Covid-19 cases are rising again in much of the world

I am still in the vaccine will save us mode? I haven’t got further than that yet so I am still optimistic.

I'm sorry PippaZ but I don't know what this thread is meant to achieve. We are nowhere near needing another lockdown right now and the vaccine rollout is going well.

So far, there is no "this time".

Well in theory we shouldn't have to There would have no point in vacinating all the vunerable the whole point of the slow roadmap out was that we would no longer go in reverse. The country cannot afford to be shut down indefinitely we just have to learn to live with it and get on with life.

I don’t really get the point from the OP either? To précis:‘Countries with effective vaccine programmes are not seeing a resurgence. The UK has an effective vaccine programme’
So, I don’t have an expectation that Johnson will need to lockdown the country and close. I’m hoping, that if any small pockets of the country with a sniff of a rise, will be dealt with swiftly and effectively.

I think the worry is that, if countries do not get ahead more quickly with their vaccine programmes as has been shown in the recent hesitancy in some European countries, the virus will have more chances to mutate. This could mean that present vaccines could be less effective.

What do longer days have to do with anything?

Everything is ready to give vaccinations. However, over 70s as well as those under who want a vaccine can’t because there are none available. This is the main problem for most Europeans.

This is worrying me as many European countries are in their 3rd wave and locking down again. Given that previously we have kind of ignored the advance then suffered because we ignored it, it seems premature to be suggesting that in June we will be back to normal! Both DH and myself have had the vaccine as has DD2 (NHS). DD1 and DD2 have lateral flow tests twice a week. Regardless of these I think we should be taking this way more seriously. We are not half way to vaccinating every adult so that leaves a lot of people still unprotected. I don't understand why our leaders are not more concerned.

I think those in power are concerned. I’ve seen a number of reports where the experts are suggesting caution.

PippaZ :
I wonder too will BJ be brave enough to close our borders to prevent new variants entering the UK, and would it even be logistically possible.

For those who don't even think it is worth asking the question re Johnson's capability to say "no", I suggest you listen to R4 Today at about 8:10 a.m.

Ro60 has hit it on the head. The new variants coming into the UK could be our problem and it may be that holidays in other countries or allowing others to come here for any reason cannot happen. This could, of course, add to our Brexit woes by limiting the people we need to run our economy and our transactions with other countries.

We may not get back to whatever people thought was "normal" this year or Johnson could bow to his right-wing and open up anyway ruining the vaccination programme by bringing in mutant viruses which can override our current vaccines.

I agree this does need thinking about. We had thought that the vaccination program would get us out of this in the near future. Alarm bells are now sounding that this might not be the case. Chris Whitty said 2 weeks ago that they were expecting another surge at the end of summer or early autumn. There are also suggestions that foreign travel could import the variants. Felt quite down after reading the news reports yesterday. I think that Johnson has learned from his mistakes but we are not out of the woods.

All the more reason for as many people as possible to have the vaccine and stop producing non-medical excuses for turning it down.

I well remember this time last year thinking we’d be more or less back to normal by Christmas. I’m now hoping for that, but by no means confident of it.

Read in the news this morning that 60 MPs from all parties are wanting to change the law to allow protests to take place. I can’t believe this when the country is still in a precarious situation and many people are still waiting to be vaccinated.

PippaZ I'm not challenging the need to question Johnson's ability to do the right thing but right now things are very febrile and we have another thread with discussions about whether we are going to have another wave, with lots of people clearly worried about it. Your OP is suggesting that with cases rising in the rest of the world we're going to be in the same situation as say, Germany, are right now. But we have a successful vaccine program going on. We might get new variants, yes, but a lot of the reporting on that subject has become hysterical. The vaccines might not work as well on the new variants but they won't become completely useless.

Deaths are dropping through the floor, cases aren't. Which is what you would expect if the vaccines prevent serious illness and death. We might have another wave of cases but if the vaccination program keeps going, the population won't be nearly so badly affected.

Your OP is suggesting that with cases rising in the rest of the world we're going to be in the same situation as say, Germany, are right now.

I don't think it did; it was certainly not my intention so apologies if that is how it came over.

My concern, and that of many of the scientists it seems, is the lack of vaccination and timely lockdown elsewhere. Will Johnson's seeming inability to say no to his right-wing and his personal libertarian leanings, allow him to close the country to the outside world?

That's how I read it PippaZ but I appreciate now that that's not what you intended - that's why I questioned it.

We won't be able to close the country to the outside world, we're not NZ. Vaccines, Test and Protect and possibly local restrictions, are what are going to save us.

Oh I do hope you’re right Alegrias. I feel completely depressed about this situation going on and on. I don’t want to live my life like this indefinitely. I’ve had enough now.

We were told that vaccination was our way out of this, but I saw the Chris Whitty report, and it made me feel very down. It feels like there’s never going to be an end to life like this.

I can understand that maddyone. I'm desperate to see my parents, who live 100 miles away. I've only seen them twice in a year, both times outdoors. Once in a garden centre car park .

Things are going well. We might get a slow down in the undoing of lockdown but I could live with that if it means we are never going back.

Yes, we might get new variants, or local flare-ups. But we'll have to deal with that as it comes and I really don't believe things will be this bad again.

But we might get hit by an asteroid tomorrow

But we might get hit by an asteroid tomorrow
And, if it doesn't wipe us all out, it could bring more viruses from outer space.

(It's being so cheerful that keeps me going)

Alegrias
I’m lucky in that we’re in a support bubble with my elderly mother. My husband’s very elderly parents (93 and 94) live 250 miles away but are supported by family and carers where they live.
We’re also in a childcare bubble with our daughter and her three children, so we see them regularly. However they’re going to work in New Zealand for a year. They’ve had enough of the stress in the NHS and have got temporary jobs over there. They also want to give their children some normality for a year as they feel, like I do, that children have lost out enormously. If Jacinda opens the borders we’d like to visit them in January next, but if our borders were closed, that’d knock that on the head. I’m pleased you think that won’t happen. Then we have two sons and another grandchild who we haven’t seen properly since Lord knows when, just over the garden wall visits. I know everyone’s in the same boat, but at times, it feels like the boat’s sinking.

Alegrias and Caklistemon humour definitely helps, despite it sometimes being difficult to raise a smile.

So much has been put on hold, maddyone