Felt very odd going into work this morning (we've gone back to working in bubbles), at least more so than it normally does after the Christmas break.
It feels like the UK is in a bit of a limbo phase with the new wave, and you can see how attitudes towards the virus can differ depending on where you work/what you do.
Cases are crazy high, and hospital admissions are climbing too, although those in the ICU appear to be relatively stable/on par with what things were like under Delta. So severity hasn't yet changed in terms of those suffering the worst. Fingers crossed this remains the case in the coming weeks.
Where it gets more muddled is when it comes to the strains that are being felt by key services and infrastructure. Given the amount of positive cases/close contacts, the anecdotal evidence I've received from close friends and family working in hospitals, GPs and schools is crazy. Schools in Hackney are basically where they were last year in terms of staff and community cases. On a side note, exams this year could be far more problematic further down the line than they were last year when there was at least national consensus on how to manage them. For the sake of these, further preventative measures would seem inevitable and justified in order to allow them to carry on operating as best they can.
Yet despite this, I do understand the absolute frustration many who have been boostered/previously had Covid have towards potential further lockdowns. Without government support, lockdowns are an absolute killer to businesses, livelihoods and opportunities. Given the amount we now know about the virus and what we have had to endure so far, it's difficult to comprehend a watertight argument in favour of further restrictions.
Based on what has been shared here/reported in the UK, the evidence so far does seem to point towards Omicron being very mild for those with the necessary protection, despite the high case numbers; and that those who are making it into the ICU/requiring critical care are largely comprised of those who are unvaccinated/highly vulnerable to similar infections (happy to be shown otherwise if not the case).
I can only see the divide between the vaccinated/anti-vaxxers growing. We are so unbelievably fortunate to be in a country that has the capacity to provide a range of different vaccines to its population, and it beggars belief to think there are those who are just throwing this opportunity away for the sake of their own selfish, misinformed delusions.
Yes it's vital that people make sacrifices in times of a crisis to protect our key infrastructure and services, but if this is a crisis that is being compounded simply by those too stubborn to get the necessary prevention to this disease, then it's getting harder and harder to feel sympathetic.
TL;DR - feck antivaxxers, the selfish cnuts.
It feels like the UK is in a bit of a limbo phase with the new wave, and you can see how attitudes towards the virus can differ depending on where you work/what you do.
Cases are crazy high, and hospital admissions are climbing too, although those in the ICU appear to be relatively stable/on par with what things were like under Delta. So severity hasn't yet changed in terms of those suffering the worst. Fingers crossed this remains the case in the coming weeks.
Where it gets more muddled is when it comes to the strains that are being felt by key services and infrastructure. Given the amount of positive cases/close contacts, the anecdotal evidence I've received from close friends and family working in hospitals, GPs and schools is crazy. Schools in Hackney are basically where they were last year in terms of staff and community cases. On a side note, exams this year could be far more problematic further down the line than they were last year when there was at least national consensus on how to manage them. For the sake of these, further preventative measures would seem inevitable and justified in order to allow them to carry on operating as best they can.
Yet despite this, I do understand the absolute frustration many who have been boostered/previously had Covid have towards potential further lockdowns. Without government support, lockdowns are an absolute killer to businesses, livelihoods and opportunities. Given the amount we now know about the virus and what we have had to endure so far, it's difficult to comprehend a watertight argument in favour of further restrictions.
Based on what has been shared here/reported in the UK, the evidence so far does seem to point towards Omicron being very mild for those with the necessary protection, despite the high case numbers; and that those who are making it into the ICU/requiring critical care are largely comprised of those who are unvaccinated/highly vulnerable to similar infections (happy to be shown otherwise if not the case).
I can only see the divide between the vaccinated/anti-vaxxers growing. We are so unbelievably fortunate to be in a country that has the capacity to provide a range of different vaccines to its population, and it beggars belief to think there are those who are just throwing this opportunity away for the sake of their own selfish, misinformed delusions.
Yes it's vital that people make sacrifices in times of a crisis to protect our key infrastructure and services, but if this is a crisis that is being compounded simply by those too stubborn to get the necessary prevention to this disease, then it's getting harder and harder to feel sympathetic.
TL;DR - feck antivaxxers, the selfish cnuts.
Still not 100% confident it isn't one big scam.
You dirty git