Dancing with tiers in my eyes, Weeping for the memory of a life gone by

[dancemom]

New thread, a very appropriate title I feel ...

Looking good
Thanks @dancemom

• 2,515 new cases of COVID-19 reported
• 37,128 new tests for COVID-19 that reported results
◦ 7.3% of these were positive
• 17 new reported death(s) of people who have tested positive
• 66 people were in intensive care yesterday with recently confirmed COVID-19
• 965 people were in hospital yesterday with recently confirmed COVID-19
• 4,199,724 people have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccination and 3,843,000 have received their second dose

• 2,040 new cases of COVID-19 reported
• 28,673 new tests for COVID-19 that reported results
◦ 7.7% of these were positive
• 1 new reported death(s) of people who have tested positive (noting that Register Offices are now generally closed at weekends)

• 71 people were in intensive care yesterday with recently confirmed COVID-19
• 965 people were in hospital yesterday with recently confirmed COVID-19
• 4,208,546 people have received the first dose of the Covid vaccination and 3,845,180 have received their second dose

I'm so glad to have found this have-a-moan thread.

Last year it felt like we were progressing towards things being better. Now it feels like this is as good as it gets.

I'm in an older age group, living with a family member with health issues.
We're still going nowhere and seeing no-one.
I suspect many others are similar and that's why the figures for those categories are quite low.

@Nondescriptname welcome aboard!
Unfortunately covid is a highly mutating virus it's now here to stay we just have to hope the predictions that it will become like the common cold to majority of people with vaccination in the next year or two.

Thank you Scottishskifun

@Nondescriptname I’m sure you can moan on here, but pop over to railing if you’d like full on moaning 😃

Unfortunately I think you may be right @Nondescriptname
When looking at the data I've wondered for some time if the low numbers in the older age groups is because many are still staying home a lot and really limiting their contacts?

Just out of interest, has anyone been getting their booster jabs yet? If so, what health board are you under?

• 1,760 new cases of COVID-19 reported
• 19,959 new tests for COVID-19 that reported results
◦ 9.4% of these were positive
• 0 new reported death(s) of people who have tested positive (noting that Register Offices are now generally closed at weekends)

• 67 people were in intensive care yesterday with recently confirmed COVID-19
• 1,001 people were in hospital yesterday with recently confirmed COVID-19
• 4,217,940 people have received the first dose of the Covid vaccination and 3,847,118 have received their second dose

Yay - good to see a number beginning with 1, wonder if cases will rise after half term.

Friends in nhs and working in a care home have had their boosters.

Nain for us civvies.

Glad NHS and care are getting boosters, shame retail, education, public transport workers and other professions that involve contact with multiple people but under 50 are not. I am under 50 and fat my WFH marathon runner 50 year old pal will get a booster. I know it's my fault I am fat but still feels . It's the potential disruption to my exam classes that bothers me. I wonder if we will all still be PCR negative and back as protection starts to fade? Or would that be crediting them with the potential to plan ahead?

WHO has said no need for boosters for anyone except very vulnerable.

If that reassures anyone.

I'm taking it when I'm offered.

I need to speak with my GP to if I qualify for a booster or not. It wouldn't be until January time anyway due to when I had my last dose but I was seriously unwell with covid.
I wouldn't based on age but might due to previous infection experience!

I'd say if you had long covid you would be classed as pretty vulnerable so you should get the booster @Scottishskifun

Its a choice thing again. I'd choose to have it in a heartbeat. But if anyone chooses not to them thats entirely up to them.

The decision whether to give it to your teenage boys is a much harder one and I'd struggle with that. I'd probably give it to them, much as i did the mmr 20 years ago when the news was very scary.

@sartorius

Unfortunately I think you may be right *@Nondescriptname* When looking at the data I've wondered for some time if the low numbers in the older age groups is because many are still staying home a lot and really limiting their contacts?

My parents are in the older ager group - mid 70s.

Mum can't go to church as the numbers are still very limited and you have to book online which she cannot do.

Before the pandemic they were off-peak members at the local gym, mum went to pilates, they splashed about in the pool and drank coffee in the cafe. The gym closed for what seemed like ever and they have not gone back.

Before the pandemic they were both involved in the local village school (both former teachers). Mum went in to hear the wee ones do their reading and help out with crafts, Dad supervised the gardening group. All stopped because of Covid, no plans to resume.

Mum and Dad also helped organise the village's "Scotland in Bloom" entry by planting up hanging baskets, weeding, organising volunteers. All stopped because of Covid, no plans to resume.

Dad has some fairly serious memory issues, and is declining fairly rapidly. All the Alzheimers/Dementia support groups, discussion groups and social groups are online. (which they can't access). No plans to resume in person.

So yeah, going nowhere, seeing nobody and living a shitty life pretty much sums it up for them.

And meant to add - my parents absolutely would be going to dementia chat groups, or helping out at school, or planting up baskets if they were allowed to do so.

But they are not.

My parents haven't stayed in a single day during the last 18 months. Even when barely anything was open they'd fine someone to breathe all over them - at the post office, the Spar, whatever. During all the tier nonsense they gave not a fuck and regularly drove between regions because my Mum had an emergency involving new cushions or wallpaper or a jacket my Dad had seen weeks ago but they only had it in the Perth branch of the store...

Actually, they've had 20 days in - when they had Covid (but were thankfully just fine).

It's so strange that a lot of things, like the Scotland in Bloom thing, must be down essentially to one person's reading of the rules. I mean, it's outside for starters! We've just had a climate change festival in our town, for example, and as far as I know groups are all back on.

It's quite a lottery I guess.

@ssd yes, each to their own on the booster, it was just meant to be reassurance.

@BlameItOnTheBlackStar your parents sound just like DP and me - cluck and collects all over the place!

I understand schools not having people in but volunteering was allowed since last summer.
We have a Man shed near us who have been involved in quite a big local project. They worked away (mainly) outdoors all through the lockdown last winter and were an absolute lifeline for the attendees. Some of them it was only contact they had with another person every week.

Think unfortunately some organisations have just been too scared by covid to try and make things work. They've not considered the non-covid impacts. The deteriorating in some older people this last while is quite scary.

And having dementia services online 🤷🏼‍♀️ Who thought that was a good idea?

• 2,056 new cases of COVID-19 reported
• 21,358 new tests for COVID-19 that reported results
◦ 10.3% of these were positive
• 21 new reported death(s) of people who have tested positive

• 65 people were in intensive care yesterday with recently confirmed COVID-19
• 998 people were in hospital yesterday with recently confirmed COVID-19
• 4,223,719 people have received the first dose of the Covid vaccination and 3,849,656 have received their second dose

To be fair on the "Britain in Bloom" thing, the bulk of the planning, entering, allocating judges etc is done Jan/Feb/Mar when we were all still being told to STAY AT HOME and most definitely DO NOT cross county borders. SO even though the judging is usually July or August, they had already decided not to hold the competition for 2021.

In "ordinary" times, there is an active dementia resource centre in my parents' nearest town, they run "sporting memories" clubs which are right up my dad's street, where they get together and discuss rugby, or football, or golf or whatever, with visual prompts and a facilitator to keep the conversation flowing. While that's going on in one room, the carers have their own session to discuss living with someone who has dementia, and getting support from others in the same situation.

There are bowling clubs, coffee clubs, "day care" with activities so mum could go for a hair cut without needing me to drive 90 minutes there and 90 minutes back to babysit Dad, lunch clubs, music clubs... all cancelled. Notice on the website says "All of our groups are currently postponed in our localities. We are making plans to host these digitally and our website will be updated in due course."

So when Nicola stands behind her shitty wee podium and announces she's removing all restrictions, it's even more clear than ever that she has no clue what she's talking about.