Coronavirus

I don't have those problems, Marigold, but I expect there are many relieved people who hate Xmas, or at least the commercial travesty it has become, who are very pleased to be let off an annual chore. When I was a child (under 10 years) my maternal Granny laid on a big spread for most close relations. I've no idea how she afforded the food but it was an awful lot of work for her too. It was, however, the only "party" we had all year and mainly amicable, I have to say.
 
I hope nowadays that the work is more equally divided between not just the husband but older children as well.
I’ve always rather enjoyed Christmas. The one I really hate is the alcohol fuelled false bonhomie of New Year. I really don’t want to be kissed by some drunken fool telling me what a great guy I am when the rest of the year they can hardly be bothered to speak with me.
And what’s with all this Halloween rubbish. Guy Fawkes Night is enough for November. It won’t be long before we have the U.K. Super Bowl and and are all snacking on Chilli Dogs.
I hope they show The Grinch again this year aka Hen-Gens Life Story!
 
Hen-Gen said:
I hope nowadays that the work is more equally divided between not just the husband but older children as well.
I’ve always rather enjoyed Christmas. The one I really hate is the alcohol fuelled false bonhomie of New Year. I really don’t want to be kissed by some drunken fool telling me what a great guy I am when the rest of the year they can hardly be bothered to speak with me.
And what’s with all this Halloween rubbish. Guy Fawkes Night is enough for November. It won’t be long before we have the U.K. Super Bowl and and are all snacking on Chilli Dogs.
I hope they show The Grinch again this year aka Hen-Gens Life Story!
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Yes!! New Year's Eve always sees me at home, with a dvd or a book, and an early night. It's the one night of the year I do tend to be in bed before midnight! All the parties, with very loud laughter ringing false, and then the alcohol fuelled rages and fights.... Nah. Many years ago, I invited a friend & her son over on NYE, because she'd split from her abusive husband, and it was their first year alone. She was just dreading the evening, because she knew everyone was out celebrating, and found that unbearably sad. So, she and her son came over to me, and we decided we would toast the new year, and go to bed. But meanwhile, while we waited, we chatted about all sorts of stuff. Before we realised, it was 1.15, and we'd missed it! :lol: But, she realised through that that it's just another evening, and 1st Jan each year is just another day. Much the same as 31st December.
 
Don't see the point of New Year either. I usually volunteer to do the late late buses that run until after midnight, or start really early on Jan 1st.
OH doesn't want to stay up anyway. Luckily being rural we aren't subjected to fireworks from about 11.30-1.30
 
bigyetiman said:
Don't see the point of New Year either. I usually volunteer to do the late late buses that run until after midnight, or start really early on Jan 1st.
OH doesn't want to stay up anyway. Luckily being rural we aren't subjected to fireworks from about 11.30-1.30
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Earlier in the year it was Wesak. I let it be known that I wanted no visitors on that day. I ate vegetarian food, dressed totally in white and sidetracked any negative thoughts. Felt great!
 
Wesak - That would have been back in May, right? The birth of the Buddha?

Whilst I can understand that it would be a disappointment for most people who have grown up in a nominally Christian-cum-materialist cultural background to have to scale back their celebrations this year, I think people of other faiths must be feeling that Boris doesn’t value their feelings so highly, since they have already had to forgo celebrations of equal importance to their communities. Also those thousands of people who were not allowed to attend truly important family occasions such as funerals. The whole emphasis on the importance of Christmas is treating the nation like children, I think. The idea of letting everyone have a few days driving around all over the country to thousands of superspreader gatherings, indoors, embracing each other and sharing food and drink, will really get things going again, just as the NHS reaches its peak time for hospital crises in Jan - Feb. And then doing it all over again for New Year!
 
I would agree that locking down, just to then open up for a Christmas super spreader event, which will then mean locking down again is absolute idiocy, but then that is now situation normal.

I think vaccines have been wonderful for health and peoples lives across the world. I have had so many vaccines in my life I have lost count. As well as the usual culprits I have had jabs for typhoid, hepA, hepB, rabies, diphtheria and encephalitis. I won't be taking this one though.
 
Risk-reward Hen-Gen. They are vaccines developed in 7 months rather than 10-15 years, where medium and long term side effects are by definition, impossible to assess. They are also a types of vaccine that have never been used before. They will be rushed through regulatory approval with indemnities from civil lawsuits for both Pfizer and Moderna. I mean what could possibly go wrong?.

I think it is also worth saying that nobody knows how long it will provide protection for and the data sample for severe covid is incredibly small. Only 10/21500 in the Pfizer placebo group got sever covid versus 1/21500 in the vaccine group.

If I were in my 70's or older then I would probably think it was a risk worth taking, but I'm not, in I'm in my 40's. In fact i doubt I will be eligible for any vaccine until next summer at the soonest.
 
Hen-Gen said:
Fair snuff!
For the reasons you say (being old) I probably will take it. In my case it’s to do with probabilities. Same reason I take statins.
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Absolutely, you have to assess whether it is the best thing for you in your own circumstances. I'd certainly never knock anyone who wanted to take it and for some groups it will be a "no brainer" to take it given the risk covid presents to them. What I don't like to see is politicians who won't make mask wearing in public mandatory, (as in South Korea which has had only 30,000 cases and 500 deaths in a 50 million population), but refuse to rule out making the vaccine mandatory.

I think what has been quite interesting reading through the BMJ blurb about it, is that a lot of the people who have come forward to test the vaccine have been from high risk groups. I know two people who have done the Astra Zeneca/Oxford test and both spent the entire time self isolating so the chance of them catching covid was nil, though obviously they have helped with the side effect data. I presume this is why so few people in the placebo group actually caught the virus during the trial period, I think in total it was only 252 people out of 36,500.
 
Having just had my 80th birthday and also being on the high risk list for COPD, I am very glad to have the hope of getting a Covid jab ASAP. For most people, including many in your age group, dinosaw, the risk of a reaction to the vaccination is minimal compared with the possible consequences of Covid. I feel that, apart from the confidence it will give me in returning to more normal life, it’s my civic duty to have the vaccination when offered it in order to protect others from the risk of catching it from me. Much the same as the reasons for wearing a mask. I suppose you’re relying on the wider population achieving herd immunity in order to protect you, dinosaw, or else you think you’re not very likely to suffer much if you do get it. But the herd immunity will only be achieved if enough people do take the vaccine, whether for their own sake or to help protect others. And all those other vaccines you’ve already had, that have helped keep you free from debilitating and infectious diseases, were all new once, and all had to be trialled on people prepared to experience them in the hope of developing something to protect themselves and others. I think if I got Covid I would most probably die painfully, or at least would be extremely ill with long term consequences, - so much as I would like to meet you in person one day, dinosaw, I hope it won’t be before I get my vaccination!
 
We will let you know what happens to all of us once we have had it Dinosaw, and you can decide then.
 
bigyetiman said:
We will let you know what happens to all of us once we have had it Dinosaw, and you can decide then.
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When you all turn into zombies in five years time, don't worry, I'll be there to sort you all out in my new "car"

https://tanks-alot.co.uk/product/russian-2s3-akatsiya/
 
Marigold said:
Having just had my 80th birthday and also being on the high risk list for COPD, I am very glad to have the hope of getting a Covid jab ASAP. For most people, including many in your age group, dinosaw, the risk of a reaction to the vaccination is minimal compared with the possible consequences of Covid. I feel that, apart from the confidence it will give me in returning to more normal life, it’s my civic duty to have the vaccination when offered it in order to protect others from the risk of catching it from me. Much the same as the reasons for wearing a mask. I suppose you’re relying on the wider population achieving herd immunity in order to protect you, dinosaw, or else you think you’re not very likely to suffer much if you do get it. But the herd immunity will only be achieved if enough people do take the vaccine, whether for their own sake or to help protect others. And all those other vaccines you’ve already had, that have helped keep you free from debilitating and infectious diseases, were all new once, and all had to be trialled on people prepared to experience them in the hope of developing something to protect themselves and others. I think if I got Covid I would most probably die painfully, or at least would be extremely ill with long term consequences, - so much as I would like to meet you in person one day, dinosaw, I hope it won’t be before I get my vaccination!
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I know where you are coming from Marigold, and with any normal vaccine I would be coming from the same place. From your point of view, at your age, you would be mad not to take the vaccine. From my point of view, every vaccine I have taken that you mentioned had a 10-15 year development time, so ample time to assess the longer term side effects. They were also all conventional vaccines. The two new vaccines are DNA vaccines which have never received approval before. If the makers of these two vaccines had full confidence in them, then they would not have sought and received indemnity from civil liability. I would actually be more likely to consider the AstraZeneca vaccine as it is at least built on a tried and tested platform. Anyway, upsetting anyone with my view was the last thing I was looking to do.
 
Nobody was upset, dinosaw, and I hope I didn’t upset you. Of course everyone on here has their own views, as in any group of friends, and I think one of the good things about this forum, unlike some others, is that we can agree to disagree and still stay friends.
 
Good, I'm glad to hear that Marigold, last thing in the world I am ever aiming to do.
 
Marigold said:
Nobody was upset, dinosaw, and I hope I didn’t upset you. Of course everyone on here has their own views, as in any group of friends, and I think one of the good things about this forum, unlike some others, is that we can agree to disagree and still stay friends.
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That is what I like too!

I'm undecided about the vaccine and it is interesting and helpful to read the different points of view. It will be a while before they get to my age group, although quicker than dinosaw, and by then it may be easier to decide.

What I can't get my head round is my very intelligent niece-in-law (Engineering degree and business accountancy qualifications) thinking it will be OK for them to call and see me at Christmas. My nephew is teaching in Hampshire and they are in Lancashire so at the moment that is their bubble being two separate households. Her plan is Christmas "at home" with everyone, that is her parents and my sister, and the a week in Hampshire calling in on me on the way there from Lancs (Hoping to stay the night? I don't know).

That means 4 households meeting in Lancs, one of which will have had contact with other grandchildren, and then coming here. I don't think so!

Her mother has been the source of more than one "Christmas infection" which has infected my sister who has then visited me - the last tie for three and a half weeks because she wasn't well enough to travel home to S.Wales.
 
Not offended either Dinosaw. That is the nice thing on here, we can all offer our opinions and we all still get along.

Ditto Margaid, my daughter is now busy planning who she is having around over the 5 days. I said count us out, as a lot of the people will be young people who have been God knows where else. Luckily my day off is Christmas day, Then I am working until Jan 1st.
Even before the government allowed mixing I had a woman on the bus planning her food for the 3 days, as Christmas Eve 10 people round, 12 on the day and 18 Boxing day. Basildon Hospital look out
 
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