Lockdown- just the over 70s and those with pre-existing health conditions after 3 weeks?

[SummersMahoosiveClipOnFringe]

Given that this group of society are predominantly those that end up in ICU/hospital should the focus be on keeping them in lockdown whilst the rest of us just crack on getting things back to normal and building up immunity?

Most of us are likely to get it after all. Surely the government's focus should now be on mass testing to determine how many of us have already had it to work out the true scale of risk?

If we go on like we are aren't other people with serious medical conditions likely to die because they aren't getting the care they need?

Won't our country be crippled for years with the cost of all this and therefore impact on what the NHS can do for future patients?

The more I read the less convinced I am that we are going about this the right way.

Yes, suggesting paying for their self isolation is exactly the same as advocating their death

Go complain to the virus if you think it is being discriminatory

The lockdown is just slowing down the inevitable

Well, yeah.

The NHS cannot cope with the number of "healthy" people who will become seriously ill if they contract coronavirus all at once. They are trying to spread the number of infections over a longer period of time to allow the health service to cope.

If you don't grasp that by now I'm not really sure there's much value in pontificating about how much better the government could be doing things, because clearly you don't grasp the basics very well.

@SummersMahoosiveClipOnFringe yep. Completely agree with you

Summers sorry if I missed it but did you decide about you or a close relative, including dc if you have them, being collateral?

Have you also any idea how many deaths of young people inc those without underlying conditions would be ok with you before we reach a point of isolating them too. 2 or 3 thousand?

Well the news now is at LEAST 6months on lockdown,and a further 6 months to be back to normality!! Just on all the news programmes.

If we go at the rate of Italy we will be done by July/ August. Horrible but this is going to race now.

Oh I take that back,apparently she said it might be 6months,sorry about that.

480, that is not what the deputy CMO said. Please try to listen and understand. We will not be on "lockdown" continuously for 6 months. It will be reviewed at regular intervals with the potential to ease some of the restrictions if the rate of newinfections slows but to tighten up again if necessary. She was preparing us for continued monitoring and to follow ongoing instructions, that is all.

While the vunerable are shielded,as if they become ill they would mean stly have to be treated in hospital) the facilities are clearer for the young ,fit and healthy who get the disease badly.Its not just about protecting them it's about saving non vunerable people's lives too(from Covid and other health issues chronic or emergency.)
We have a 2-3 week wait with some hearty death rates them we should see the effects of the lockdown.By then we may also have data from other countries as well.We may be in a relax/contract cycle until a majority of the non vunerable have had it.
Oh and then the NHS will have 10,%less people working for it as this is the rate they have died in other contries playing catch up with postponed operations,appointments and those left with long-term issues following coved.
At least the flu season is nearly over so less confusion.And we will come through it with more uncertainty economically but we will get through that ok.

I think the antibody test is key. As pps said there are millions of people with mild asthma etc etc. I am happy to mix when I know I have had a mild version thanks.

I think people who have had i.e. have antibodies, will go back to work after 12 April.

No logic in keeping them off.

The virus will still be rife until early May due to the 7.1m key workers. It will take ages to test everyone as well.

So basically you are committing thousands to thier death! This does not affect just the vulnerable, it affects everyone and no one knows if they will get it mildly or not, and we don’t want the NHS overwhelmed

Let’s leave it to the experts shall we? And save as many lives as possible

I think the antibody test is key. As pps said there are millions of people with mild asthma etc etc. I am happy to mix when I know I have had a mild version thanks.

It’s not that simple. Just because you’ve had it doesn’t mean you can’t spread it. You get it on your hands from a door-handle then touch someone on their way to their cancer treatment then you’ve passed it on. If you’ve had it you won’t get an exemption to being locked-down.

I've said this before - anyone can be temporarily immunosuppressed. After a bout of flu, for example. It could be you, apparently healthy person, or someone you really care about.

The shielding works both ways. It's keeping the vulnerable at home so the apparently healthy can have the best shot at getting the medical treatment they need when they catch it, hopefully in a trickle so the NHS can cope.

In terms of hospital appointments being cancelled now - if lockdown slows the spread, the hospitals can cope and other treatment can take place again. If we don’t lock down, the hospitals will collapse and there will be no medical treatment for any of us for a long time. This lockdown is all about protecting the health system. I desperately hope the time will be used to stock up on PPE, ventilators etc and enable the NHS to manage a steady flow of Covid patients along with other important procedures as lockdown restrictions tighten and relax in a cycle to manage to rate of infection. Other treatment may prove effective to keep deaths down as well. I am assuming the vulnerable will have to stay in lockdown even when it is relaxed for others. In time, an antibody test may help provided strict hygiene still gets observed. Ultimately, we will have a vaccine. I don’t think anybody expects us to get herd immunity via mass infection anymore.

I don’t think anybody expects us to get herd immunity via mass infection anymore.

This is the strategy they are pursuing in Sweden - shield older people and keep young people in work and kids in school.

Our government backtracked on it fairly quickly - maybe Sweden will do the same.

The big issue and the reason the NHS is struggling so much is because people who are under 70 and either don't have or don't know they have underlying health conditions are also getting seriously ill.

They're not all dying, but they're still in hospital.

In know it's the Spectator and they publish a lot of right-wing rubbish but this was written by a medical professor:

www.spectator.co.uk/article/herd-immunity-might-still-be-key-in-the-fight-against-coronavirus

@definitelygc uffff the best article I have read on this whole thing and fully agree.

Here is another great article which expands on the issues-

thecritic.co.uk/has-the-government-over-reacted-to-the-coronavirus-crisis/