Has 'Good morning' acquired a new meaning in these pandemic times?

Varian I suspect that many of the adults that haven’t even had one jab have no intention of having it and are not particularly bothered about Covid Leaving out those of course who are unable to have it
I am still on the fence about children but fortunately no longer my choice to make

ElderlyPer
To answer you question in the last paragraph of the OP the simple answer is, No.
why have you turned a simple greeting that billions of people around the world use every morning into something weird?
I don’t think you realise how far removed you are from reality, do you.
I had to have my B12 injection on Monday. As I stopped wearing a mask ( I only wore one when asked) about a month ago I asked the receptionist what the situation was Re wearing masks.
Her reply was: it’s entirely up to you. I didn’t wear a mask.
I think there is far more chance of you suffering something serious caused by your anxiety that catching covid.
Do you really want to lead a normal life?

Can you explain your calculation method please to get a result of over 1000 years?

Oh, I got it wrong, that'll teach me to post too early...

3 years, which isn't nearly so impressive, sorry.

But at today's rates, 7.5 years. Apologies, again.

I have not been vaccinated.

But not because of refusing.

I got the call in late January. I asked if a nurse would come here and I was told no, they needed me to go to the surgery.

The only way for me to get there was a taxi journey of at least twenty-five minutes each way.

I had to decide whether to go in a taxi or not go.

As COVID-19 can kick in after about three days and the vaccine kicks in after about fourteen days, and getting there and back would mean being in an enclosed space with someone for the travelling, I decided, on the balance of risks as they appeared to me at that time, that it was better not to go, simply on the basis that if I caught it in the taxi and were in hospital I would think "Why oh why did I not stay at home when I had the chance to do so?".

So, that is just how it is.

At the time it was all supposed to be over by June, so at the time on the evidence available at the time, it seemed the better decision.

It sounds completely over the top to me. You were outside for goodness sake

4 years ago I caught ‘flu “outside” whilst briefly collecting work from a colleague’s doorstep. I was at least 1 metre away and being careful, as I knew she had ‘flu. But I went down with it 3 days later whilst I was on holiday, and spent most of the week’s holiday ill in bed.

It’s a myth that you can’t catch a virus “outside”.

The vaccine uptake in our area is only 59% for both jabs.

We also have to respect the clinically vulnerable (almost 4m in the UK) for whom the vaccine may not work. And we still don’t know how long protection from Covid vaccines last, especially as the most vulnerable were vaccinated some while back around Christmas and we have variants which have reduced effectiveness.

I think it would be wonderful if people could be kind and respect others space, as we’re still in a pandemic with deaths now unfortunately increasing again and others becoming extremely ill.

No EP not me it sounds as if you have gone into a severe anxiety state which you can’t come out of

In March 2020 I lay on my bed and tried to calmly work out how to give myself the best chance of surviving what’s the point of surviving if you’re not living and the anxiety you’re feeling is not normal

I m not sure of your age but I m 76 and do quite a lot of voluntary work I meet people all the time and yes we stop and talk and have conversations just like we did pre CoviD the only difference is if I m inside I m wearing a mask I haven’t been skinny dipping but I do regularly swim in the sea alone or with friends I go for coffee, lunch, cinema with friends (one is 85 last week) I lead a fairly normal unexciting life but I do live

I actually think your anxiety levels are not normal even for these unusual times living in such fear is more likely lessen your life quicker than CoviD if you’re fully jabbed

Enjoy what time you have left We all on the run down sorry to say more gone than to come Live it and love it

ElderlyPerson I really think you should think seriously about getting vaccinated where we live there are drop in clinics doing vaccinations in all sorts of settings
I had mine in the local hospital about 25 mins away I drove but would have got there by any means possible

I have long chats on the doorstep with my postman with neither of us wearing masks. I also meetup with my neighbours outside (one lady has suddenly started wearing a mask every time she steps outside the house even if the road is completely empty, but as she also sweeps the street with a dustpan and brush I don't take much notice) I always wash when I come in from shopping because why wouldn't you? Covid or not. DS delivers for Tesco. Always wears a mask and doesn't take the orders into people's houses unless they are disabled. He's delivered to a few people when they have actually been suffering from Covid and hasn't caught it. All the grandchildren are at school but neither they nor any of the rest of us have caught it. So far the vaccine has been 100% successful for us,

MawBe

Esspee
A couple of weeks ago he took me skinny dipping in a Scottish river
Brrrrr!
Born and brought up in Scotland, nevertheless skinny dipping in any Scottish river sounds only slightly better than off the sands at St Andrews where DH and I were students (nudge, nudge, wink, wink)
You hardy souls!

The air temperature was upper 20s, the sun blazing, and the water was like a lukewarm bath MawBe. Yesterday at Loch Lomond it was 21C on the water and 24C on land.

This year has been the warmest and driest I remember. Loch Lomond is incredibly low and all the streams are reduced to a trickle.
I have an admission regarding the skinny dipping. I was wearing a sun hat and some water shoes. (Still counts as skinny dipping in my book.?)

Get vaccinated now EP if you can get on a bus or taxi to the place of vaccination do it They have walk ins at a lot of places now You must have saved money not going out for eighteen months, a taxi ride won’t be harmful sit in the back with your mask in then you can relax or else you are going to be in a state of anxiety for ever

Live my friend you’re not elderly if you’re in your 70 s I m still a blooming spring chicken
Am I right that you don’t have children or grandchildren you wouldn’t have time to think about yourself or your health if you had
Get your jabs and get outside before the miserable weather sets in

It’s a myth that you can’t catch a virus “outside”.

I don't think anyone has said that you can't catch a virus outside. But the risk of catching COVID outdoors is very much reduced. That's why they keep telling us to meet outside and open windows.

I don't think either that anyone here is saying we shouldn't respect other people's space, but that doesn't mean never interacting at all with other human beings.

EP the delivery was of 35 kilos of cat litter. I suspect the driver was simply being kind in checking that I could manage the weight myself. (I can. Open the box on the doorstep and take out the packs one by one ) Our porch is recessed and can’t be seen from inside so I did have to answer the door. I was only half-heartedly annoyed because I was busy doing something else.

You should push your surgery to come to your home if you are genuinely housebound. It took some time but they went to my mum eventually.

By not being vaccinated, you also need to consider what might happen if you have a medical emergency right now. You could fall and break a hip or have a heart attack and end up being admitted to hospital, where you will have no protection against being infected by Covid.

Having provided endless TV hours in broadcasting statistics, graphs and general doom and gloom it is no surprise that some have been left in this situation.

Long after WW2 had ended and rationing lifted, my parents continued to buy, grow, store and cook provisions as if everything were in short supply.

The messages from the government during the war years had a profound effect.

I hesitate to comment on how it affected me and my siblings.

I hope that someone can provide EP with the very latest advice on what is considered and what is not considered necessary at this present time.

Good post VANECAM

A couple of weeks ago there was someone on Mumsnet asking for advice as she felt ill and didn't think she should go to hospital. She had heard that no-one should go to hospital until their lips turned blue. That was the advice we were getting way back in March/April 2020, and some people can't get past that.

EP you're missing out on The Most Important Thing to keep yourself safe.

You need to contact your surgery and ask that someone comes out to give you your first inoculation, without delay.
Please do that - and then start looking forward to a life less risky !

ElderlyPerson
How did you fill your days pre covid? What do your friends/ acquaintances make of your excessive rituals.

I have an auto immune condition and take meds which might have made me vulnerable to complications if I were to catch SARS-Cov2. I am in my mid 60s.

During lockdowns, I stayed home apart from an hour a day exercise and a quick visit to the local store in the evening a couple of times a week for basic supplies. I eat a plant-based diet, don’t consume much in terms of food or other goods so online shopping where you have to spend a certain amount to avoid high delivery charges didn’t appeal.

By early May, I’d had both vaccinations and three weeks after the second started to resume my normal active social life. I go to at least two indoor live music events each week (average age of attendees 70) and have been to two tented music festivals. I go to shops, markets, cafes and restaurants. I use buses and trains. I continue to wear a mask in shops and on public transport and any other situation where I assess it to be appropriate. I do regular LAT tests and, so far, after two full months of normal activities and socialising, I am virus free.

ONS recently published the latest death statistics for my postcode. I live in a populous suburb of a busy city not far from London. Compared to the average number of deaths for the preceding five years, there were actually fewer deaths here during the period March 2020 to April 2021. Yes, there were deaths where Covid was a factor but the total number of deaths from all causes was actually less that the average for the preceding five years.

Currently there are 230 infections per 100,000 of population. For the week ended 3 August 2021, in this entire county, there are less that 120 hospital beds occupied by patients with Covid, 92% down from the peak. There are ten large general NHS hospitals in the county so an average of twelve patients per hospital.

I have gone into such detail to explain that life out there is getting back to normal for the majority of people and we need to look at things in perspective.

It does sound to me EP, like you are still living in the state of heightened fear that we all were almost eighteen months ago but things have moved on.

Please get your vaccines. You could sit in a taxi with the windows wound down and fresh air blowing through. Van Tam said this virus could be around for another ten years. You can’t live life running away every time someone says good morning.

Merylstreep I was then going to say just that Maybe EP has always stayed in by himself did you meet up with friends go to any men’s groups ? Or even just shopping, pottering gardening, chatting to dog walkers or people passing by I may be quite wrong but was you’re life fairly solitary before CoviD

Get yourself vaccinated whatever it takes to do it then get out in the fresh air and chat at whatever distance you are comfortable with to some others, neighbours, passers by, dogs, birds whatever The world is made for you to enjoy if you don’t live it what is the point in saving yourself as others say what if you have an accident or become ill
I m not a risk taker, never have been, sometimes too dithery and unsure for my own good but I see no point in surviving just for the length of life

I obviously don't know where you live ElderlyPerson but our district council put out a message today in news sources and via facebook and similar that you are to ring if you still haven't been vaccinated and if you are vulnerable they will arrange home visits. My Mother in law had her second one at home last month too, so please ring your GP and ask again (or the number if your local health authority has put out the message too)

EP Do the doctor's always do home visits to see you? I ask because how would you get to the doctors now if you were ill?

I am the opposite of everyone here too, I find delivery drivers are still keeping their distance and they certainly aren't chatting

ElderlyPerson
Are you as concerned for your heart as you are for catching covid.

It's nice to be nice isn't it, ElderlyPerson. There is a pleasant feeling to find others being considerate too. Sadly, it can feel equally unpleasant when they are not.

Many people seem happy to slow down a little and be human in their interactions. I'm all for it.

Oh ElderlyPerson I feel so sad for you...
Have you asked your GP about a home visit for vaccination?
Please think very carefully about this, my dear brother-in-law was in hospital for something unrelated, he caught Covid and died in January.
I am concerned that you may have to go to hospital and would have absolutely no resistance to Covid
Do take care

I always find people's responses to ElderlyPerson really neurotypical and mainstream. HE doesn't care about what he does and how he does it, he's quite happy with how he lives his life from what I can gander. Correct me if I am wrong EP