Shadow does raise some valid points. Everyone has the right to decide on the jab but just as much as I dislike the vocal anti-vax brigade spreading their views, equally no one should be bullied nor forced into something if they're not comfortable with it. My grandparents' friend for example who is very much in the vulnerable category simply won't get the vaccine as he hates needles. He knows the risks of being unvaccinated but what can anyone do?

 

My concern is once everyone gets their double jab (and get all these extra "rights" the government keeps mentioning) will it then be down the line everyone will need to keep getting boosters every year to keep these privileges?

I thought after spadam left we had managed to get a site that was free from antivaxxers. Disappointing.

This is one of the most frustrating and manipulative things to come out of this last 18 months as well - labelling anyone who is hesitant about this ONE vaccine as an 'antivaxxer'. It's very clever language used to paint these people as nutjobs who think Bill Gates is installing a micropchip in our veins when really (speaking for me personally) I'm actually very pro-vaccine. *shrugs*

 

I have no issue with anyone taking a vaccine if they want to. I just totally disagree with that bonkers post earlier stating it should be mandatory. :lol:

 

 

Shadow does raise some valid points. Everyone has the right to decide on the jab but just as much as I dislike the vocal anti-vax brigade spreading their views, equally no one should be bullied nor forced into something if they're not comfortable with it. My grandparents' friend for example who is very much in the vulnerable category simply won't get the vaccine as he hates needles. He knows the risks of being unvaccinated but what can anyone do?

 

My concern is once everyone gets their double jab (and get all these extra "rights" the government keeps mentioning) will it then be down the line everyone will need to keep getting boosters every year to keep these privileges?

 

I think the idea is that once we reach herd immunity, Covid is part of the coronavirus cluster so it will eventually become less lethal as our bodies remember how to fight it. I suspect everyone over 50 will need a booster jab, a bit like flu these days. It's a bit up in the air really until we get a baseline immunity.

 

With vaccines everyone is right to have their personal viewpoint, yes I totally get the AZ vaccine for Under 40s, I too was slightly hesitant about it but I probably still would have taken it in the end. With the Pfizer/Moderna side effects, they seem to be less concerning. I think the key is with any medication you take there is a potential side effect to it. It just irritates me when people say they won't take the vaccine as they're worried about becoming infertile etc. etc. - how many vaccines have had that issue!?

 

Yeah we shouldn't be criticising those who have not taken the vaccine - I know it's frustrating to you and me, but we have to understand & respect people's freedom of choice and not just assume that people are doing it out of wilful ignorance or simply because they are selfish. There are genuine reasons (some of which have been raised) and you cannot expect 100% take-up especially in the younger population who are at significantly less risk anyway. I have taken it, not for my own health but to help protect others (it has been shown to reduce transmissibility), same reason as wearing a mask really - but people have a right to refuse it, unless they are working in a care setting or anywhere where it is likely to put others at significant risk

 

We'll get the official statement about 19th July this afternoon at 5pm.

 

Anyone else think they're gonna do a u-turn today on "Freedom Day?"

 

Unfortunately, they haven’t. All rules will be relaxed from next week and masks / social distancing will no longer be compulsory and left to individuals to decide. Absolutely crazy at a time when cases are rising steeply. I can see this causing a lot of conflict particularly on public transport and in public places like restaurants etc. I will stop going to my gym if the pull the social distancing. Not prepared to risk it!

Unfortunately, they haven’t. All rules will be relaxed from next week and masks / social distancing will no longer be compulsory and left to individuals to decide. Absolutely crazy at a time when cases are rising steeply. I can see this causing a lot of conflict particularly on public transport and in public places like restaurants etc. I will stop going to my gym if the pull the social distancing. Not prepared to risk it!

 

They've left it down to individual businesses which seems a complete cop out to me and is going to end up really confusing for the public. Imo lots of people don't feel safe without people wearing masks and suspect in certain settings this will change and adapt as time goes on based off of public feedback. I didn't want the conference but people have said it was we must open up, but we must be really cautious, which is a tonal shift but all seems a bit of a cop out.

 

Suspect it will be a no hold barred 6 weeks and then come September you'll need a vaccine passport to get in to nightclubs, large events etc. etc. - I think part of it is realising a lot of people under 40 have not yet had the opportunity to get double jabbed..

 

Imo lots of people don't feel safe without people wearing masks

 

Yep the elderly especially who are at more risk of dying from Covid.. Which makes it a bit crazy politically that a Tory government are easing mask rules now when we have rising case numbers, because many Tory voters are elderly of course, and many elderly may no longer support the Tories if they dont feel safe in shops and buses any more.

Edited July 12, 20214 yr by sn👠ke

Re some of the comments: people have a right to refuse a vaccine AS LONG AS THEY DONT PASS COVID-19 ON TO VULNERABLE PEOPLE. At which point they no longer have a right, for example, carers who refuse to vaccine and wish to carry on working on the grounds that 90% of the vulnerable people they care for won't die from it as they've been vaccinated and they go out for walks so they are asking for it. I'm paraphrasing one "carer" I heard on the radio moaning about it.

 

Or to look at it from my point of view, they think their right to refuse a vaccine and carry on working is more important than them not killing the people they are paid to look after. No, they don't have that right. Piss off and work at something else if you can't be arsed about other people dying. Clearly "carer" is an ironic name for a profession for some.

 

re: "a tiny" proportion of people dying: I don't call 150,000 (not all of them old, many of them health care workers trying to save lives) "tiny". I call it 150,000 people dead.

 

I go back to my previous comment: if this was a repeat of the 1918 flu epidemic where young healthy people who had no resistance to that particular disease, and were dying at the rate of 150,000 in every 10 or 20% infected of the population infected, over a 4-year period, then all the people arguing that it's OK for old people to take responsibility for hiding away from the world for years on the grounds that 150,000 is a drop in the ocean would suddenly hold a very different view on the way we handle the pandemic if they were the ones dying literally within days with lungs filled with blood.

 

So, it boils down to ageism and other isms. Old people and vulnerable people don't matter.

 

Went to the cinema today, wore a mask. Not a problem. Not a hassle. Not an infringement of my rights. Just being considerate for others.

 

 

Yeah we shouldn't be criticising those who have not taken the vaccine - I know it's frustrating to you and me, but we have to understand & respect people's freedom of choice and not just assume that people are doing it out of wilful ignorance or simply because they are selfish. There are genuine reasons (some of which have been raised) and you cannot expect 100% take-up especially in the younger population who are at significantly less risk anyway. I have taken it, not for my own health but to help protect others (it has been shown to reduce transmissibility), same reason as wearing a mask really - but people have a right to refuse it, unless they are working in a care setting or anywhere where it is likely to put others at significant risk

 

We'll get the official statement about 19th July this afternoon at 5pm.

Yet another announcement at a press conference rather than in the House of Commons.

@1414668761861349381

 

Very interesting given Boris going full throttle earlier tonight.

Greece and France have made it compulsary for healthcare workers to get the vaccine if they want to continue their work

Basically the government have passed the buck to the public and any issues they will undoubtedly blame on the public.

The messaging is so conflicting too. "We're taking all restrictions away, however please be extremely cautious due to a new wave" or advising nightclubs etc to "ask for vaccination proof/proof of a negative test etc". :lol:

 

The modelling is showing deaths reaching 100-200 deaths/day and hospitalisations of 1,000-2000/day at the peak of the current wave. I believe that's with 100,000+ cases/day too. So the vaccines have definitely helped. But it's still going to be very disruptive to hospitals/the NHS. My Dad said his hospital is already preparing for another big surge in patients.

 

The surgery waiting list is going to continue to get longer as well, with many cancellations likely happening due to increased covid hospital admissions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basically the government have passed the buck to the public and any issues they will undoubtedly blame on the public.

The messaging is so conflicting too. "We're taking all restrictions away, however please be extremely cautious due to a new wave" or advising nightclubs etc to "ask for vaccination proof/proof of a negative test etc". :lol:

 

The modelling is showing deaths reaching 100-200 deaths/day and hospitalisations of 1,000-2000/day at the peak of the current wave. I believe that's with 100,000+ cases/day too. So the vaccines have definitely helped. But it's still going to be very disruptive to hospitals/the NHS. My Dad said his hospital is already preparing for another big surge in patients.

 

The surgery waiting list is going to continue to get longer as well, with many cancellations likely happening due to increased covid hospital admissions.

 

Some hospitals in Scotland are already struggling with the laxed restrictions from the last couple of months but I reckon Sturgeon will be more conservative with the relaxation of the rest of the rules. For instance mask wearing is still forced until all 40 years old and over have been given the opportunity to have their vaccine (which should be in around 4 weeks time) which is fair and then social distancing will be relaxed to 1 meter indoors from the 19th as well and scrapped outside but the removal of complete social distancing won't happen for another 4 weeks either.

 

I do think that England relaxing all of their restrictions at the same time is a bit overboard tbh but I don't really see how anything can change their minds unless things get pretty dire and I don't foresee a situation as had as Autum/winter unless a new strain of covid breaks out that is more lethal.

Scotland going to level 0 (with a couple of light modifications) on Monday but importantly is keeping the legal mask requirements. Amber quarantine also dead but again also only for UK vaxxed folks

@1415047846722785282

 

thank f*** for that at least.

I was still gonna wear one anyway if I do go on them, but good to see it confirmed. Really don't understand why they're dropping them, it's senseless, literally no other part of the UK is.

@1415047846722785282

 

thank f*** for that at least.

 

Good luck at keeping the proportion of compliance up after the Government's mixed message. Still most of their voters don't take the tube I bet...

Indeed, it’ll be chaos and the government is only going this route due to their crazy backbenchers!

Indeed, it’ll be chaos and the government is only going this route due to their crazy backbenchers!

 

The Government is playing politics, which is stupid. They will be re-introduced in September for the winter until March/April 2022, I'm almost 100% confident of that. Not sure I fully agree with them everywhere inside with no social distancing e.g. pubs/resturaunts, but certainly for shops and transport. It's just a way to appease the loons in the short term.

Wave 4 has begun here. Case rates are up in the under 40s who are the least vaccinated age group. No rise at all in the over 40s which is promising signs that the vax works.

 

We now have plenty of the vaccines so hopefully this rise in cases will encourage some folks to book in or hit up the new drive thru centre in the East rather than trying to wait for the BioNTech vaccine (because Moderna is perfectly safe, just not well publicised because there ain’t as much of it)