July 19th - Have we been forgotten?

[Investigator1]

I don’t know whether it’s me and believe me it’s great news of lifting restrictions on July 19th I.e. Social Distancing and Facemasks well for those who aren’t clinically vulnerable that is, but what about us? Maybe I am being paranoid but cases are rising although hospital admissions are down and there is doubt on the efficiency of the COVID jabs for us so as life moves on the Doctors have said cases will continue to rise it’s inevitable it will find its way to us but not because of our carelessness. Have the clinically extremely vulnerable because of immune suppressants just been left to hide away. It feels like it to me. Anybody share this view?

[FrenchDiane]

I'm a bit concerned, even though l have had 3 Pfizer vaccin, lm currently in isolation here in Anger France with a lung infection, had a biopsy to day,but lm not making red or white cells, but we return to England in November so l hope things lmprove,as l will have my letters but l will have to find a good doc then hospital , l have vasculitis MPA mpo with kidney damage and lung damage, with normal things like clocoma, so that's my worry. Had a moan feel better now. Hope you're well ,best wishes to all on the vasculitis site.

[Nadine99]

You will have to do your own thing and be as cautious as you feel comfortable with. We will continue to wear masks and we will keep distancing so that we feel safe.

[Main1234 in reply to Nadine99]

My understanding is that masks protect the people around us. Unless you upgrade to a FFP2 mask which gives the wearer more protection from others. I agree with you that we all need to do our own “risk assessment “ but feel for those returning to work.

Not sure why masks can’t be worn on public transport and shops not really a hardship .

[John_Mills Volunteer in reply to Main1234]

I believe the transport unions are unhappy with the new rules being lifted. At the beginning of the first lockdown bus drivers suffered terribly from the consequences of COVID19

[Investigator1 in reply to John_Mills]

That’s right John, I was a Railway Manager for 30 years and the on board staff feel the same. My wife has had to resign from her previous job to try and protect me because of the inflexibility of her department store executives.

[rrahman in reply to Investigator1]

Same. I had to leave work because they weren’t nice enough to allow me to continue to shield and they knew I was pregnant.

[Investigator1 in reply to rrahman]

Terrible! My wife was told by her GP and my Consultant that she was fit to work but only in isolation (her own office) or from home as it was the route for COVID to me. They point blank refused, she actually backed down and said ok what about if I come in 30min earlier when the store was closed to avoid other staff clocking in and customers. They agreed and rescinded it! All about profits. She has another job now, much safer with good employers.

[Investigator1 in reply to Main1234]

Thanks Main1234 I think that’s it masks worn by other people protect us, we are taking that away now though. A large proportion of the population just won’t wear one. I am sick to the stomach by the attitudes of the couldn't care less, “I want to live my life” it won’t happen to me brigade. But that’s society and we have to get on with it.

[Main1234 in reply to Investigator1]

It’s a very sad state of affairs. Wonder if OPD will still request masks to be worn?

I want to live my best life with my OH and this government are certainly not listening to the science.

Poor Chris Whitty looked very uncomfortable during the press conference.

[John_Mills Volunteer]

On the day the NHS celebrates its 73rd Birthday, the leaders of this government have casually disregarded the cautious advice of scientists & medical professionals knowing full well that this is going to cause greatly increased pressure on our NHS and further avoidable deaths! it worries me greatly!

[Main1234 in reply to John_Mills]

John as usual you have nailed it. Twitter has been extremely busy this evening.

[May7]

I share your view on this. The government is making a political decision, not a clinical one, and trying to appeal to the masses, totally forgetting the likes of us. By suggesting that people should make up their own minds, shows that they still don't, or won't, understand the purpose of masks.I have lung and kidney damage amongst other things and am immune suppressed, although not as much as cancer and transplant patients, and am very nervous. I had hoped to begin travelling by bus again soon, but I won't for some time if others are not wearing masks.

The freedom for some takes away the freedom from others. It's the same as smoking in public places.

[Investigator1 in reply to May7]

If the take up of the vaccine was higher in the 18-30 group I would be a bit happier but for over 12 months I have watched people breaking all the rules on a daily basis and claiming it’s a difficult time for them. Try my shoes on! A person in our village has said to me more than once “you just have to stay inside and keep yourself safe Nick” thanks! I want to go out too!

[Galaxy2]

Hi Nick, I’m extremely worried and yes I feel we’ve been forgotten or certainly overlooked. While I understand the need to lift restrictions for the sake of the economy I don’t understand why face masks will no longer be mandatory for one in indoor areas and public transport, leaving it to people’s judgement is ludicrous to me , with cases rising all the time and many of us still very vulnerable. It’s all very well for us to keep being reminded that hosp admissions are down but I’m not sure I’m any better protected than I was this time last year and I’m sure others must feel the same. I’m also worried what this means for for those of us with children at school, if my daughter sits next to someone in class who later tests positive I would absolutely want to know and hope that close contacts are asked to stay off school but even this seems like it may not be the case in a couple of weeks. I read an interesting (or worrying) article a few days ago , it was discussing a study on individuals with blood cancers who have had a poor response to the vaccine. It detailed a study in the states on those who have rituximab treatment and had since received their vaccines and hadn’t created any antibodies, it certainly seems to be being mentioned as one medication that is not producing a good vaccine response. I’ve seen a few of us in this group mention we didn’t produce antibodies as a result of our vaccines either and these are worrying times indeed again.

I’m starting my latest rituximab infusions next week and will certainly be staying in again as much as possible after that and we can only hope that the government back down a little and listen to the experts

[Investigator1 in reply to Galaxy2]

Hi Jenny very good points but very worrying,, it’s such a pity that we are not celebrating as I thought we would. Personally I think we have sensible people who will make the right choices re masks etc unfortunately not enough of them.

[Galaxy2 in reply to Investigator1]

It will certainly be interesting to see how many people will still be wearing masks in shops etc. I'm not hopeful, I've already seen this week people walking straight into shops with no mask on. I just personally feel there are too many people with the attitude of 'well it won't affect me badly, I'll be ok'. I was horrified with the flouting of lockdown rules around me that went on through the earlier waves so thinking of the vulnerable is not it seems high on some peoples priorities.

I don't understand why we're not being mentioned anymore, maybe if people realised that there are still vulnerable people around a few may think differently, the government seems so keen to mention at every opportunity about how successful the rollout of the vaccine has been, but they don't mention some people haven't had a great response or that some people haven't been able to even have it.

I personally dread to think where infection rates will be soon and what this means for us all.

[Investigator1 in reply to Galaxy2]

Well Jenny tell me off for these comments, I fully agree with your comments on “don’t care” brigade and already some of them have been hit with no holidays abroad, I personally would go further and like to see Employers say right I need to protect the workforce so if you can’t be bothered to get the vaccine start looking elsewhere. One person in our village has continually flouted the COVID rules and their employer (on of the major supermarkets) found out via the police and sacked them. My parents would never have contemplated when I was young not having the MMR jabs, I am obviously nearly 60 and completely out of touch with attitudes these days"…………mind you I know what’s morally right.

[Galaxy2 in reply to Investigator1]

I completely agree Nick, the pandemic certainly seems to have brought out the worst in some people yet the government just doesn't seem to learn from past mistakes

[Barnclown]

Am glad you posted & got this great discussion going

this is it: the NHS is already hugely behind with massive waiting lists AND all the Long COVID cases...& with this policy change, we’re bound to have lots more flu cases than last year when everyone was being so careful... and of course inevitably we’ll have these extra COVID cases ...& here i’ve been getting the impression we’re all meant to be protecting the NHS from becoming over-burdened 🤷🏼‍♀️...

As U.K. citizens, we support the NHS, which spends its funding made up of a significant proportion of our tax money working hard to keep the clinically extremely vulnerable alive...giving folk wonderful mega expensive organ transplants & cancer treatment etc etc which make them permanently immunocompromised

...AND THEN the politicians make a decision like this which basically puts all us immunocompromised at the greatest & most severe risk...

I have a the primary immunodeficiency disease alongside my autoimmune conditions+all the heavy duty immunosuppression meds I’m on for them, & I’m 67 + all my immune dysfunction was childhood onset so my age alone means I’m immunosenescent. My immunology team have proven all this means I cannot make antibodies in response to anything inc vaccinations. I’m prescribed on immunomodulation dose IgG, and eventually it’ll probably contain COVID antibodies, but because my B & T cells are deficient, who knows if that can do me any good.

So, yesterday’s news is horrifying🤦🏼‍♀️...well, , am going to continue trying to drive myself to local health appts just so I don’t go completely stir-crazy, but basically, am still shielding eg no shopping out & about + no social life in person (only virtual + outdoors self distanced with me masked) & trying to stick to no visitors inside here unless masked folk like medics etc or electricians etc ...

🍀❤️🍀❤️ Coco

[Investigator1 in reply to Barnclown]

Points very well made Barnclown. We know it’s economy driven, I just like you and everybody who has responded wants to try and live their lives with just the medical issues we have not COVID as well and all that it brings to us, it’s like well yes there will be more hospitalisation and inevitably more death but they will more likely be people like us because of the vaccination programme and besides they (us) are using up NHS time anyway or am I being extreme? The decision to just drop all controls is like working hard and making scarifies to buy a house, then selling it and putting it in a bank who put it all on Black in a Casino. Don’t we have a voice? I don’t think Mr Witty and Mr Valance agree, they are in the business of saving lives not the economy. Sorry to get on my soapbox.

[Barnclown in reply to Investigator1]

WELL SAID👏👏👏👏...a cynical person MIGHT imagine this is more or less a campaign to destroy the NHS + intentionally “clear out” the UK’s ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ in preparation for privatisation of the NHS...

[Hidden]

It’s a bizarre fact that England and Westminster have taken this decision. As someone living in Scotland, where Covid rates are currently the highest in Europe, there is barely a mention on the BBC news of the fact that England is just one of 4 nations making up the UK -

Abd I have to say as one of a non nationalistic disposition, this media bias makes me feel more disengaged with the Westminster government’s decision making than ever.

I did hear Manchester’s Mayor, Andy Burnham, commenting yesterday as a lone voice of dissent on the Channel 4 News, that this decision was going to effectively take away further freedoms to travel and go to work for the clinically vulnerable - specifically he mentioned the immunesuppressed.

I thought to myself how few politicians or those in positions of authority there are now who actually have any common sense, moral fibre or humanity.

What amazes me is how economically shortsighted this lifting of all restrictions is. Those who say we must get back to normal, prioritise the economy, respect the rights of individuals to decide what’s best for them and move away from nanny state are actually going to be doing the polar opposite in the long run.

When the NHS and care homes and the most vulnerable have all been through so much already and are just getting back to some kind of normal service again - suddenly my local hospital has had to open two Covid wards.

Are people who are innately selfish but relatively healthy going to be turned away if they have heart attacks or get hospitalised due to Covid? No - it will be us CEV people who draw the short straw if push comes to shove.

Will having an NHS back on its knees again soon help the U.K economy actually get back on track? When hospital and care home staff and transport workers and people from all public and private sector workforce are once again self isolating in their droves then who and what will this all have been for?

There should be no “getting back to normal” after what’s happened. People should wear masks as a common courtesy as they do in countries like Japan. What lessons have the Westminster government actually learnt from this nightmare? Certainly not anything remotely communitarian.

So I agree that this is a hugely risky experiment and I can’t see how it will be anything other than disastrous as the virus thrives and mutates on a not yet fully vaccinated and unmasked, non socially distanced over populated people.

[Tbrz]

Absolutely! I still feel incredibly nervous about going out, especially, with the rising cases of the Delta variant. I feel quite horrified that they will be removing all restrictions on face masks and social distance, so this makes me even more reluctant to venture out. There has been no mention of people like us, it is assumed you are just happy to stay in! This government has taken economic decisions to tackling the virus and now we have a newly appointed health secretary who was a former banker, so we know how he will make decisions regarding our health!!! This government is about to play fast and loose again with the nations health just because they have decided they have paid enough money out and that they are done with the virus, well the virus hasn’t got that message. As I heard yesterday that America and Australia are looking at us in horror that we are prepared to risk the health of our young and children, because we are going to allow this virus to rip through our population again. Unfortunately, there is very much a silence in the media to question this as the motive has been ‘when are we going to get back to normal’ -well normal is not a fixed state, things change. I am very worried and will continue to live as a hermit 😊

[John_Mills Volunteer]

Interesting news item from the BBC today , I am sure many of us can relate to this bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57643063

[Tbrz in reply to John_Mills]

I totally relate, I have not been out of my house/ village to go for a walk for over 18 months. I’ve just had my Rituximab again do feel extremely vulnerable at the moment, as I pick things up so easily anyway, without COVID swirling around - so the 19th will not be freedom to me, just continued shielding ☹️. My children are back from uni, so I am having to keep away from them and I can only see things being worse if cases continue to rise. It is ok they saying we’ve just got to live with COVID, well I struggle enough with my life being limited I do not want further complications or death! We need some recognition by the government that we exist!!!

[Investigator1 in reply to Tbrz]

Well that must be difficult especially with your own kin. I was running a course today via Microsoft Teams and one of the delegates (in his 50s) said to me “you lot who have low immune systems are holding the rest of us back” yes partly in jest but it hurt also stating he hadn’t had the vaccine because he wasn’t going on holiday this year. I held my nerve and professionalism but it was hard. I just think with a lot of people they don’t understand and some it’s selfishness and this is it with the policy the government is adopting it’s ok for the ones that are well, “well I might get it but it’ll go” and that’s the really frustrating thing.

[Tbrz]

Omg what a thing to say and then to admit not having the vaccine! They will be the very same people screaming to go into hospital if they get ill. I might just say that as well as being restricted from shielding I have also forgone hospital appointments, as either been cancelled or have been telephone appointments, which are not as good as you are acutely aware how busy everyone is in the NHS so don’t want to be more of a burden.

I am just so frustrated and scared in equal measure and I do not see that changing any time soon. ☹️