Quote:
Originally Posted by jfman
OB in springing to the Conservatives defence shocker.
At least you admit they ignored every pandemic preparedness plan ever written in history and acknowledge the plan for mass infection, and hoping for the best. Also known as the “herd immunity” plan.
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In fairness to them this was what the likes of CW were also saying at the time. Let's not forget that Boris, Hancock etc are politicians and don't have an in-depth medical knowledge and are relying on what their advisers are saying.
Or indeed, that a pandemic plan for something like flu or even SARS/MERS (which were no less dangerous in severe cases, but were less contagious as a result of more cases being severe than with covid-19) wouldn't necessarily fit every virus which could cause a pandemic.
I think the general idea was that if they shielded CEVs, then allowed the rest of the country to mainly get on with it, they would get the virus, and enough would have had it and mainly survived to then allow the CEVs out after a while knowing they wouldn't then get the virus or would do so at a rate which the NHS could then have had chance to 1. prepare for 2. cope with. It maybe would have worked, but, let's not forget also no-one really knew a lot about the virus back then, and they'd ignored the fact that 1. non-CEV people could still get severely ill and need hospital treatment 2. that there would be far too many getting it in a few weeks of letting it do this to keep the NHS from getting like Italy 3. that in any case, shielding wasn't going to be sufficient.
It's actually good government that they did see that the original plan wasn't going to work, in the face of actual on the ground evidence in the UK, and that of the changing knowledge of the virus, and change their plans, which they have not been afraid to do throughout.
Finally, the notable critics of the "herd immunity" approach ignore the fact that it's what we've been actually working to achieve for the last 10 months. By putting vaccines in people's arms, you're achieving precisely that. Once vaccinated you have immunity same as if you've been infected (but precisely how specific and how long lasting it will be in either case isn't really known yet).