I don’t see how using language like ‘’ locking down the elderly now ‘’ as per your earlier post, reflects a greater level of care for individuals! This is not a policy coming out of a community successful in managing health public care but a community very conscious of actually NOT managing community health care! It’s an admission that historically underfunding health care over the past 10 years has resulted in the NHS/GP services being very ill equipped to deal with any like an outbreak of communicable disease at this level.
When you talk about ‘locking down the elderly’, I think of our over 70s age group in this country who have mostly worked their entire working lives, paying their taxes, paying their Nat Ins contributions to fund our NHS.
They deserve BETTER than to be TOLD to stay in their own homes for months on end as a means of effectively rationalising health care for those members of the population who are just as responsible for spreading infection. Care for our old people should be a PRIORITY including their emotional and mental well being.
It’s disgraceful that we are not prepared for a pandemic - we have known for years/decades the potential for global health crises.
There are more humane methods of infection control, than shutting up our elderly (already some of whom are very lonely and already isolated) and our immuno-compromised citizens, including widespread testing (to improve epidemiology) not just testing those critically ill. Testing all frontline health care workers. Setting up isolation ‘field’ hospitals, rapid manufacture of ventilators and personal protection equipment etc and carrying out social distancing in the wider community.
The decisions being made at the ministerial and international governmental level about the response to coronavirus is being largely driven by economic and national political self interest not compassion and love for vulnerable members of our communities and not it seems by the best advice from WHO..
I’m a realist and understand the necessary dynamics here but lets call a spade a spade.
Shutting people up in theirs homes and closing down businesses is not an effective response on its own and worse, increases anxieties, triggers panic buying, causes extreme economic hardship.
Re those that are comparing Covid-19 to Flu - Seasonal Flu epidemics are spread over a 5-6 months period so while straining health care, the infection curve is not as steep. in addition the incubation period (non symptomatic) for most Flu types are 2-3 days rather than the reported 5-14 for Covid-19 - making it harder to control infection outbreaks.
Btw All those ‘dismissing’ Covid-19 as not as bad as a seasonal Flu outbreak, are forgetting, certainly in the UK, elderly and vulnerable people annually get vaccinated- there is none for Covid. nor is there likely to be for 12-18mnths. As for fatality rates, there is NO known fatality rate for Covid-19 and wont be until the pandemic is over. There is only the CFR (fatality of known cases) and even that can be under or over estimated depending on the number of un-resolved cases.
Sorry about the long rant but you only have to see national borders shutting down, panic/greed buying in the shops, the denial of sections of society essential testing and demanding our old folk be shut up in their homes as an answer to this health care crisis, etc to be reminded how easily we can loose sight of socially acceptable mores.
