Originally Posted by
cxorcist
Possibly, but this virus is far more widespread than people think. Recent antibody testing is revealing vast portions of the population have had the virus. I think the most vulnerable are being taken down regardless of masks, social distancing, stay at home orders, etc. Herd immunity is the only way get on with living until there is a vaccine. The world cannot wait 12-18 months. If it does, there won’t be anything left.
Correct. The sad fact is that people who are obese, immuno compromised, diabetic, coronary cases etc. die anyway. This is just hastening it along. I think one of the reasons that the UK has been hit hard is not necessarily a failure to act rapidly ( the Swedes are and indeed the Dutch were advocates of the herd immunity method; sadly an experiment too far for politicians to continue with as events overtook them) it’s that’s primarily the UK IS a nation of salad dodgers and fatknackers, who expect ever expanding miracles of our free at the point of contact National Health Service.
We just don’t know how many of those would have died anyway. And the ensuing economic effects of plunging the world back in to a WWII economy, to say nothing of the concomitant effects on physical, and mental health, are shortly going to outweigh the virus deaths.
It is tragic. Don’t get me wrong, however populace’s around the world ( at least in the parts that are not ruled by an oligarchy or an autocracy) are not going to put up with lockdown for months on end. Witness the behaviour already here in HK or in the US.
TB, dengue, malaria. All lethal if you’re unfortunate enough to be born in the wrong part of the world. And they’ve been around for a fairly long time without being totally eradicated. With billions of dollars being thrown at them. What chance do you think there is of eradicating a virus related to the same family as the common cold. ? Masks are primarily a placebo, forcing much of the population to behave as though we’re under Sharia.
And I’ll take Paul’s odds any day. As opposed to watching the narcissists amongst us plunge the world in to the dark ages.