PM Press Conference. Anyone else feeling despair?

Did I mean "despair" rather than "despairing"? Before the grammar police pick me up on it!

Dr Johns latest blog was quite upbeat today. I’ve always assumed, even though I’m a terrible pessimist/worrier, that the virus would weaken, albeit being more transmissible, and he seems to think it might be doing just that. Given that some of his recent blogs have upset me quite a bit I was relieved to have an upbeat one. Maybe I’m lucky ( if that word can be applied during a pandemic) in that my grandchildren are just school age so not missing out on university, gap years etc etc. I remember the feeling of absolute dread last year when I first heard that the virus was affecting younger and younger people and I realised it wasn’t just me at risk but my children and grandchildren. And then how upsetting it was to realise that the vaccine wasn’t totally effective against infection and transmission. I’ve been cast into total despair some days, more for worrying about my family than myself. But I am, tonight, allowing myself a glimmer of hope.

Josianne

That's an unfair growstuff if it was meant for me. Is one not allowed to have a down moment without having to think outside one's own box just for one day? No one mentioned not being grateful.

Of course we all know some people are having a much much tougher time, true depair time than us- and so does my grand-daughter. But turning this into a 'competion', as other comments have indicated- is really not helpful.

Teenagers are allowed to feel sad that normal life is passing them by at the moment, and knowing others are truly suffering is making the guilt and despair worse still. No wonder so many are suffering from mental issues at the moment.

maybe I spent the afternoon with my daughter and she said much the same, explaining how some viruses become less virulent as they mutate. We don’t know yet how virulent this one is, nor how ill it will make some people ( my words not DD who used scientific language) but it won’t take many weeks for information to begin to build up.

Vaccine may take as little as 4 months to produce, but more likely longer. So I suppose we are looking at next summer if it proves to be resistant to the current vaccine, and I think they seem to think it will be.

Uncertainty at the moment though.

Uncertainty at the moment though. And that is what makes people despair. It's like living on a volcano not knowing when it might erupt.

I'm not very good at the reassurance thing, I'm a girl for facts.

But what we do know is that the virus won't be resistant to the current vaccines. We might see a bit of loss of effectiveness, but what we have is super-good for the alpha and delta variants and so we are starting in a good place. And the more people who get vaccinated, the better.

I try not to compare this with previous pandemics, or try to compare it with how other viruses have mutated, because I don't think that is helpful for me to think that way. But just look how far we've come in the last year. A year ago nobody had had a vaccination, and look at us now.

I had it in my head that things would get worse over the winter and they seem to be doing that, to an extent. But I'm sitting here and its bucketing with rain outside and pitch dark; soon it will be spring and things will be getting better. As someone said above, this too shall pass.

... and this exacerbated by being far away.

Yes, it was our choice (well partly) but we could never expect this. The Covid/Brexit combo is really causing havoc in so so many ways, but with families too.

Me and my husband had our boosters on Sunday and we have been so bloody ill. I have lymph glands like testicles from Peppa pig world

Tbh I think that there is an assumption atm that the current vaccine whilst providing some protection may not provide sufficient protection.

But the jury is out.

The world needs to be vaccinated.

god loads of posts appeared whilst it took me ages to go to the fridge and the toilet and to look at the washing machine and comment how the dishwasher never beeped before but does now we have had it fixed properly

Tonight even I feel a bit covid weary. It seems like we take a few steps towards 'normality' of some sort and then we are back with a new worry.

Oh JaneJudge, sometimes I have no idea what you're talking about but you do make me laugh!!

oh no, poor you- hope it settles down soon. hugs

We all felt we were coming to the end of this, and so many were planning to get together at last and have family time- and now it is all tumbling down. First world problem - yes- but so below the belt, truly.

JaneJudge

Me and my husband had our boosters on Sunday and we have been so bloody ill. I have lymph glands like testicles from Peppa pig world

Blimey that sounds awful. Why do people have such different reactions I wonder? I felt terrible after the flu jab though.

Whitewavemark2

Tbh I think that there is an assumption atm that the current vaccine whilst providing some protection may not provide sufficient protection.

But the jury is out.

The world needs to be vaccinated.

I hope that it’s a wake up call to the world that it needs to take care of everybody, even if the reason is a selfish one. But I’m not holding my breath.

MayBee70

Whitewavemark2

Tbh I think that there is an assumption atm that the current vaccine whilst providing some protection may not provide sufficient protection.

But the jury is out.

The world needs to be vaccinated.

I hope that it’s a wake up call to the world that it needs to take care of everybody, even if the reason is a selfish one. But I’m not holding my breath.

Nor me, it will go the same way as the climate - self interest - no thought for anything or anyone else.

Kali2

... and this exacerbated by being far away.

Yes, it was our choice (well partly) but we could never expect this. The Covid/Brexit combo is really causing havoc in so so many ways, but with families too.

Yes, I know. My partner's son and family, who live in France, were due to visit for five days. We're not sure whether they're coming now.

His other son and family have all recently had Covid. It started with the 10 year old GD, who caught it at school and partner's DiL is still quite poorly. The GD has had to look after her parents and take on all sorts of chores.

They are all going to the funeral of DiL's mother (GD's grandmother) a week before Christmas. She died from Covid a couple of days ago.

Frankly, I don't think any of them care much about choir concerts or end-of-term arrangements. We're trying to do what we can to help them now and get them through Christmas.

One of my own family lost somebody very close one New Year's Day, so I know I will be visiting his commemoration plaque and being a shoulder to cry on.

And then there are the people who spend Christmas on their own and whose families don't have enough money for presents and a proper Christmas dinner ...

Yes, of course- we all know.

But it is totally normal for kids who have been isolating for months on end, not going to school, not doing sport or anything - and then see the light at the end of tunnel, go back to school, slowly get back to normal life and spend time planning concerts and plays, and have some fun- to be disappointed, and conflicted - and sad too.

Yes, some have it much much worse- but it makes it even more conflicting and confusing ... if it is all turned into a sort of dreadful competition. And so below the belt- as said, no wonder kids are suffering from mental issues at the moment.

Alegrias1

I don't think telling people who are feeling down that other people have it worse does any good at all.

... it's never helped me.

Only when I've looked objectively at my own problem and realise for myself that there are always others worse off.

And the "first world problems" cliché is never helpful. Nor meant to be. It's the equivalent of that other admonishment to "get over it".

Someone else's problems will always be greater than / lesser than your own. We all know that.

I don’t feel despair. This new strain is an unknown entity. Give it a couple of weeks & our amazing scientists will have it sussed. It might end up being super-transmissible but fairly mild. Let’s not panic.

We were at an family event at the weekend and have just heard that one member has tested positive, so we will need to book tests. DD phoned up upset as her school has had to go back to year group “bubbles” after 10 students tested positive today. She will have to take a lateral flow every day. I’m stopping any indoor socialising now.

When news of the omicrom variant came on the tv, I think it was thursday of last week, I had a physical reaction to it. You know that feeling when your heart seems to plummet downwards, I had that very strongly and felt quite ill for a couple of hours. I was utterly dismayed at the thought of all this starting again, just when I was feeling that life was slowly getting back to normal.
I've calmed down now of course, but this has certainly made me feel very low. Is this what life will be like now, endless new variants?
I share your despair, annie61

Dickens

Alegrias1

I don't think telling people who are feeling down that other people have it worse does any good at all.

... it's never helped me.

Only when I've looked objectively at my own problem and realise for myself that there are always others worse off.

And the "first world problems" cliché is never helpful. Nor meant to be. It's the equivalent of that other admonishment to "get over it".

Someone else's problems will always be greater than / lesser than your own. We all know that.

I apologise if I've offended people. However, I honestly don't feel that some of the problems people have quoted are a cause for despair. People do cope with worse every single day of their lives and, yes, I do think people should learn to "get over it". Some people have no choice but to keep getting over far worse - and many of them do it without a whimper.

Ironically, when people do mention they've been inconvenienced, they often get told that it's only local, that other people don't have the same problems or it's only the result of media panic or some such thing, etc etc.

Here is a variant which causes tiredness and they jump on it as if it were Ebola.

Keep some perspective here folks.

Kali2; 'We all felt we were coming to the end of this' - well, I certainly didn't, I thought we were somewhere in the middle, expecting a four year pandemic. So, having lower expectations, I don't feel depressed.

We're just buying time for a few weeks (yes, I know, it would be at Christmas) until we have a clearer picture of just how effective the current vaccines are on the mutated virus.

Yet again, we cancel social arrangements and people wear masks (I've done that all along), boosters are ramped up, we take twice-weekly tests and get on with what we can. We are used to it now.