PM Press Conference. Anyone else feeling despair?

It was said at the start of the pandemic that we could be living with covid for years. We have to learn to live with it and Boris is trying to help us .
I refuse to worry about it and will just live my life as I am doing . I had covid and was in hospital this time last year . I am triple jabbed and if I need a booster every 4 to 6 months then I will have them .

I had yet another birthday yesterday, I turned 66, without my family, as they all live in U.S and Oz.
I agree, that are thousands of parents/grandparents out there separated from families since this pandemic started, But it doesn't make me feel any better, when I have a down day and miss them on my birthday or any other time.
I just wish it would end

A sensible post Thisismyname
My sentiments too.

My son, his wife and 2 grandchildren live in Japan, and yes Covid stats are now very low there, but the whole nation obeys the ‘rules’. They are mask wearers against germs on normal times, and my son ( Welsh) says the only people’s not wearing masks and acting out are ‘foreigners’ . He has worked there for over 6 years and was working from home through most of the pandemic, now he goes into Tokyo for work on a rota system, but still mainly works from home.
I do so wish us Brits/Europeans were as sensible. I haven’t seen any of them for over 2 years now, mainly due to these selfish idiots of anti- vaxxers, anti mask wearing peoples...don't they have families of their own whom they should care for, etc, etc, surely their first concern should be infecting others they love and not some mis-guided idea of ‘personal freedom’ even if they don’t believe in it for some weird reason! It is enough to make you despair!

Sorry NOT infecting those we love or anyone else!

I can see that any of us could feel sad or despairing about yet more challenges from this pandemic. I’m hoping that the new variant won’t cause too many problems but realise that it could. New variant or not, I wear a mask in busy places or inside, use ventilation, take advantage of every vaccine and use hand sanitizer. I am so worried about a friend not being able to have extremely urgent open heart surgery due to lack of ICU beds that I really hope the new variant doesn’t block hospital beds. There are loads of worries arriving from this news. We all have experience of what happened last time. Let’s hope things improve in the not too distant future

My SIL is in America on business and I’ve just heard that he’s got covid ….

Yes, total despair. Running around buying Christmas presents and ordering food but not knowing for sure whether family will be able to join us. I'm classed as 'vulnerable' due to immuno suppressant medication so have to be extra careful and with grandchildren of middle school age their classes are rife with infection. If only they had left rules re distancing and masks in place we may not be in this situation now with a new variant which may be resistant to our vaccinations. The virus is now a fact of life, we are going to have to live with it or die by it, we need to have safety precautions permanently in place even during periods when stats are falling. One more thing! If schools could break up for Christmas a few days earlier, we could have a better idea of which children may be infectious in advance of Christmas day.

Mask has been firmly on, N.Ireland we were supposed to anyway, although some seem to of misplaced theirs....it does get you down, watching the news is depressing. Hospitals are full, winter pressures, poor NHS staff are exhausted and ignorant or just stupid sods refuse to put a bit of cloth over their faces to try to help. I despair at times.

I am feeling very down about it all. My grandchildren (12 and 9) were coming to visit with their parents last week. I haven’t seen the children for almost two years. Then at the last moment my granddaughter (the 9 year old) went down with Covid.

It does seem all doom and gloom, but most of the news is . Good news doesn't sell newspapers. In Wales we've never stopped wearing masks and as I work in a school, I wear one all day anyway. Put some Christmas music on and make a few plans to cheer yourself up, even if it's just going to a local cafe for a coffee. Hope your spirits lift soon.

f77ms

Yes I am despairing too. I was diagnosed with incurable cancer in February. This has been the worst time to have be diagnosed because there have been literally no services for cancer sufferers. I have seen the oncologist twice, the other times have been phone calls. All the support which would have been there are not due to covid. I can't even get financial support to employ someone to help because you cannot apply for carers allowance for yourself! Its all very drpressing, saying that i am still able to do my voluntary job part time and have wonderful family support. Thank goodness!

Am so sorry to hear of your terminal illness f77ms I can only imagine how hard life is for you at the present time, and am glad that you have wonderful family support. You can always
Rely on your GN family too, whenever you need to let off steam on here.?

MayBee70 I hope your son in law recovers well. What a worry for you.
Carnival queen, I’m CEV and getting fed up but we have to get on with it as positively as poss. Me rheumatology consultant says we should wear masks and if meeting friends/family ask them to LFTest the previous day. Keep a distance, wash hands and keep rooms well ventilated.

I have just come home from hospital after an oupatient procedure and really struggled wearing a mask for the whole day - I have nothing but admiration for the cheeful staff who have to wear masks all day, every day. It does seem a bit depressing that another strain is doing the rounds, but some people are suffering more. I overheard another patient saying ‘At least we are not in a war torn country’ and it does rather put things in perspective.

I did cry for a while a few days ago and realised that when I have had a weep it's usually been connected with singing (or rather the lack of it). I had just got a phone call from someone in my U3A singing group saying that she wasn't going to rejoin because of her age and her vulnerability to Covid. What made me cry was that she said how much it had meant to her to sing with us. The Community Choir we run is struggling to survive at the moment because people either have Covid or are recovering or are not coming because they are protecting themselves or their partners. We sing together for the joyful experience it gives us but also for the friendships which we value so much. I'm so sad for the fracture of these relationships.

Listen to Dr John on YouTube he seems to be right most of the time. We don't know enough about this particular variant. If its more transmissible but doesn't make people sicker then it will be just like flu or a bad cold. The immuno compromised might have to be careful but most of them are careful during the flu season anyway. Don't despair yet, until we have more information.

I am in despair at the panic and misinformation which is being spread by government and media sources. We have no idea just how virulent this strain is, nor how ineffective or effective the present vaccines are. We will know more fairly soon. I think the government have acted rashly and panicked; subsequently we are hearing ‘lockdown’ looming, NHS ‘overwhelmed’ (as usual), working from home, schoolchildren’s end of term Christmas celebrations, as well as our own, being cancelled. As it stands, if this continues our country will face a huge economic disaster as well as a mental health one. Not to mention the massive NHS backlog despite the billions of taxpayers money poured into it. And Africa, the country from which the World Health Organisation has long been warning that variants are most likely to originate, remains largely unvaccinated. The gross mishandling of our government and the shortsighted approach of world leaders as a whole really does make me despair sometimes.

I don't actually think the misinformation being spread by the government. What all the governments have said is pretty moderate and they keep telling us not to panic. The press however, have gone full Armageddon and are selectively reporting the scary bits.

We should also remember that omicron was first identified in South Africa; that doesn't mean it originated there.

I recommend the book, Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in a Time of Pandemic -- and Beyond, by Matthew Fox. A wonderful book written about someone who survived the Bubonic Plague. Even if you are not particularly religious, this book will encourage you and give you hope. We live in the U.S. and plan to travel to the U.K. to celebrate Christmas with our darling granddaughter (born in August 2020), and our son and DIL. We will follow all COVID protocols and trust that we will be safe. We are all learning to live with this virus the best way we can. It's difficult, but we are resilient.

I am sick of these rules. I am vaccined so I will NOT adhere to social distancing. If we are all vaccinated let's get back to normal, and restore the economy, because that is the most important thing now. We can't have people out of work and starving. This variant is not even serious, and as for lockdown I will NOT obey it, because I am visiting family in February as it is my birthday. Spent it on my own this year, spent Christmas alone. All this social distancing and lockdowns are a form of social control. Our civil liberties are being eroded. We have a virus. Let's live with it like the common cold otherwise we will all suffer mentally

Yes dear, we know.

f77ms - Have you tried "Attendance Allowance"?

f77ms
Have you tried McMillan Nurses for help?

Anyone who stands too close to me at the moment will definitely have their civil liberties eroded……

MayBee70 ?