O/T. The Government's handling of Covid

[ramAnag]

Odds are you're right Swale, however, just done another test and I'm happy to announce the result was negative. I've slept the past 2 nights in the spare room which removes the chance of infection for 1/3 of the time. I wouldn't be the first significant other who didn't get the lurgy.

GP. Hope your Mam gets through it and has no lasting symptoms.

It’s a strange thing, MA. Anecdotally I know far more people who have succumbed to Covid over the last four or five months than I ever did when it was allegedly at it’s peak, including seemingly inexplicable cases where families go down with it in quick succession but one or two family members somehow remain untouched.
The celebratory tone of us now being ‘post pandemic’ is a complete nonsense imo, indeed a visit I was meant to be on today has had to be cancelled owing to...yes you guessed it...Covid!
On the plus side, it seems that cases, even within the same household, inexplicably vary from ‘flu like’ to asymptomatic so there’s every chance you’ll escape. Hope so.

[MadAmster]

It’s a strange thing, MA. Anecdotally I know far more people who have succumbed to Covid over the last four or five months than I ever did when it was allegedly at it’s peak, including seemingly inexplicable cases where families go down with it in quick succession but one or two family members somehow remain untouched.
The celebratory tone of us now being ‘post pandemic’ is a complete nonsense imo, indeed a visit I was meant to be on today has had to be cancelled owing to...yes you guessed it...Covid!
On the plus side, it seems that cases, even within the same household, inexplicably vary from ‘flu like’ to asymptomatic so there’s every chance you’ll escape. Hope so.

We probably are post pandemic and now in the realms of the endemic. Flu like symptoms that will put some in hospital, kill others but not anywhere near the numbers we were seeing 2 years ago. Numbers similar to those of a flu season. Now it's endemic, chances are most who get it in the future will not bother testing for Corona but just think they've got a cold, a cough or the flu and many won't even think "I've got Covid".

[ramAnag]

We probably are post pandemic and now in the realms of the endemic. Flu like symptoms that will put some in hospital, kill others but not anywhere near the numbers we were seeing 2 years ago. Numbers similar to those of a flu season. Now it's endemic, chances are most who get it in the future will not bother testing for Corona but just think they've got a cold, a cough or the flu and many won't even think "I've got Covid".

Have to respectfully disagree, MA. The difference between pandemic and endemic has nothing to do with the severity of an illness and everything to do with the ease with which it spreads.
We are in no way ‘post pandemic’ because Covid continues to spread with ease and, as ever, doesn’t respect regional or national borders.
The only reason it is now, largely, less severe is because of the impact of vaccination but scientists, as opposed to politicians, are still urging caution and the removal of free tests - especially a a time of widespread financial hardship - is, imo, a huge mistake.

[MadAmster]

Have to respectfully disagree, MA. The difference between pandemic and endemic has nothing to do with the severity of an illness and everything to do with the ease with which it spreads.
We are in no way ‘post pandemic’ because Covid continues to spread with ease and, as ever, doesn’t respect regional or national borders.
The only reason it is now, largely, less severe is because of the impact of vaccination but scientists, as opposed to politicians, are still urging caution and the removal of free tests - especially a a time of widespread financial hardship - is, imo, a huge mistake.

So, you're saying the flu is still Pandemic as well as Corona? Flu spreads very easily when it's "in season" and in particularly bad years the death toll is horrendous.

[swaledale]

Have to respectfully disagree, MA. The difference between pandemic and endemic has nothing to do with the severity of an illness and everything to do with the ease with which it spreads.
We are in no way ‘post pandemic’ because Covid continues to spread with ease and, as ever, doesn’t respect regional or national borders.
The only reason it is now, largely, less severe is because of the impact of vaccination but scientists, as opposed to politicians, are still urging caution and the removal of free tests - especially a a time of widespread financial hardship - is, imo, a huge mistake.

I'm not sure that is the whole story though rA, the Omicron variant is more infectious but less severe in its effects on people, even those who have not had the vaccination. Which is basically what would be expected, viruses tend to get less severe as they develop because killing their host would over time be fatal for the virus as well obviously.

Yes undoubtedly vaccination has reduced hospitalisation amongst those people with underlying health issues and probably some others and over time as the vaccines are further developed will be more effective in reducing infection. Certainly there is much that can be done now to prevent or reduce infection which isn't limiting on people's lives or behaviour, but it is interesting that Sweden, which didn't lock down actually coped pretty well.

It is also the case that many who died of Covid, would more than likely have died due to some other respiratory disease and many recorded deaths, were people who died 28 days after a positive test, but not necessarily due to Covid. A more nuanced approach by the government with testing still being maintained etc. would be more sensible, but we are going to have to learn to live with it.