The decision to end restrictions is dangerous and premature, unethical and illogical.

I think the other issue at the moment is that vaccinated people often have a very mild dose, so they aren’t aware they have been infected, and don’t test, but can still pass it on.

According to DrJohns latest blog the main age group that are contracting the virus are 18 + therefore most of them won’t have been vaccinated yet. imo that age group should try to avoid vulnerable people and it would be good if they wore masks. It’s great that they’re now able to lead a slightly more normal life but until they’ve been vaccinated they do have a responsibility towards younger and older age groups. And, of course, themselves. It’s sh** that so many young people are not living the sort of life they expected or deserved to, though, and my heart does go out to them.

MayBee70

According to DrJohns latest blog the main age group that are contracting the virus are 18 + therefore most of them won’t have been vaccinated yet. imo that age group should try to avoid vulnerable people and it would be good if they wore masks. It’s great that they’re now able to lead a slightly more normal life but until they’ve been vaccinated they do have a responsibility towards younger and older age groups. And, of course, themselves. It’s sh** that so many young people are not living the sort of life they expected or deserved to, though, and my heart does go out to them.

This is why I feel restrictions shouldn’t have been lifted until every has had an opportunity to have both doses.

Incredibly unfair to the young

I just don’t think any of this has been thought through. I mean, most of us can work out that doing certain things will have a knock on effect but the government seem blind to it all.

I can see why they didn't wait until the younger age groups had received two doses that would be September that's coming into Autumn when all the children are going back to school.
Summer surely is a better time when other respiratory illness is lower.
They probably knew uptake was going to be lower amongst the young they in the main do not suffer as much also one dose with their prime immune systems will have a good effect.
My DIL has just tested positive she is a bit older early 30s and only received 2nd dose a day before catching it she has no symptoms whatsoever and is asthmatic

Can I just say, stop the world now, I want to get off. I’ve had enough of it now. It’s just so depressing. When will it end? It feels like never. I’m talking about Covid, not the restrictions.

maddyone tedious isn’t it but it will pass For me best to get on with life as normal and not give it so much thought.
This pingdemic is causing problems but have solved that one I pressed delete
Pointless worrying about what may or may not happen Most of the experts can’t agree some upbeat some doom and gloom

We're getting there maddyone.

When we recall where we were a year ago things have got so much better. And they are improving, its just that I think we are programmed to always look for the negatives. DH and I play a "game" now watching the news...waiting for the "but".

Here's some good news BUT the end of the world is nigh.

Alegrias1

Whitewavemark2

PHE have said that a new variant is under investigation in England.

There is no evidence to suggest it makes the vaccines less effective or causes more severe illness, PHE said.

Incidentally, with regard to Beta:

Real-world data out of Canada shows one dose of AstraZeneca’s vaccine is highly effective against preventing hospitalization and/or death caused by SARS-CoV-2 VOCs

•Alpha (B.1.1.7): 90%
•Delta (B.1.617.2): 87%
•Gamma (P.1): 82%
•Beta (B.1.351): 82%

twitter.com/Coronavirusgoo1/status/1418564785570996228

I really do hope this information coming from Canada is correct, as it would help me feel more confident about AZ.

I wonder how they acquired it as Canada were recommending Pfizer or Moderna as a 2nd shot if first vaccine was AstraZeneca? abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/canada-pfizer-moderna-preferred-2nd-dose-astrazeneca-78346055

Unfortunately the Forbes information wasn’t so positive suggesting AZ was only 10% effective against the beta variant.
www.forbes.com/sites/jvchamary/2021/06/30/coronavirus-vaccines-effective-variants/?sh=1b1bcc4e37a5

Things have got better in that we have a vaccine. Having said that, it’s quite obvious to people on here that I’m a worrier and err on the side of pessimism but even I thought this pandemic would run its course and be over by now. And now Israel are finding the effect of the vaccine isn’t lasting as long as everyone thought it would. I just hope it’s just a blip and maybe the figures are wrong. It’s on DrJohns latest blog if anyone wants to check it out and let me know what they think.

Juicywords

Canada uses the Oxford vaccine as well as the others. The numbers they give in this study refer to effectiveness after one dose of the Oxford vaccine.

The 10% quoted by Forbes was from a small study of younger patients and only referred to the effectiveness against contracting mild to moderate illness. They new data is about hospitalisation and death.

I didn't quote your whole post Juicywords to save it getting too long

And now Israel are finding the effect of the vaccine isn’t lasting as long as everyone thought it would.

The protection against serious illness is still around 86%, Dr Campbell said. There is a reduction in effectiveness against transmission. We thought there might not be any protection against transmission at all so any protection at all is good.

We might need boosters, which everybody thought we would need anyway.

Yes I think boosters have been planned for the autumn for certain groups for quite some time.

Alegrias1

^And now Israel are finding the effect of the vaccine isn’t lasting as long as everyone thought it would.^

The protection against serious illness is still around 86%, Dr Campbell said. There is a reduction in effectiveness against transmission. We thought there might not be any protection against transmission at all so any protection at all is good.

We might need boosters, which everybody thought we would need anyway.

Thanks Alegrias. I did listen to it late at night and didn’t want to listen to it again. I don’t feel quite so worried now!

Good, happy to read that MayBee70

Whitewavemark2

Imagine how health workers are feeling

I can tell you how my NHS daughter is feeling right now. She is in tears. I have spoken to her for the last hour and she couldn’t stop being upset, she is being treated for PTS. She feels she can’t go anywhere where people are not respecting distancing and masks. She has had covid twice and had her two vaccinations. She wanted to go away for six days, first holiday since March 2019, unfortunately three days in she was pinged and had to go home. She is back at a job she loves, she prefers to work. In her hospital they cannot open up wards because there are not enough doctors or nurses. ICU beds are being crammed in till there is no more space and there are no spaces in other local hospitals. No visitors are being allowed in now. People are being stupid doing excentrique things causing accidents and filling up beds just because they are free. I can’t go and visit her and she says it is too dangerous for me.

mokryna what is the time scale with your daughter and her two covid infections?
Had she been double vaccinated before she caught the virus the first time, and how long was it between the two infections?

I’m interested because I believe it’s still relatively unusual to have the virus twice.

Thank you to the posters who have given me a few words of encouragement. We need encouragement when we wobble, it’s such a long drawn out event. Thank you Rosie and Alegrias, I do feel better when I hear/read positive things. Maybee I know you’re a worrier, keep your chin up, and take all precautions possible to help you worry less. Mokryna, I’m so sorry to hear about your daughter. What a horrible time she’s been having. I hope her episodes of Covid weren’t too serious. It’s horribly bad luck to get it twice, although I know it can happen. I also understand the stress levels in the NHS. My daughter and son-in-law have gone to New Zealand because they’d had enough of NHS stress over the last year or so.
It just seems to me that every time we’re making progress, it all starts again. That’s why I need to hear positive things about it. Maybe by September when more younger people are vaccinated we’ll see some real progress, and fewer cases.

Sorry since Autumn 2019.

JenniferEccles

mokryna what is the time scale with your daughter and her two covid infections?
Had she been double vaccinated before she caught the virus the first time, and how long was it between the two infections?

I’m interested because I believe it’s still relatively unusual to have the virus twice.

First time end of March 2020, lasting cough, temperature, very tired, ached etc but no test available at that time. She had to go back to work because long Covid wasn’t recognized. Second, 23(?) December 2020 tested at the hospital, as they do for the staff, positive but hardly any symptoms. She had her injections in February this year.

I don’t understand people. A local pub is having some sort of beer festival and people are posting pictures of themselves with their beer. I know it’s outside etc etc but people lose all inhibitions after a few beers. They’re also planning a festival of some kind to attract lots of people to the village. Would have been a great idea at any other time. It’s a bit like last summer when everyone seemed to be living a semi normal life and I was still avoiding everyone! It’s as if people are living in different dimensions to each other.

Maddyone, is it simple and quick to take yourself off to NZ as a doctor? My dd is getting fed up of the NHS, too. Not that I want her to go so far away, it’s bad enough having one child in the US.

Today’s positive tests are 20,000 less than last Saturday, still hoping this is going to continue in a downwards trajectory.

It isn’t just me that panicked when they listened to DrJohns blog last night. He’s just done another one which explained it better and was quite reassuring regarding the vaccines in the U.K. but worrying for people in the USA.

Sue they made the decision and were gone in about four months. New Zealand is short of doctors and so they find jobs easily. I can’t blame them but I miss them so much. There are agencies that sort more or less everything out for them. The only thing that held them up slightly was waiting for accommodation in the quarantine hotel. That costs a lot of money but their Practice in New Zealand gave them the money to cover that. They were going for one Practice on the South Island and then changed their minds and decided on another Practice on the North Island. They’ve gone for two years initially, but who knows, they may decide to stay. That’s my fear, but I would never try to change their minds. Anyway, it seems there are plenty of jobs available.
Like everyone on here who is separated from family, I would feel much better about it all if I could book tickets and know I’d be flying out there at a specific time. We’re all in limbo aren’t we?
I hope for your sake that your daughter doesn’t decide to go, but when you’ve watched as you and I have over this period, seen the exhaustion, understood the stress they’re under, seen the difficulties when they’re told grandparents can’t do childcare, watched the struggles and the frustration, then you think, if it’s better in NZ then so be it.