Get out into the sun this weekend!

Franbern we are delaying getting the virus , because for many of us catching it could be the last thing we ever do, Not everyone will bounce back from this illness, some may have permanent lung damage and some will not survive at all.
I’d rather wait and take reasonable precautions, try to spend as much time in the sun as I can, daily Vitamin tablets.
It might be more problematic in the Winter Months though, but possibly a vaccine might be in the works.
At least we have a garden, I feel for the people with children who have no outside space. Been there, didnt like it.

For anyone wishing to get out and about toenjoy some sunshine, but are concerned about thelack of public toilet facilities, takea look atthe various types of 'Travel Toilets' available online via most large camping shops, E-bay and Amazon. There are simple devices such as the Shee-wee which are standard issue to females in the British military, to Travel John, a form of disposable urinal, to the information on how to make a homemade tempory Loo using a bucket, bin liners and cat litter. There are whole threads regarding this issue on most of the camping and backpacking forums, some of the ideas have been developed with the less.mobile or disabled camper in mind, who needs to 'go' urgently without much prior notice, and often in an area where a public loo cannot be found. Well worth taking a look at whats available, you may be quite suprised!

janeainsworth-thanks for that link.

BlueSky I think that in the last few years it has been discovered that many people, including children, are extremely low in Vitamin D, perhaps as a result of the encouragement to use sun creams, avoid getting too much exposure to the sun for the fear of getting skin cancer.

Thanks Callistemon

people have been able to get out into the sun since lockdown started,nothing has changed except we can go out more than once a day .We've been taking VitD for years after a doctor friend advised it,she said everyone in the UK needed to supplement it because the sun does not supply enough especially the further north you go .

I think that NICE brought out new guidelines not many years ago.

There have been some instances of rickets in children in recent years.

Very interesting. Thanks for both links MawB. I have also read that scientists are looking into the presence (or otherwise) of oestrogen in connection with fewer women dying than men.

I hope too that many GNers will be among the 3.5m of us that have joined the Zoe Tracker covid.joinzoe.com
This is a massive survey to map the spread of the virus by Imperial College, London.

You are right about rickets Callistemon.

A friend of mine is a practice nurse in London and horrifyingly has had cases in her surgery.

Every one as you would expect is from a certain ethnic group.

She said they have to be so careful how they broach the problem with the parents.

Apparently there were some cases of rickets in Australia, as a result of the very cautious 'slip-slop-slap' slogans about protecting everyone, especially young children, from the sun. There are, too, very many cases of skin cancers in Australia so it is difficult to know just how to strike a balance.

Thanks, MawB. Strange coincidence but last night I ordered some Vit D tablets online! Being in Scotland it can be hard to get enough sunshine (leaden grey skies here today ?) at the best of times so I figured topping up with tablets won’t do any harm.

I wonder if the difference between us and the Scandinavian countries is that they seem to lead a more outdoor life. Children’s nurseries are often forest-style and people seem to generally be outside more than we do. In Scotland, when it’s so often wet, there’s no incentive to be outside!

EsspeeI need to take vitamin d because have had several skin cancers removed or treated with chemotherapy cream..so have to use a high factor sunscreen..

Good point Suedonim about Scandinavian nurseries and schools! They even have the babies sleeping outside for their afternoon nap I believe.
I also remember reading about vitamin D deficiency featuring in a resurgence of rickets in children in inner city ethnic minority communities where the mothers stay indoors with their small children and there are no outdoor play facilities. Glasgow was a case in point - with the weather an extra factor.
Us post-war babies of course were dosed up with cod liver oil (Yuk!) and Virol to counter any Possible vitamin deficiencies.

@SueDonim, as per my pp, I think the trad. Scandinavian consumption of a lot of oily fish containing natural Vit. D might have something to do with it.

I will have to search for the article I found re Trinity College Dublin research which basically said the difference between Spain, Italy, sunny countries which have higher figures of Covid 19 as opposed to Scandinavian countries is the latter countries daily intake of Vit D 500IU being much more efficient in oral intake as opposed to being in the sun.

I have been taking Accrete D for six years which has the recommended dose.

Sorry I can’t do links. EurekAlert.gov will show the link.

400IU not 500

Oh yes, Witzend, the fish, too. I’ve gone right off most fish in recent years, and esp oily fish. Yesterday my Dh was talking about his mother feeding snoek fish to the family when he was a child. I’d never heard of it before! Scott’s Emulsion was my nemesis. ?

Thank you to MawB - I remembered to take a Vit D tablet today and exposed my arms to the sun for a while.

They even have the babies sleeping outside for their afternoon nap I believe
MawB I think it’s likely that the majority of Gransnetters slept outside in their prams back in the day

My DC slept outside in their prams as well

Kalu I think this is your article?
www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-05/tcd-vdd051220.php

And some of them, JaneAinsworth/outside the butcher’s/ grocer’s / Post Office .
Hands up all those whose mums admitted to forgetting them outside the shops !

I did that Maw...my 4th child, daughter.....I walked to town with her in her beautiful Silver Cross pram when she was 3weeks old...went to the butcher's in the market hall...then left the market to go to W.H.Smiths..started to look at magazines..then screamed out "oh my God I've left my baby in the market"as I hurtled through the door like a mad woman...sprinted all the way,crying also..and thankfully there she was,exactly where I'd left her...(heart racing now just thinking about it)

MawB don't we all know about Vitamin D by now? We don't need 'experts' to tell us that it's good for immunity, do we?

Hetty , I think that most of us know that. However it’s interesting that the lack of it could be a factor contributing to contracting this virus.
Although we know the theory sometimes some of us forget and don’t do the joined up writing.
I, for instance, didn’t think Ahh, it’s because their skin is darker therefore they may be lacking in Vit D.