SARS CoV-2 coronavirus / Covid-19 (No tin foil hat silliness please)

Schmeichel's Cartwheel said:
I can work from home twice a week

Lets say I have covid & I’m asymptomatic, wouldn’t it be more dangerous for me to go into my office with 100+ people, some of them old, then go to my friends house with 3-4 people, all of them young?

I know, economy & that, but there’s clearly a double standard.

This lockdown is going to have dire effects on people’s mental health, especially if they live alone. Most people see their friends at the weekends to destress & forget about work, taking that away from people for a considerable amount of time is going to have consequences.
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Work is far more essential for the economy and society than is seeing your mates so that is a false and almost irrelevant equivalency.

Nothing is consequence free but for most people not partying with your mates for a few months is something we can all cope with for the greater good.

And if your work requires attendance then they should be minimising risk.
 
Dave_MUFC said:
How do they know if it's a new strain or not?
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That's me assuming, I should've said. But she's in the area where cases seem to be exploding and I keep reading about how the newer strain is affecting younger people worse.
 
Solius said:
That's me assuming, I should've said. But she's in the area where cases seem to be exploding and I keep reading about how the newer strain is affecting younger people worse.
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You said it as if it were fact, but it could be the older strain. Irresponsible.
 
Wibble said:
Work is far more essential for the economy and society than is seeing your mates so that is a false and almost irrelevant equivalency.

Nothing is consequence free but for most people not partying with your mates for a few months is something we can all cope with for the greater good.

And if your work requires attendance then they should be minimising risk.
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True but work and life are linked, and productivity tends to be higher when people's sense of wellbeing is better.

At this time, there's been a real risk of burning out by asking people to continuously produce without proper respite. While I agree that 'seeing your mates at the pub doesn't sound important, it's about taking into account the various factors that can negatively impact wellbeing, and how people might struggle to cope with less alternatives that ensure a healthy work/life balance.
 
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Smores said:
Depends what you've been doing really as to how much the risk varies. Anyone having a house party at any point since March is a feckless idiot in my book.
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Was there a massive spike after VE day in early May? I went for an hour walk that day and there were massive street parties on all the roads around me with lack of traffic at the time. Add in the mass gatherings on beaches on the South coast for the May bank holiday and beyond. Not even sure masks were advised at that time, just 2m distance as masks in shops only became mandatory on 23rd July which massively surprised me, public transport a month before.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/...ntres-and-enclosed-transport-hubs-from-friday

Lockdowns do work and it's inevitable we'll have one early next month but so far the only thing I've seen that can really push covid back is long spells of humid, hot weather.

In late July pubs have been open for 3 weeks, masks were only mandatory in shops for a few days and generally many more people were out and above, 0 deaths on July 30th which I think was a Thursday. 63 weekly deaths from covid between 3rd-7th August to pluck a random week out of the air.

So whatever was working then should be applied now....ah right it was 30 odd degrees around then. Perhaps I'm too simplistic but that's the big problem I think, sadly more people just die in winter and covid is just another trend whatever you do. Dosen't mean we shouldn't take every step to prevent things but ultimately they'll always be stuff beyond your control and the Weather is certainly one part of that, hasn't even been that harsh a winter yet at least.
 
Tibs said:
Lockdown should be starting on 26th in the UK, why we are waiting for it to become a bigger issue is beyond me.

Shut it down for 6 weeks, vaccine as much as possible, slowly ease restrictions in mid-Feb and we slowly 'return to normal'.

Also stunned by the number of selfish cnuts on my insta who are paying no attention to any guidance.
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I'd sign up for that right now, January is a depressing month as it is in normal times after the xmas celebrations so no issue bunkering down for that and February is a few more days shorter at least.... :nervous:

Does surprise me the government isn't dangling some more carrots like a few more restrictions eased in March if we lockdown and we can vaccinate xxx number a week up to March....unless they're completely incapable of getting that number out which will be the usual way it will play out I suspect.
 
My missus has it (shes only 26) and was very poorly last week to the extent she was close to calling for an ambulance. Thankfully she's better but its frightening considering her age and generally healthy lifestyle. My parents also had it earlier in the year (both frontline doctors) and only displayed mild symptoms. It does feel like a roll of the dice with what you get with it.
 
Kaos said:
My missus has it (shes 26) and was very poorly last week to the extent she was close to calling for an ambulance. Thankfully she's better but its frightening considering her age and generally healthy lifestyle.
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Crikey! Glad she’s getting better, a wake up call for people who think just because they’re young they will be okay.
 
Berbasbullet said:
Crikey! Glad she’s getting better, a wake up call for people who think just because they’re young they will be okay.
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Thanks. And yeah absolutely - admittedly I started to feel a little complacent and fed up over the last few months, and I'm considerably less fit than she is :nervous:
 
Vidyoyo said:
True but work and life are linked, and productivity tends to be higher when people's sense of wellbeing is better.

At this time, there's been a real risk of burning out by asking people to continuously produce without proper respite. While I agree that 'seeing your mates at the pub doesn't sound important, it's also about taking into account the various factors that can negatively impact wellbeing and how people might struggle to cope with less alternatives available to ensure a good work/life balance. It's fine in the short term but less so in the long term.
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It isn't unimportant but it isn't essential for a relatively short period during a pandemic for the vast majority of us.
 
Kaos said:
My missus has it (shes only 26) and was very poorly last week to the extent she was close to calling for an ambulance. Thankfully she's better but its frightening considering her age and generally healthy lifestyle. My parents also had it earlier in the year (both frontline doctors) and only displayed mild symptoms. It does feel like a roll of the dice with what you get with it.
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Glad to hear she's doing better :)
 
A personal anecdote to share with you.

I work at one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK. One of my colleagues received a positive result today (she is asymptomatic) and is now isolating.

I'm asymptomatic and have been following guidelines. Myself and my colleagues have been trying to get a test since the news, however across the multiple hospitals at the trust, there's no asymptomatic testing available until 4th-12th Jan. The reason why? We've been told it's because all the students have gone home for Xmas and they're overbooked. Likewise, the home testing kits aren't available for collection until 4th Jan either.

Therefore occupational health are advising us to self isolate for 10 days and if we develop symptoms in this time, we can book for a symptomatic swab test (hopefully quicker than 4th Jan!)
 
Schmeichel's Cartwheel said:
That’s how it sounds to me :lol:

I know everyone in this thread thinks I’m some sort of tinfoil hat wearing “scamdemic” type, but I’m actually not. I know it’s very real & ive followed the rules. I just don’t see how we are doing anything other than going around in circles when I’ve been in my office & I see how there’s next to no social distancing, my friends have said similar, my girlfriend works in Morrison’s, she’s said similar, I walk past metrolinks every day & they are hammered. We had media encouraged mass gatherings for protests over the summer, that was fine too. It just seems odd to me that all of that is completely fine but how dare you go to see your friends for a drink.
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Maybe if you didn’t use phrases like “house party or “piss ups” people would empathise with you more. Instead you came across as selfish and immature
 
Schmeichel's Cartwheel said:
I can work from home twice a week

Lets say I have covid & I’m asymptomatic, wouldn’t it be more dangerous for me to go into my office with 100+ people, some of them old, then go to my friends house with 3-4 people, all of them young?

I know, economy & that, but there’s clearly a double standard.

This lockdown is going to have dire effects on people’s mental health, especially if they live alone. Most people see their friends at the weekends to destress & forget about work, taking that away from people for a considerable amount of time is going to have consequences.
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We get that. I haven’t physically seen family or friends since March. I didn’t attend the funeral of my brother or mother who both passed in that timescale.

sometimes you gotta suck it up and think of the bigger picture
 
Solius said:
My mum works in a GP surgery and said a 28 year old died. No underlying conditions either.

Back to being terrified again.
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Those are luckily just anomalies and not standard procedure. You should be rightfully cautious but constantly being in a terrified state of mind is quite draining and not sustainable because it's gonna be around for a while still.
 
Volumiza said:
:( it's just so indiscriminate.
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It makes me incredibly worried about my gf. She’s working in retail up until late Christmas eve and then right after Christmas until the new year. Just so many potential exposures.
 
RobinLFC said:
Those are luckily just anomalies and not standard procedure. You should be rightfully cautious but constantly being in a terrified state of mind is quite draining and not sustainable because it's gonna be around for a while still.
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I know it’s irrational but it just worries me. Tbf the last time it was on my mind this much was back in April. Just reading things like this and a few family members having it has me concerned again.

They say they don’t think the new strain is any more deadly but they also said they didn’t think the virus would come here from China.

Also I thought they’d found ways to make it far less deadly now. So I’m confused as to why young people especially are dying from it.
 
Solius said:
I know it’s irrational but it just worries me. Tbf the last time it was on my mind this much was back in April. Just reading things like this and a few family members having it has me concerned again.

They say they don’t think the new strain is any more deadly but they also said they didn’t think the virus would come here from China.

Also I thought they’d found ways to make it far less deadly now. So I’m confused as to why young people especially are dying from it.
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Still worth remembering this isn't the norm. Yes, you will hear instances about young, seemingly healthy people succumbing to it, but again you also hear of younger people dying from heart attacks, picking up neurological conditions like Parkinson's and what not. I'm not inviting any complacency or trying to downplay the severity of it, but the data still overwhelmingly has younger people at far less risk to its severity.

Stay safe and remain cautious, but don't let it cripple you with anxiety.
 
Solius said:
They say they don’t think the new strain is any more deadly but they also said they didn’t think the virus would come here from China.
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Not sure, but I think mutations are either more contagious or more deadly. Its purpose is to co-exist with humans so a very deadly mutation wouldn't be this contagious since it would kill more and have less opportunities to infect others (that's what I think though, not sure if that makes sense).
 
RobinLFC said:
Not sure, but I think mutations are either more contagious or more deadly. Its purpose is to co-exist with humans so a very deadly mutation wouldn't be this contagious since it would kill more and have less opportunities to infect others (that's what I think though, not sure if that makes sense).
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Being more contagious could also correlate with its severity when you take into account the likelihood of the a person being subjected to a bigger viral exposure.
 
Volumiza said:
I would hate that too, it just feels such a risky sector.
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Luckily her contract ends early Jan and she’s starting a new role where she can WFH if needed. Just need to get through this period!
 
SilentWitness said:
The question of mental health is tricky because it is so individual. You can be a person without mental health issues and suffer being alone during a lockdown or you can be a person that has mental health issues but can cope being alone during a lockdown or the various other scenarios that can play out in each case. That is why there are rules in place such as meeting outdoors for a walk with others as long as it’s socially distanced to try and help with that, or there are things such as video calling etc. Of course there should be a contingency plan in place for mental health such as check ups by professionals or a phone line for people to call into if they’re struggling etc. As someone with mental health problems I’m not oblivious to how to it feels to be alone or depressed during isolation but suffering with mental health does not mean I’m devoid of logic or common sense.
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Very good read from someone at the coalface. I feel that many of these armchair psychiatrists are raising the issue of mental health to push their own personal agenda and justify their own selfish behaviour. As a person with no history of mental health issues I can say that this pandemic has had an averse effect on my mental health and this has had a knock on effect with my physical health. In addition I am in a high risk group and I have been in an effective lockdown since March. At no time have I thought feck it I've had enough of this I'll take my chances. Look at the packed trains, packed supermarkets, other people not social distancing, the idiot we have for a prime minister. Blah. blah, blah. As you say being depressed does not have any effect on my ability to think or act in a rational, safe and responsible manner.
 
Jacko21 said:
Hancock press conference at 3pm.
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Obviously not lockdown then. Boris would announce that.

Speaking of Boris, EU is telling its states to prepare for an announcement.

Brexit announcement by Boris after the hancock presser?
 
RobinLFC said:
Not sure, but I think mutations are either more contagious or more deadly. Its purpose is to co-exist with humans so a very deadly mutation wouldn't be this contagious since it would kill more and have less opportunities to infect others (that's what I think though, not sure if that makes sense).
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I'm not sure that logic really works with a virus that causes mostly asymptomatic cases and has a long period before death. It could definitely be more contagious and significantly more deadly than the current variant and be successful. In a way we're lucky that this virus isn't much worse, hopefully some lessons learned and we fund preparations going forward.

Not that the virus makes any kind of evolutionary decision, it's just post hoc logic i.e variant x,y,z died out because they were too deadly.
 
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