I think some people have invented an alternative narrative for what happened in COVID and honestly believe that that packed wards and ICU units with one nurse per two beds (or worse) were made-for-tv government propaganda films and real hospitals were empty.
Ot they forget that we actually had an oxygen crisis despite lockdown, and several hospitals lowered their SAT levels for supportive oxygen from 92% to 88% to avoid running out.
And, don’t forget, the very high survival rates of younger people often depended on basic supportive hospital therapy. Who knows how many 40 and 60 year olds would have died without hospital access. And don’t forget, the second lockdown was in winter, with bronchiolitis circulating, so babies were also competing for oxygen and ventilation.
COVID was, and is, a strange illness. For some it is ‘just a cold’, others get really ill. And I myself have had both versions, with one infection raising my resting heart rate for months afterwards.
You will never manage novel viruses of any severity at all without some form of contact reduction. How severe that is will depend on the infectivity, morbidity and medical resources available (in the UK, we don’t have many).
Hopefully we won’t see another pandemic in my lifetime. And, hopefully, when the next one comes, vaccines will be available within weeks.