CEV Is it just me? I'm still petrified!

TBagpuss

I think that the government had decided to end the restrictions before the invasion of Ukraine, and that the decision had more to do with lobbyists and a desire to distract from Partygate than any medical advice.

That said, I think risks have reduced (not disappeared) in that the majority of people have been vaccinated and boosted and that there are now better and more effective treatments available for those who are unlucky enough to be severely affected. 

I think what you can do is decide what you are personally comfortable with - for instance, wearing a well-fitting N95 mask significantly reduces your personal risk, so wearing one when you go out can help reduce your risk, even when other people are no longer taking precautions.

Similarly, you can chose where you are comfortable spending time - as an example, I have now been out to restaurants a couple of times, but it has been to places which I know, where I know that they are well ventilated and not over-crowded - I have not been to bars or pubs as I don't feel comfortable with the levels of crowding. I wear a mask in shops and on public transport. 

Unfortunately there are people who didn't take it seriously even when the guidance or even rules were much stricter, so I am not at all confident that people in general do now,(I suspect, sadly, that people like Roger who chose to not to continue to take precautions themselves but   do give some consideration to others are not indicative of how people in general are behaving - my observations are that people tend to either still be being careful, wearing masks etc or to be treating things as if everything is back to normal, including how close they come to others) 

I work on the assumption that in any public space there will be people who are not bothering with any precautions , and plan accordingly. 

[Deleted User]

FreedomBringsPeace said:

I'm CEV, I feel like Boris has closed his eyes to Covid as he has to focus on Russia.

 I'm confused as all of a sudden there's no risk, no mask required etc.

I'm still anxious being around people. I know some of that is social. But my anxiety is made worse by my feeling that the Government not taking it seriously means others won't either? I'm aware of a few people who have had coughs and ignored it and given it to others.

What are other CEV'ers doing? Feeling? Thinking? 

I feel for you. I'm not officially CEV but I do have health issues that I think might be affected by COVID and really, really don't want to find out for sure.

Unfortunately we have been thrown to the wolves. All you can do is try to get a permanent work-from-home job if possible.

Deliveries from supermarkets can work, but most of the drivers don't bother wearing a mask these days and might even knowingly have COVID since you don't have to isolate anymore. On balance it may be better to go to the supermarket when it's not too busy. Mask on, disposable gloves.

It's a nightmare.

unforeseen

Being immunocompromised due to my medication, I am well aware that if I catch Covid then I am liable to have it worse than most 'normal' people and maybe even hospitalisation. A simple cold takes me out for 3-4 days because my body can't fight it too well. 

However, you can not live your life being totally risk averse. Life doesn't, and can't work that way. I have assessed the risk and realised that  that for both my mental and physical wellbeing I need to return to as normal a life as possible. I still wear a mask in certain situations where I consider the risk has increased such as crowded shops. Otherwise carry on the way I did before I got the dreaded text. 

Roll on Covid jab no. 5.

soolin

unforeseen said:

Being immunocompromised due to my medication, I am well aware that if I catch Covid then I am liable to have it worse than most 'normal' people and maybe even hospitalisation. A simple cold takes me out for 3-4 days because my body can't fight it too well. 

However, you can not live your life being totally risk averse. Life doesn't, and can't work that way. I have assessed the risk and realised that  that for both my mental and physical wellbeing I need to return to as normal a life as possible. I still wear a mask in certain situations where I consider the risk has increased such as crowded shops. Otherwise carry on the way I did before I got the dreaded text. 

Roll on Covid jab no. 5.

Yiou make a good point, I think the mental health issues are often ignored and there does need to be a balance when assessing risk. Many of my CEV friends and relatives have gone almost back to normal now as it was that or potentially face another year or two at least at home with deteriorating mental health. Many suggested that the more they isolated and worried the harder it was becoming to even set foot outside the door. The fear was increasing the longer they isolated and it might well have got to the point that they never ventured out again- and for someone still young enough to have a life ahead of them, that was something they could not accept.

Without any medical info to back my theories (sorry) - I still think that covid in some form will never go away and will become something like flu which will all try and guard against and can't completely ignore. I don't think is a case of waiting for it all to blow over.

lisyloo

I feel for you.

my dad is CEV with an auto immune condition of the blood,but he’s also vulnerable to any infection which usually sees him in hospital on if antibiotics.

however I don’t think you can not live a life as it’s has to be balanced against mental health and just living your life.

we wear masks when we visit my dad and test beforehand and don’t get close

if you can bear to be outside (my dad feels the cold terribly) then I think it’s quite safe to meet people outside (with precautions like distancing and wiping down the bathroom) so you can have some human connection.

we do our best to mitigate the risks but I think completely shielding is not the way to go when outside is very low risk.

and of course anyone that needs to go to hospital or have district nurses round (super spreaders) cannot totally shield anyway, you can only do your best.

unforeseen

I was in a similar position while shielding. I was dealing with bladder cancer as well so needed regular trips to hospital for the treatment, including ops  under GA. 
Bladder cancer wasn't the reason that I was shielding, it was the medication to control my severe psoriasis. 

sourcrates

I had COVID-19 along with pneumonia, early 2021, was hospitalised for two weeks, on a ventilator.

My total recovery was 7 months.

However, I take a rational view of things, I had really bad flu, which then turned into pneumonia, and I also tested positive for covid at the same time, so the advice that anyone with underlying health problems should be careful, seems legitimate doesn't` it.

The rest of my family also tested positive, and have done a couple of times since then, but only ever had cold like symptoms.

I personally hate wearing a mask, but I did so prior to getting covid, I also washed my hands and disinfected regularly, non of that helped at all, I still got it, so now I don`t even think about it, I`m triple vaccinated, others I know are not, and still only had bad cold symptoms, so if you have other medical issues, then take as much care as you want, but me, I`ll take my chances now, I feel its something we will just have to live with anyway.

FreedomBringsPeace

Thanks for your views all, really appreciate your perspectives