UK, Herd Immunity One Ups trump

[Phil1111 1,182]

UK departs from Europe in virus response, draws criticism

"The United Kingdom is standing increasingly apart as countries across Europe and around the world shut schools, scrap sports tournaments and shutter restaurants in response to the new coronavirus..

Britain’s strategy is based on the presumption that most people in the country will eventually get the virus, and severe measures to contain it are unlikely to work. ... But in contrast to many other countries, Britain has calculated that enforcing social distancing too soon would be counterproductive because people will tire of the restrictions and start to lapse just when the measures are needed most. ...

“Also, because the vast majority of people get a mild illness, to build up some kind of herd immunity so more people are immune to this disease and we reduce the transmission, at the same time we protect those who are most vulnerable to it.”

To some anxious Britons that sounds callous, as if the government intends to let some individuals get sick and die in order to strengthen society. The front pages of most British newspapers carried stark summaries Friday of Johnson’s warning the day before: “Many loved ones will die,” was the Daily Mail's headline.

Rory Stewart, a former Conservative government minister, urged Britain to adopt “tough and extreme measures” such as lockdowns and travel bans that have worked in China and South Korea to bring down the number of new infections.

“The government questions whether the British public is up for the kind of measures which have been taken in other countries,” he told Sky News. “I disagree. I think the British public will do what publics in other countries have done and can do.”

So Boris Johnson's approach is that people are going to get it anyway. Let it happen so as more people recover the general population will be inherently more immune.

A further explanation"

The UK's chief scientific adviser has said the government wants 60 per cent of the population to catch coronavirus to try and create “herd immunity” to protect against the virus becoming an annual crisis.

Sir Patrick Vallance told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme that he thought the coronavirus was likely to become an "annual virus" and that the strategy was to limit the impact on the NHS but not stop the virus completely.

He said: “What we don't want is everybody to end up getting it in a short period of time so we swamp and overwhelm NHS services - that's the flattening of the peak," he said.

Clearly there is some commonality between trump and Boris. Meanwhile, in a reversal from trump's TV announcement of three days ago UK direct flights will now be banned as well. "

[gowlerk 2,275]

If they take that approach we will soon know the impact. In about 3 weeks. Judging by the Italian experience it seems unwise to me.

[yoink 321]

They say there’s a slim line between genius and madness.

 

Time will tell I guess.

[kallend 2,148]

Seems very Churchillian to me.  He goaded Hitler into bombing London instead of the RAF airfields.

[gowlerk 2,275]

12 minutes ago, kallend said:

Seems very Churchillian to me.  He goaded Hitler into bombing London instead of the RAF airfields.

Boris is goading the virus. Freaking genius. Maybe he is decoding the viral enigma.

[kallend 2,148]

1 hour ago, gowlerk said:

Boris is goading the virus. Freaking genius. Maybe he is decoding the viral enigma.

No, that would take a genius, a stable genius.

[Phil1111 1,182]

On 3/14/2020 at 9:21 PM, kallend said:

No, that would take a genius, a stable genius.

The UK is scrambling to correct its coronavirus strategy

A new report issued by a group of experts advising the UK government offers a blistering assessment of the country’s previous “herd immunity” approach to coronavirus, suggesting that as many as 250,000 people could die as a result—and that it would do little to stop health-care facilities from being overwhelmed.  ...

The UK government seems to have realized its errors and is now scrambling to to do better. On Monday, Johnson asked people to avoid “non-essential contact” and refrain from going to crowded spaces and venues. A ban on mass gatherings starts Tuesday. Families were urged to stay home for 14 days should any members exhibit symptoms, not going out “even to buy food or essentials.”

I wonder if trump and johnson both get their info from the same source? They both seemed to see a new light yesterday.