People say ‘we’ll get on with it’ amid new Covid warning
SIGNS NEW WAVE IS ON THE WAY
PEOPLE in Hull have said they will take a potential new coronavirus wave as it comes after a warning that one could be on the way.
People in Hull city centre said they had become accustomed to the implications of spikes in coronavirus cases so they had come to accept it. But one said any disruption would be harder to swallow after losing trust in politicians following revelations about lockdown rule breaking at the top of government.
Andy Kingdom, East Riding Council’s Public Health Director, told councillors on Tuesday that another coronavirus wave appeared to be on the horizon. He added that while it would be less severe than previous ones, there were concerns working age people catching it could lead to more disruption in hospitals and other sectors.
‘We’ve just got to live with it’
Pamela Hinson, 76, said she had been vaccinated four times so felt she would be protected should another wave hit.
She said: “I think we’ve just got to live with it now and do what they tell us to do.
“When I heard about the danger of another wave at first I thought ‘oh no’ But I’ve worn a mask and distanced for so long that I’ve just gotten used to it, so it’s not so bad.
“The most concerning part for me is what could happen to hospitals. I’ve just had open heart surgery, I had to wait three years to get it and I lost nearly a stone in two weeks afterwards.
“Before the surgery my condition was getting worse and worse until my husband rang our doctor who informed the hospital. I got a call soon afterwards and they managed to get me in for surgery the following week.
“After hearing that there might be another wave coming, I feel like I got that done in the nick of time. If I was still waiting for the surgery I’d be much more worried now.”
‘I’m more worried for others than for me’
Emily, who is in her twenties, said she had come to accept that recurring coronavirus waves would become a fact of life after the pandemic first struck.
She said: “I don’t see there being another lockdown this time.
“I work in retail so I’d be worried if there was another lockdown because it’s a non-essential shop so it would have to close and I’d probably lose my job. I’m an extrovert so the lockdowns were really bad for me socially too, they weren’t good for my mental health.
“And it affected my education. I finished my course at Hull College but they just gave me a grade instead of me doing my final exams. I did alright, but I feel for people who were hoping they could get their grades up before they left. But we’ve been through the worst of it already so we know what to expect now, whatever happens I’ll just go along with it.
“I’m more worried for other people than I am for myself. I worry especially for people like cancer patients with all the backlogs in the NHS and for small businesses which had to close during the pandemic.
“I’m 100 per cent behind the vaccine and I’ve had all three jabs, so I feel protected at least, getting it was a small price to pay for that.
“I haven’t been on holiday since the pandemic began, I’d rather not take my chances because I know some people had to cancel theirs and it was really hard to get their money back.
“I hardly even remember what life
was like before the pandemic.”
‘I just try to be patient’
I think we’ve just got to live with it now and do what they tell us to do
Pamela Hinson
Hanna said she felt it was time to move on from coronavirus after the pandemic almost cost her her cleaning business.
She said: “A new wave wouldn’t make much difference to me at this point, we’ve just got to get on with it.
“The lockdowns almost closed my business down, I’m a cleaner and my clients were mostly elderly and frail people. They were told to isolate so they did, but that meant I couldn’t go out to work.
“So if cases start to rise again I’d worry because my clients might not want me to visit if they’re worried about catching it.
“Me and my partner haven’t been on holiday since before coronavirus but at least now we’re going out a lot more, we’re glad we can again.
“Otherwise we’re just playing it by ear at the moment.
“If everyone gets vaccinated it’ll go a long way to helping the situation. I had my last one in December.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen now with coronavirus, I just try to be patient and get on with things.”