Prof. Woolhouse: even if nine in 10 vulnerable people are vaccinated, the one million left unprotected would fuel high numbers of hospitalisations and deaths

[bathsh3ba]

From The Telegraph:

Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, said: the modelling showed that even if nine in 10 vulnerable people are vaccinated, the one million left unprotected would fuel high numbers of hospitalisations and deaths

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/21/keep-pubs-restaurants-closed-may-covid-will-surge-warn-scientists/

Why do they keep adding more doom-laden messages? If we have to vaccinate all people to stop the NHS being over-run then that's a high level of restrictions at least till September, surely. How can the economy possibly be put in the deep freeze till then?

And yes, I know he's not necessarily saying full lockdown. And I know it's just one voice. But still, isn't it all just getting a bit much?!

We're in a Catch 22 situation. There isn't enough capacity within the NHS to deal with all this serious illness. There is no answer, the govt simply don't know what to do. This is what happens when a country doesn't have a properly functioning health service.

The article in The Telegraph is behind a paywall so I can't read it.

In general though, I'd say firstly that news outlets love doom and gloom stories, and The Telegraph is no exception. Secondly, there are more than a few 'experts' out there eager to get themselves in the news, and bad news stories are a good way to do this.

Thirdly, I think it's worth remember that academics like this guy have a very narrow focus. Clearly, from an epidemiological point of view, we'd be better off all barricading ourselves in our homes indefinitely. But the world doesn't work that way. A time will come, hopefully in the not too distant future, when we're just going to have to take our chances with this disease, just as we do with any number of others.