Cases on the up

JenniferEccles

Life is a risk isn’t it? Are there still too many people who are so frightened of catching this mildest of all variants that their lives will be on hold indefinitely?

I read a few days ago that the death rate is now actually lower than the average for this time of year.

Thank goodness the BBC news has stopped giving out the daily covid details.

Those whose immune systems are already compromised probably will, to some extent, have to put their lives on hold, yes.

People undergoing chemotherapy - and there's quite a lot of them about, cancer is not a rare disease - long before the pandemic were advised to take extra precautions.

Whether they are "too frightened" is debatable. Being cautious about your daily life does not necessarily mean you're a scared little rabbit.

I still wear a mask in shops and on public transport. On a bus recently I reassuringly noticed all the windows were open. But there is no air circulation on the trains. Mask wearing is sensible as someone is always coughing or sneezing. And I do think food handlers should wear masks at all times.

My DGD1 is at university in York, has had Covid, slightly scratchy throat were the only symptoms, then caught a cold, said that felt much worse.

Yes I realise that it would be wise for vulnerable people to continue to be cautious, but I was talking about the majority of the population for whom the virus would just cause very minor symptoms.

My DDs friend is a special needs teacher in Chester and went back to school on Monday she has managed to escape Covid the past 2 years only to test positive on Wednesday she is very poorly she is devastated that she has caught it after being so careful,quite a few children have come down with it this last week.

Lots of people have had Covid with very mild symptoms but not everyone, so it concerns me that so many people dismiss it as no worse than a cold. If everyone was affected in the same way then the death rates or hospital admissions would not have been so high.

Even with Omnicron variant, people died. A good friend of mine, with no known underlying conditions, caught Covid in January and died after a week in hospital. She was the third person I had known to die from Covid during the pandemic. My 19 year old niece has just be diagnosed with Long Covid and needs oxygen therapy to help her breathing.

There are too many irresponsible people out there who are prepared to spread the virus and put others at risk.

For example. DS2 and family are currently on holiday in Spain.

His uncle, in his 80s, lives out there for much of the year. The day after their arrival, DS and family met up with him by chance - uncle was having coffee outside a cafe. ( No big surprise really, as he is a man of routine and goes there every morning for a coffee, to read his paper, and quite often to meet up with other expats.)

Obviously, they stopped to chat, and had a coffee themselves, but soon noticed he had a 'cold'.
DS asked him if he had done a covid test. The answer was 'no', and the excuse that he had no tests. As DS had taken several on holiday with them, he took a couple down to uncle's apartment later that day, passing them in through the window.

An aunt (uncle's sister) was on holiday there at the same time. She was not staying with her brother, but was socialising with him some of the time.

Fast forward five days, to yesterday. Aunt/sister's first full day back in England and she tested positive for covid.

She contacted my DS to tell him, and she revealed that uncle had not even tested after DS provided the tests. He just carried on as normal. His pathetic excuse this time - he didn't know how to use them. Even if that is true, he has a computer and uses the Internet, so could easily have looked it up!

I know there is no proof either that he had covid, or that his sister (nearly 80) caught it from him, but regardless of that I am furious with his irresponsible head-in-the-sand behaviour!

There is a chart on Twitter today from Christine Pagel showing the ONS covid infection survey (random tests) show that infection rates are coming down in England, Wales and NI but rising steeply in Scotland, along with hospital admission rates.
Now that testing has decreased positive figures are no longer reliable, and the ONS Survey is the only reliable tracker.
I think we should be mindful for a little longer, until we know we are out of the woods.
I don’t restrict my usual activities but am careful with those who I know are vulnerable.
I’m sorry I can’t transfer the chart from IPad.

My 11-year old GS has just got it for the third time!

MissAdventure

It's the deaths we need to be watching, but will we have access to the true figures?

So it's fine to be very ill, and maybe get long covid, as long as we don't die?

Daisymae

It seems that cases are creeping up again. Not a surprise really. I went to a supermarket this week, Only the second time in 2 years and I would say about 20% of people were wearing a mask. www.independent.co.uk/news/health/covid-death-latest-figures-uk-omicron-b2027933.html

20% is quite high n9w...I'm currently in lime Street Station liverpool ......I would say less than 5% wearing masks here

No, farnorth.
I fear long covid as much as dying, to be honest.
It's like telling us all to cross a ravine by walking on a thin beam.

Some will be fine, some may not, and some will want to know they're at least in with a chance of making it before attempting it.

Without the figures to hand, it's all a step into the unknown.

MawtheMerrier

My 11-year old GS has just got it for the third time!

This virus is an absolute horror. Immunity doesn't seem to happen whether you have the vaccine or get the virus.

JenniferEccles

Yes I realise that it would be wise for vulnerable people to continue to be cautious, but I was talking about the majority of the population for whom the virus would just cause very minor symptoms.

The problem is that, yes, the majority of the population probably will only suffer mild symptoms.

But so little is known about this virus - and this variant - that some will suffer the effects of 'long Covid' as it's called. And perfectly healthy - and young often - individuals are affected by it. So no one knows if they will - after having mild symptoms - end up with a debilitating, and possibly life-long, condition.

The government has, it appears, all but declared the pandemic over, and those who were champing at the bit over lockdowns and restrictions are now going to behave as if it is.

I'm not against lifting restrictions - far from it - but I believe the way it's been done is incautious and sloppy. When you peel a plaster from something nasty on your skin... you do it slowly to see what's still left underneath, a bit at a time. Johnson and his government just ripped the plaster off in one go.

He - we - might be lucky, we might have seen the worst of it, but if we have, it will be more luck than judgement. Johnson was not prepared to go against his backbench libertarian, anti-restrictions, anti mask wearing cohorts, and I think his decision was based more on appeasing them than anything else. Without their backing, he's toast. I'd love to see this in a different light and believe it was done with the best of intentions, but I can't and I don't.

well I tested positive on 6th Feb., had a headache and felt exhausted for a few days. then fine. BUT test positive again on 4th, after coming down with a fever. This time completely different symptoms, like very bad flu plus a worsening cough. Not at all mild so far (I am only on day 3!) But because this is a 2nd infection within 90 days it doesn't count as a new infection.
First time I think i picked up at a school governors meeting, this time likely on a bus, where I was only one wearing a mask.
This government are playing with peoples health, and don't care. Between catching and showing symptoms i was helping my parents, one who has blood cancer and having chemo, move house (had tested negative), so far they haven't shown any symptoms but I dread that call.

My DD tested positive 13 days ago and was still positive until this morning. She believes she caught it on her first night out 2 weeks ago. She says it was like a bad cold. Fortunately she is in a position to work from home. I’m so glad she’s looking after me but I’ll be very pleased to see her and the GCs later on. She’s had vaccine and boosters.

I fell concerned that there are so many going to work whilst unwell with a cold, Covid or whatever else. People, IMO should stay at home if they are unwell for whatever reason.

Personally, I’m scared of having Covid as I have a chest condition although not immune compromised as far as I know. DH is diabetic with a host of other conditions and we are as concerned as each other about each other’s health.

I’ve been ordering LFTs whilst I can so at least we will have a small supply. What with rising fuel and food prices I doubt if we will be able to afford to buy them.

I did see on the BBC that 75+ people will still be able to access free tests.

And a big jump

Sorry, posted accidentally, but a big jump today, up to nearly 62,000 cases. Worrying!

I saw the Scottish figures for the first time in a while today. Approximately 11,000 cases, a week or so ago it was 8000. Not surprised, in the main people think it's all over. Recently I was in a place where I was in very close proximity to other people. Out of about 15 of us, 3 were wearing a mask and no, I'm not too worried as my mask will be on my face, particularly on public transport where coughing, sneezing and no handkerchiefs in sight is the norm. I also worry about Long Covid, I've enough health issues and don't want anymore.

I saw the ONS Survey figures yesterday. I dont seem to be able to post charts from iPad, and hospitalisations up in England, Wales, Scotland and NI.

If this were to continue, we’ll be back up to 100,000 cases a day in a few weeks. I hope it doesn’t continue but the signs aren’t looking good.

So do I maddy especially as we are so preoccupied with the terrible war in Ukraine, we can do without more covid concerns, especially as we seemed to be emerging from the worst.
Unfortunately as Prof Paul Elliott from UCL said this morning the virus is totally unpredictable, and it’s difficult to guess how it will develop.
The only reliable monitor we have is the ONS Survey Study which shows a rise in over 50s hospitalised with covid and the BA.2 variant, which is more transmissible, appears to becoming dominant.
The rise may be due to waning immunity in older people. I think it’s too early to de-mask just yet.

Rising hospital admissions.
news.sky.com/story/covid-19-pandemic-not-over-expert-warns-amid-increasing-hospital-admissions-among-older-people-12562032

These vaccinations seem to wear off very quickly although I was reading if you have had 2 vaccinations and a booster plus a dose of Covid you had pretty good protection. I had Covid back in January so hoping that immunity lasts a bit. Mind you only knew I had Covid because of testing

I am Positive at the moment as are two daughters (one first time one second time) two granddaughters (one third time one first time) and in NZ my granddaughter and husband and 11 family in laws have it (after they shut the doors so strenuously they now have thousands of cases a day)

It will be with us for ever like the common cold which is what it is part of anyway and we will just need to get on with getting on