How do you feel about the government lifting coronavirus restrictions?

calcotti

vikingqueen said:

  I'm being told I will have access to antivirals, who do I get in touch with? my GP, my consultant, 119 there is no information to tell me. 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk

Above has guidance for those with compromised immune systems. (I think this group is a smaller group than the CEV group.)

If you are in the group you should have been sent a home PCR test. If you develop symptoms you are supposed use the test and if it comes back positive you will then be contacted to discuss treatment.

Note the above guidance only applies to the end of March.

As others have commented the difficulty is not knowing our individual level of risk which makes it very difficult to balance risk and reward.

When we travel in a car we know we might be in a road traffic accident but we can balance that risk against the reason for travel (even though admittedly we are generally very bad at accurately weighting risk). Weighing the desire to mix socially against an unknown risk of catching a disease which might make one seriously ill is rather more difficult.

Wibbles

To be honest - I'm terrified

I have been sucessfully self isolating with my wife (who is also high risk) for almost two years - very rarely even leaving the house and not having any visitors at all !

I realise that at some point - things are going to have to go back to "normal" - but this is too soon and too much at one time

vikingqueen

Thank you @calcotti. I am aware of the PCR test I 'should have ' but as yet myself and  more have not been contacted nor received a test. I'm off for my 4th vaccination later today so I will be asking if they know anything. 

calcotti

Teddybear12 said:

I was sent a letter by NHS England saying I was in the group for antiviral medication if I got Covid 19. A few days later I was sent a Priority PCR test. 

Me too.

vikingqueen

    It must just be me  just had my 4th dose and they knew nothing about it at the vaccination centre. I'll try my doctor in the morning.

Libby_Alumni

How did the vaccination go @vikingqueen? I hope it went well today for you.

I feel a little apprehensive myself, but I'm still going to be carrying out certain precautions like wearing masks in crowded places and washing my hands thoroughly every time I enter my house etc. These are the things that I can control and make me feel better about the situation.

MarkM88

I’m going to the biggest gathering I’ve been to over the last few years on Wednesday. 

I’m attending a conference, be interesting to see what precautions people take and who wears masks if at all. 

Libby_Alumni

I hope it goes well @MarkM88, keep us updated and hopefully people will be respectful whatever their choice in precautions. 

vikingqueen

       No problem at all with my vaccination thank you @Libby_Scope, I've not had any side effects with all 4 (touch wood with this last one)  I too will still be wearing my mask and trying my best to stay away from crowds.

Darkwolf666

I understand that things had to change, but worry about the removal of "free" tests for the vulnerable. As others have said that these were a lifeline for the vulnerable to screen any visitors coming into their home (we haven't had anyone in our home for 2 years, but have met family in your garden). My understanding is that the vulnerable will only get free tests once they HAVE Covid, unless the original information has changed.

At the end of the day it is about personal risk. We will continue to make decisions that are right for us and hope that others can follow suit - i.e. DWP understanding that face to face meetings aren't right for some people, as it's not a case of one size fits all!

JenF

Delighted that the restrictions have been lifted, we have to live with this, as we do with flu. The mental health consequences of lockdown have been horrendous in my family, in other words, no gain to the overall health of the nation that we can see.

calcotti

vikingqueen said:

       No problem at all with my vaccination 

I've now had three different brands, all without problems thankfully.

HiRy

Lifting the restrictions is fine,
But when remote work came in to play and people who have difficulty with their mobility/ or mental health found being able to work a possibility, they found a new freedom and  independence, but now attitudes are changing  as companies are looking to reopen work places hindering vulnerable people and going backwards!

JenF

Yes, and many of us have been asking for working from home for many years, only to be told it was quite impossible. And then, when it suited government, it was. And now they are going back on it, apparently to support sandwich shops in the City of London. Maybe if a disabled person - no, come to think of it, any person - who asks to work from home should have a right to do so unless the employer can show that it is necessary to be in the workplace. After all, you can't drive a lorry from home!

HiRy

Oh yeah, anyone should be able to work from home, parents  could keep a better check on children who are ill and knowing their kids are safe will allow them to pay more attention to the job instead of worrying for example!

Florine

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/486823#Comment_486823

Is this right? I'd assumed from what had been said that the extremely vulnerable would still be entitled to free test kits. Can anyone confirm, because I haven't found anything official? How can I keep my caree safe if I can't test?

calcotti

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/491893#Comment_491893

I haven't seen anything to suggest that. Those who are immuno suppressed have been issued with a PCR test to self they develop COVID symptoms and if the test is positive will be treated with antivirals. The idea we might prefer to try and avoid catching it by continuing to ask people who visit us to use lateral flow tests seems to be outside official thinking.

vikingqueen

   Not everyone who is immunosuppressed has been sent a PCR test. I am CEV and up to press haven't heard anything.

calcotti

vikingqueen said:

   Not everyone who is immunosuppressed has been sent a PCR test. I am CEV and up to press haven't heard anything.

Apologies, I thought it was all immunosuppressed. Perhaps it is some groups only which is even more unnerving for those not included (and seems illogical).

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk

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