Fears Covid anxiety syndrome could stop people reintegrating

[Northerner]

Scientists have expressed concern that residual anxiety over coronavirus may have led some people to develop compulsive hygiene habits that could prevent them from reintegrating into the outside world, even though Covid hospitalisations and deaths in the UK are coming down.

The concept of “Covid anxiety syndrome” was first theorised by professors last year, when Ana Nikčević, of Kingston University, and Marcantonio Spada, at London South Bank University, noticed people were developing a particular set of traits in response to Covid.

The anxiety syndrome is characterised by compulsively checking for symptoms of Covid, avoidance of public places, and obsessive cleaning, a pattern of “maladaptive behaviours” adopted when the pandemic started. Now researchers have raised the alarm that the obsessive worrying and threat avoidance, including being unwilling to take public transport or bleaching your home for hours, will not subside easily, even as Covid is controlled.

Fears Covid anxiety syndrome could stop people reintegrating

Exclusive: compulsive hygiene habits and fear of public places could remain for some after lockdown lifted, researchers say

www.theguardian.com

I do have a certain level of anxiety for the next few months, chiefly because I do not trust this government at all to manage things well if there is a further surge (of a new variant, perhaps) Not obsessive though, I've always been fairly reclusive, but I would like to feel safe on public transport, for example 🙂

 

[Lucyr]

Being autistic I’m going to find it difficult reintegrating back to normal, things like sensory issues (noisy/busy places) I will find more overwhelming after not being in those environments for a while, I’m not sure how I’ll go back to the noise of an office. Then also the social aspect, I don’t think I’ll remember all the conversation skills I spent so long building up as I haven’t used them in so long!

 

[Northerner]

Being autistic I’m going to find it difficult reintegrating back to normal, things like sensory issues (noisy/busy places) I will find more overwhelming after not being in those environments for a while, I’m not sure how I’ll go back to the noise of an office. Then also the social aspect, I don’t think I’ll remember all the conversation skills I spent so long building up as I haven’t used them in so long!

Hopefully, people will be understanding and give you the space and peace when you need it 🙂 My grand-nephew is autistic and has enjoyed the limitations of lockdown - he's been in school, but with far fewer students 🙂

 

[pm133]

I think it's clear that some people will struggle but I suspect that the overwhelming majority of people will be back to normal again after a few weeks once all restrictions including masks are removed.

Got to be honest, being able to walk into a shop without a bloody mask on is the thing I'm looking forward to most of all.

 

[Amity Island]

Yes, this government has a lot to answer for. It's been a year long, full on psychological operation against our own people, not to mention the lockdowns, restrictions, masks, social distancing, business destruction, school closures.

Plus all the misleading facts. There were no signs of any increased hospital admissions, no increase in deaths before they decided to lockdown in March 2020.

Now we have a campaign of coercion (threat of vaccine passports just to go to the pub or to travel, work etc) to get everybody vaccinated, instead of targetting those who would benefit from the vaccines (e/g those in the later years).

State of fear: how ministers ‘used covert tactics’ to keep scared public at home

Government’s ‘psychological strategies’ to manipulate unwitting public’s behaviour may backfire and lead to long-term damage, experts claim

www.telegraph.co.uk

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www.theguardian.com

 

[Ivostas66]

Just over a week ago, when school places were released, almost everyone across our county got first or second choice, which is unheard of. Apparently there are two main reasons - it is a very low birth year, but also a friend at the LEA told us lots of parents have decided not to apply to send kids to school due to real anxiety and fears over Covid and are home schooling instead.

 

[Amity Island]

Just over a week ago, when school places were released, almost everyone across our county got first or second choice, which is unheard of. Apparently there are two main reasons - it is a very low birth year, but also a friend at the LEA told us lots of parents have decided not to apply to send kids to school due to real anxiety and fears over Covid and are home schooling instead.

Hi Ivostas66,

Do you mean parents are concerned they may catch the virus? I take it this means these are parents who haven't been vaccinated?

 

[mikeydt1]

Amity when i had my jab on Friday i was given a card told me to carry it at all times and then came out with 'you will be able to go on a aircraft now' didn't find it amusing

to use vaccines for political gains is a disgrace and it is just not our country politicians who are doing this other country politicians are doing the same.

i have a friend in Australia and the message was those who have had the jab can now freely go on cruises and as for the poor sods who don't have it yet your stuffed.

got the local elections coming up in our area and i know one party i am not even going to be voting for.

 

[Amity Island]

Amity when i had my jab on Friday i was given a card told me to carry it at all times and then came out with 'you will be able to go on a aircraft now' didn't find it amusing

to use vaccines for political gains is a disgrace and it is just not our country politicians who are doing this other country politicians are doing the same.

i have a friend in Australia and the message was those who have had the jab can now freely go on cruises and as for the poor sods who don't have it yet your stuffed.

got the local elections coming up in our area and i know one party i am not even going to be voting for.

Mikeydt1,

The problem is who? Who do we vote for? The main reason we are in this position is because all opposition has all but disappeared and not just political opposition, it's in the medical field as well.

We are heading (or are) in a two tier class system. Those "lepers" anti vaxxers (who aren't against vaccines per se) who haven't been vaccinated or do not wish to take the vaccine, who will suffer the consequenses through a coercive agenda and then those with the vaccines who will likely require yearly endless top ups for covid22, 23 / strain so and so etc etc from one year to the next, an endless situation where the moment you fail to have this years strain you will have to go back and to join the "Lepers" "anti vaxxers" class again. And none of these tweeked vaccines will be tested as they are only "tweeks".

It will affect everyone.

In living memory, I've never seen any requirements for wearing masks for any virus, I've never known social distancing for any virus, I've never known any vaccine passports for going to the pub, to work, travel etc, I've never known in living memory when the whole world locked down, when businesses were closed, when schools were closed, when people isolated, when there was so much fear about anything.

 

[grovesy]

Our vaccine cards do not even have our names on them, and when we had our second yesterday, we were told to fill the batch number and date when we got home. We were given a slip of paper with the batch number on it.

 

[Amigo]

I see the death, desperation and overwhelmed medical services in India and thank my lucky stars for many of the admittedly extreme steps that this Government took (especially as I’m in the extreme clinically vulnerable group with little antibody response to the vaccine). I envy those who can have it and be more assured of mounting a more robust response.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Our vaccine cards do not even have our names on them,

Glad I'm not the only one! I wrote my name on it. They did put on the batch numbers and so on, but the desk doing that didn't know my name (only the check in desk did).

 

[Bruce Stephens]

In living memory, I've never seen any requirements for wearing masks for any virus, I've never known social distancing for any virus, I've never known any vaccine passports for going to the pub, to work, travel etc, I've never known in living memory when the whole world locked down, when businesses were closed, when schools were closed, when people isolated, when there was so much fear about anything.

Fortunately we didn't get Sars, Mers, to any extent. I imagine those countries that did will have had some levels of each of those restrictions apart from the vaccine passports (since there weren't any vaccines). In a number of countries proof of vaccination for some things is required for children to attend public schools, and I imagine further and higher education. Likely there are countries requiring similar for people who want to move there (I remember there was a test for TB before I could work in the Netherlands years ago).

I doubt covid certificates will be much used in this country. I'm guessing case numbers will be so low that they just wouldn't be useful even in the few places where they might otherwise be cost effective. At least over summer. Maybe in the autumn (if infections rise), and likely for international travel there'll be some use for them.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

The problem is who? Who do we vote for?

Depends where you are. In London one can vote for Laurence Fox for mayor. I suspect one or both of the Brexit/UKIP parties is anti lockdown, and at one point Farage had a new party opposing lockdowns. Not sure how many of those parties still exist and probably they're not standing everywhere. And they and their candidates (and Fox) also probably support things you don't.

(I think Count Binface is a much better candidate for mayor and am very much hoping he beats Fox. They're both polling 1% at present.)

 

[Amity Island]

I see the death, desperation and overwhelmed medical services in India and thank my lucky stars for many of the admittedly extreme steps that this Government took (especially as I’m in the extreme clinically vulnerable group with little antibody response to the vaccine). I envy those who can have it and be more assured of mounting a more robust response.

Amigo,

What exactly do you feel so lucky for?

Please share with us all the evidence that shows a drop in deaths and hospitalizations after the lockdown on 23rd March 2020.

Please share with us all the prior evidence of increased deaths and hospitalizations that justified the reason for lockdown.

 

[Robin]

I really wouldn’t bother, @Amigo. We have been here before. I attempted to explain about case rates, and hospitalisations and deaths following on later here -

https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/are-government-about-to-do-a-u-turn-after-vaccine-rollout.92652/page-2#post-1060169

Post #26 onwards, and later posts explained it better than I could, but it fell on stony ground, and it wasn’t the first time I'd patiently explained it.

 

[Amigo]

I really wouldn’t bother, @Amigo. We have been here before. I attempted to explain about case rates, and hospitalisations and deaths following on later here -

https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/are-government-about-to-do-a-u-turn-after-vaccine-rollout.92652/page-2#post-1060169

Post #26 onwards, and later posts explained it better than I could, but it fell on stony ground, and it wasn’t the first time I'd patiently explained it.

Oh I’d gathered that Robin 😉

What I mainly feel ’lucky for’ is not being a tormented conspiracy theorist.

 

[Amity Island]

Oh I’d gathered that Robin 😉

What I mainly feel ’lucky for’ is not being a tormented conspiracy theorist.

Amigo,

Conspiracy theorist? Because I said there were no increased hospitalizations or deaths before the lockdown on 23rd March 2020. How do those two facts make a conspiracy of any kind? I don't understand what you are alluding too?

ALL I have said is that there were no increased hospitalisations and no increased deaths until AFTER they locked down on the 23rd March. It is on that day and only that day the we see a huge spike in deaths and hospitalisations.

Can you please explain what you mean about a conspiracy? I don't understand what you are refering to? I'm just saying lockdowns caused the excess deaths.

It's the same for the masks, no evidence making masks mandatory worked either. See the data.

I really don't get what you are refering to. All I have done is point out some facts.

 

[Amity Island]

I really wouldn’t bother, @Amigo. We have been here before. I attempted to explain about case rates, and hospitalisations and deaths following on later here -

https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/are-government-about-to-do-a-u-turn-after-vaccine-rollout.92652/page-2#post-1060169

Post #26 onwards, and later posts explained it better than I could, but it fell on stony ground, and it wasn’t the first time I'd patiently explained it.

@Robin

You say the reason the spike in deaths occured on the 23rd day of March in the year 2020 because there was a lag between hospital admissions and deaths.

The virus entered the country In Jan 2020? True?
There were no excess death until AFTER 23rd March 2020? True?
There were no excess hospital admissions BEFORE 23rd March 2020 True?

And yet you maintain that is was just an incredible coincidence that the huge spike in deaths and hospital admissons occured on the 23rd day of the month of March, on the same day the county locked down?

I just don't buy it. I'm more inclined to believe it was the lockdown that caused the excess deaths and hospitalisations. Mainly because of the measures that took place like moving the elderly out of hospital care into carehomes and the DNR do not resuscitate placed on sick people.

I'm not talking conspiracies, just events that took place during the lockdown.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

I just don't buy it. I'm more inclined to believe it was the lockdown that caused the excess deaths and hospitalisations. Mainly because of the measures that took place like moving the elderly out of hospital care into carehomes and the DNR do not resuscitate placed on sick people.

Why do you think things would have been different in the UK to how they had been (just weeks earlier) in northern Italy?

Or is your point that we should have had social distancing and so on (in effect the lockdown we had), but also not screwed up handling of elderly people?