Quote: Exeter Rhino "The more we return to 'normality', the greater the spread of the virus.The problem is not so much the greater incidence of cases or the relatively low death rate that we're seeing right now, but rather the risk to the NHS if a peak of COVID-related hospital admissions coincides with the usual surge of winter admissions. We can't afford for hospitals to be stopping regular treatment, operations, A&E etc, if they get inundated with COVID patients again - and this is what will happen if there's another steep peak.'"
Really good post. The idea we need to get back to normal or start getting back to normal is misguided. The reason we have a relatively low infection and death rate is in the large due to the restrictions in place and the way in which the majority of people have followed the restrictions and advice. The disease is by all accounts incredibly infectious and unchecked spreads quickly within the community. We are most likely at the limit of what we can reopen and go back to doing safely right now. The more we open the more infections we get.
Yes life is not risk free, of course it isn’t, however in the main the majority of people minimise those everyday life risks. Furthermore, the everyday life risks don’t disappear because covid is here, they are still here every day as they were before. Covid just adds another risk ok top, one which we can slow down significantly by changing some of our behaviours.
The public health issues from covid aren’t just covid, the number of people who have missed screening, medical checks and follow ups is mind boggling. The nhs will struggle to repair that damage even without covid issues. We can’t add further weight onto the NHS because we are tired of things not being normal, because we want to go back to doing what we did before or because we don’t like masks.
The way we get out of this is a vaccine, until we have it then it will be here and we will need to continue living in a different way.