The new ****ing normal

stickywicket

Today and yesterday I had to let people into my house (i)a plumber and (ii)a (voluntary) work colleague. I'm immunosuppressed and had to ask both to wear a mask. Is this my future?

Lilymary

I’m sorry the new regime has made you so uncomfortable. My work has me visiting people’s homes quite a bit between lockdowns, but pre-vaccine. In some cases the occupiers were vulnerable or had been shielding. I always asked their permission in advance, wore a mask at all times, visibly sanitised my hands before I went in and on leaving, and went round with a roll of kitchen towel and anti-septic spray cleaning any surfaces I had touched (door handles etc) before I left. I would also open doors and windows and/or asked the occupiers to do so while I was there.

At home we keep a bottle of sanitiser by the front door, although we very rarely admit visitors or tradesmen (mostly because we’re miserable b*ggers and do our own maintenance cos we’re miserly as well). I still wear masks indoors in people’s homes, shops etc, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable.

it might be a stretch insisting visitors clean up after themselves, but if you ask them to mask up, ask them to sanitise their hands, keep the rooms they’re in well ventilated and go round with the anti bacterial spray after they’ve left, I’d say you’ve managed the risks quite well.

I agree it’s awful that we have to do this at all, but times are bloomin’ weird and all we can do is roll with it. 😢

BettyMac

Alas, I think it is the new normal. We’re going to have to be ultra careful for about two years, I reckon

Most people don’t know the stuff we’ve all had to learn. Not that we had a choice!

Heard a great story yesterday. Someone was challenged in a supermarket by a fellow customer who sneeringly informed them “You don’t have to wear a mask now”.

Their response was “Oh it’s okay. I’m exempt” and when asked “Why?” they just said “I don’t have to tell you”. 🤣

Mike1

The consensus is that the Government have removed restrictions too soon and many medics are forecasting yet another lock down before xmas. Irrespective of the removal of the requirement to wear masks most organisations are continuing to wear them and although I have OA and am not on immunosuppressants I expect workmen to wear masks in my bungalow. My Home Help is still wearing a mask when she comes to see me, as she says she visits several people during the day, some of whom are vulnerable, and she would feel devastated if any of them caught Covid. The simple fact is that we are not out of this by a long, long way and we have to get used to living this way for a long time yet, depressing though it may be.

stickywicket

It won't be easy but I guess we're used to that.

@Lilymary and @Mike1 's Home help are most welcome in my house.

On a lighter note, searching the US sites for a birthday present for my US grandson, I've just seen a man's T-shirt bearing the legend:

I identify as

VACCINATED.

😁

Jona

Does herd immunity mean survival of the fittest? Frightening thought though

Shell_H

[helpful definition - hopefully]

Herd immunity is a reference to the idea that enough people have become immune or resiustant to a virus that they protect the members of the community (or herd) who aren't protected. The idea is if a big enough percentage of the population gets immune then the disease can't ever get traction to spread, as it's fought off successfully. In theory, vaccinactions lead to herd immunity so long as enough of the population gets vaccinated - like we have with polio.

The issue with this is another way of getting herd immunity is for people to catch the virus, and those who live through it then are protected, and eventually you'll end up with enough people protected that the whole population is covered again. This is not as good a method when the virus can kill poeple, as is the case with Covid, because it relies on people catching the virus to get immunity. This is the downside.

It's not so much herd immunity itself which is the probelm, it's how we choose to get herd immunity.

stickywicket

I'll just repeat my post on @Mike1 's thread.

"It looks as if they're going for herd immunity by mass infection"

Professor Michael Baker from New Zealand where they have had no new cases of covid for four months.

Mike1

Herd immunity will not, however, be achieved if new variants keep developing. We already see that the Delta variant is more contagious than the others and the thinking is that the more it spreads the more variants will develop which may or may not be susceptible to the vaccine!

Lilymary

I heard that the new variants appear to mainly developing in people who haven't been vaccinated, for whatever reason. This is more likely in unvaccinated people who are mixing more freely socially or at work. However, it shouldn't be forgotten that some new variants are LESS virulent than the more common forms, and we don't get to hear about those as they're not significant, but every now and then a new and nasty one appears, which we do hear about. Another good reason for herd immunity, either through the vaccine or infection. I'm lucky I have a choice and went with the vaccine.