10 days but you could go out at 7 days if you had 2 negative tests.)

I felt fine to go out after about day 6 and actually even when I felt unwell I still felt a bit fraudulent asking a friend to drop off some essentials, before I could get an online delivery.

However now I'm sure a lot people would struggle with having up to 8 days off work especially if they didn't feel too unwell. DH is self employed and doesn't normally take time off for colds etc, although obviously he did when it was covid. Before Christmas , he had a cold for over a week and still went to work although he mostly works alone

ancientgran · 01/01/2023 11:15

IDontCareMatthew · 01/01/2023 11:11

@ancientgran shouldn't? Was a law passed or something then?

Decent people with a moral compass don't need a law to know they shouldn't be spreading flu or covid. Next time you moan about not being able to get a GP appointment or about your loved one having their operation delayed just think if you have been spreading covid or flu you are one of the causes for those issues.

fdgdfgdfgdfg · 01/01/2023 11:15

Terribly sorry for your loss, but this is normal now. COVID is just another one of those diseases that x number of people die from every year. It'll be the same for the rest of our lifetimes. No, it's not the same as it was in 2019, but it is normal.

LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet · 01/01/2023 11:16

Regarding “it’s back to normal” - no it’s not because vulnerable people and people who’ve lost their homes and businesses due to unnecessary and OTT lockdowns are still poor, jobless and homeless and taxpayers such as myself will spend the rest of their lives paying for the effects of the government’s stupid choices during the pandemic.

LivelyBlake · 01/01/2023 11:16

Wouldn’t it be easier if the vulnerable protected themselves against airborne viruses?

Wearing Fp2 masks, social distancing, ventilating, doing their shopping online, meeting people outdoors etc

Tukmgru · 01/01/2023 11:17

Pleasecreateausername13 · 01/01/2023 09:24

So sorry for your loss OP - but I have to ask, in a perfect world what would we be doing differently?

Unfortunately we have to learn to live with it. We tried lockdowns, jabs and nothing has worked so( and this is just my opinion) we have to get on with life as best we can.

@Pleasecreateausername13 what on earth are you on about? Without the lockdowns and the jabs many, many more would have died. They both worked.

As to learning to live with it, yes of course up to a point. We have to live with all sorts of diseases but we take precautions, no? We take our vaccines, we stay home when sick so we don’t infect others, we wear condoms…

Ch3wylemon · 01/01/2023 11:17

I'm sorry to hear this OP - it sounds like it was a shock and of course it's always sad to lose someone we love I lost a parent in March 2020 and it feels like they were just a statistic as we move towards a narrative that all of the restrictions were pointless. It's easy to forget that we are able to live with it at a population level because it is now less dangerous to the public as a whole whilst remaining a significant risk to people who are elderly or in poor health.

I also think the important current context is that more people are currently hospitalised with flu viruses than covid. People are dying with both.

I had hoped that the pandemic had taught us some lessons about spreading disease and yet my attempts to keep my distance from people in shops and public spaces are usually frustrated. I'm healthy and have been vaxxed against both flu and covid - I still don't want people coughing on me.

Yes - we have to learn to live with it. But that doesn't mean being thoughtless.

MarysGirlChildWasLate4ChristmasDay · 01/01/2023 11:17

LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet · 01/01/2023 11:16

Regarding “it’s back to normal” - no it’s not because vulnerable people and people who’ve lost their homes and businesses due to unnecessary and OTT lockdowns are still poor, jobless and homeless and taxpayers such as myself will spend the rest of their lives paying for the effects of the government’s stupid choices during the pandemic.

And lives. Let's not forget that suicides and murders soared as a direct result of COVID measures.

IDontCareMatthew · 01/01/2023 11:18

Chippy1234 · 01/01/2023 11:13

But people still find the money to do it AncientGran. And then complain they won’t fund a £2 test because they don’t have any money.

Complain?? £2 per person per test....that's £10 a go for us...and you don't test just the once do you?

How can people afford to test an entire family? And what do you do if positive if you are watching your finances? You carry on and go to work, that's what!

louderthan · 01/01/2023 11:19

I agree with you op. I was talking with my mum and her friends, my mum said 'oh covid just seems like a distant nightmare now doesn't it?'. Her friend, who is classed as clinically vulnerable (not old!!), said 'It's still very much a present nightmare for me!'
There are still many many people who are immono-compromised who are reluctant to go out because all precautions have been abandoned. I'm still wearing a mask on public transport and in crowded indoor spaces because if it affords even the tiniest bit of protection for a vulnerable person who might become severely I'll or die if they catch covid then it's the least I can do.

nicknamehelp · 01/01/2023 11:19

Covid us going to be with us forever now like colds and flu. We can't live in bubbles isolating forever do yes we do need to get on with life. I'm sorry for your loss but death is a fact of life and when it's your time it's your time

FancyFanny · 01/01/2023 11:19

Covid is going to be here forever. It's never going away.

Are you prepared to live with restrictions for the rest of your life?

EngTech · 01/01/2023 11:19

Sorry about your loss

I think it is a case of two years lock down and now the normal bugs, for want of a better word, are running rife as we have lost the normal herd immunity

Flu is now the major problem with CV 19 second

Coupled with the NHS omnishambles is not helping either

IDontCareMatthew · 01/01/2023 11:21

No @ancientgran it's nothing to do with being a decent human being etc etc

If you work with people then you just have to get on with it

ancientgran · 01/01/2023 11:21

FancyFanny · 01/01/2023 11:19

Covid is going to be here forever. It's never going away.

Are you prepared to live with restrictions for the rest of your life?

Staying at home when you are ill doesn't seem unreasonable.