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With just one week from July 19, when all remaining social distancing restrictions will end in England, the number of cases and hospitalizations is rising sharply.
Four Guardian readers who are at high risk of getting sick from the virus share their thoughts.
“I can’t sit inside all the time”
For Jodee Lofthouse in Rochester, Kent, living with Addison’s disease, an autoimmune disease, means she’s on steroids for life. “I have to take four batches of it a day and simple viruses are a threat to me, not to mention Covid,” she said.
Lofthouse said she was “very concerned” about the further easing of restrictions and did not understand why people would not wear face masks indoors when they are with other people. “I fear the abuse I might receive after July 19 for wearing one. I’ve seen people be rude about my sunflower neck strap before, which indicates someone has a hidden disability, ”said the accountant, 42.
Although she is fully vaccinated, she is worried about the increased risk of Delta variant infection and shielding is not possible for her as she has a seven-year-old daughter whom she is taking to school. “These are very busy environments, but I can’t sit inside all the time,” she said. “If I were to end up in the hospital, it would be for a long time and it would be very scary for her.”
“The government ignores the people who need the most care”
“It’s probably the worst idea ever,” said Amy, 52, of Nottingham, who has cirrhosis and is at high risk of getting seriously ill if she catches Covid. “I don’t think the government has focused on people’s health, and I’m very scared of what’s going to happen.”
Amy, who has worked as an administrator and has been working from home since March of last year, is “scared” because her employer says she may have to return to work soon. “Once there, I have my own office, but the problem is, I don’t have a car and would have to take public transport,” she said.
She received her two vaccines, but said her specialist was unsure to what extent this would provide her with immunity. “If I leave with people who haven’t been vaccinated or who aren’t taking precautions, then I’m really in danger.
“I have absolutely no faith in the way the government works and I think it really ignores the people who need the most care.”
“When you have an invisible disease, everyone thinks you are fine”
“The masks are not for you, but for others,” said Dave Everitt, who is in his 60s and lives in the East Midlands. “I think there is a lot of misunderstanding around masks and we need to be more aware of why people wear them.”
Everitt, who is an educator working in IT, said his chronic lymphocytic leukemia is not the only thing that makes him vulnerable to Covid, but the autoimmune hemolytic anemia that has developed as a result, this that affects its immune response. “We have been isolating ourselves for over a year, but my wife and I have no problem meeting people who have been vaccinated and testing regularly outside in pub gardens,” he said. “If you don’t have any symptoms and there’s a lot of ventilation, fine, but if you cough and sneeze in an enclosed space, that’s not OK.
“When you have an invisible disease, everyone thinks you’re okay. I feel like I have to wear a T-shirt saying I’m extremely vulnerable. A general rule that requires people to wear masks is probably not the right thing, but there has to be some flexibility that can only work if people are properly educated about masks and how they can help. “
“These are the numbers that worry me”
Rhys Watkins, 65, a retired general practitioner from Gloucester, is also concerned.
“I have a condition called bronchiectasis, which makes me clinically vulnerable. I have been fully vaccinated for a while which is great and has allowed me to move freely again to some extent. But I feel that the risk of the uncontrolled spread of the Covid will increase so I will have to reduce my outdoor activities.
“I have returned to work as a Covid vaccinator and regret the recent slowdown in vaccinations. It sounds horribly like a repeat of “eat to help,” which preceded an immediate spike in infections in September of last year. Nothing is irreversible progress yet.
For Watkins, it’s just a matter of numbers. “Some people who have been doubly vaccinated will still get Covid – the vaccines are not perfect. These are the numbers that worry me: if 15,000 people attend a rugby match in my town, you are going to have a significant number of increasing cases, and a large number of people, many of them young, are likely to be a long time. Covid.
“I am concerned that hospital activity is geared towards Covid admissions, which will prevent the resumption of normal health care.
“I love going to the theater and sporting events, but if the cases increase, which I expect, for the fall, it will definitely affect my decisions.”
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