SAGE adviser says achieving herd immunity by letting cases rise is Govt plan now

[herecomesthsun]

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/23/ministers-letting-young-people-catch-covid-to-prepare-for-winter-sage-adviser-claims

“What we are seeing is a decision by the government to get as many people infected as possible, as quickly as possible [e.g. in nightclubs], while using rhetoric about caution as a way of putting the blame on the public for the consequences,” said Prof Robert West, a health psychologist at University College London who participates in Sage’s behavioural science subgroup.

“It looks like the government judges that the damage to health and healthcare services will be worth the political capital it will gain from this approach,” West said, adding that ministers appear to believe the strategy is now sustainable – unlike last year – because of the vaccine rollout.

I would have thought that what he is saying is obvious tbh. Whilst I don't like the idea of blaming the public if the shit hits the fan, and I hate the way that all of this is dividing our society. I think that, on the whole, the plan to get this wave out of the way in the summer is the right one.

This virus will be around forever now. Put restrictions in place and it slows the spread. As soon as you lift restrictions it spreads fast. It’s not rocket science.

The sooner people realise that most of us will get it at some point, the better. Folk are in denial.

Enough immunity to avoid mass death and overwhelmed NHS, the things we were trying to avoid in March last year, yes we absolutely have ‘cracked’ that.

No. We have not permanently cracked that.

@herecomesthsun

Enough immunity to avoid mass death and overwhelmed NHS, the things we were trying to avoid in March last year, yes we absolutely have ‘cracked’ that.

No. We have not permanently cracked that.

Okay. It’s your right to be anti-vaxx if you want to, but I don’t find it very useful to discuss vaccines with people who take that sort of stance.

So they can blame us seems quite juvenile for behavioural expert. You see it on here but makes me question his ability to speak without agenda.

@Shelovesamystery

I would have thought that what he is saying is obvious tbh. Whilst I don't like the idea of blaming the public if the shit hits the fan, and I hate the way that all of this is dividing our society. I think that, on the whole, the plan to get this wave out of the way in the summer is the right one.

but it won't "be out of the way" -all that will happen is that people die unnecessarily, then we go into winter with more cases & more people die. Unnecessarily.

Caution now will pay dividends. Not full lockdown, but masks indoors etc.

@MarshaBradyo

So they can blame us seems quite juvenile for behavioural expert. You see it on here but makes me question his ability to speak without agenda.

probably true though.

@Blessex

Isn’t this obvious though ? Sorry but what are people now missing.

This too.

The sooner people realise that most of us will get it at some point, the better. Folk are in denial.

Absolutely this

How do they blame the public op?

What exactly do they say?

@GoldenOmber I am very pro vaxx thanks, but we still need masks etc - indoors (as Chris Whitty says)

Utterly reckless getting rid of all restrictions including the tiny action of wearing masks. It won't feel like freedom for long.

@TableFlowerss

This virus will be around forever now. Put restrictions in place and it slows the spread. As soon as you lift restrictions it spreads fast. It’s not rocket science.

The sooner people realise that most of us will get it at some point, the better. Folk are in denial.

Yep

I don’t see that there’s any easy way out. This thing isn’t going away any time soon, so we have to learn to live with it. And it’s surely better to open up now, in summer, with the kids off school/college, than in September, which is when cases started shooting up last year.

Time will tell, but nobody has a definitive manual for coping with this wretched thing.

Look at Australia - formerly very smug about how they were managing it until very recently, but Dh was speaking to a friend in Melbourne the other day - on their 5th lockdown, despite a tiny (but fast escalating) number of cases compared to ours, and utterly bloody fed up with it - businesses going bust, people losing their homes.

Are they going to keep their borders closed for ever?

@TheKeatingFive

The sooner people realise that most of us will get it at some point, the better. Folk are in denial.

Absolutely this

It is still foolish to put ourselves in the way of catching it

@Sidesaladofchips

Utterly reckless getting rid of all restrictions including the tiny action of wearing masks. It won't feel like freedom for long.

yep

It is still foolish to put ourselves in the way of catching it

You’ll have to make some major lifestyle changes to avoid it in the longer term.

It is still foolish to put ourselves in the way of catching it

What do you think will happen when Aus lifts borders after vaccinating?

Delta will spread there too

Repeat elsewhere

@MarshaBradyo

How do they blame the public op?

What exactly do they say?

www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/boris-johnson-coronavirus-surge-public-complacent-a4562411.html

"Alas, probably what happened ... is that everyone got a bit, kind of complacent and a bit blasé about transmission," said Mr Johnson.

@TableFlowerss

This virus will be around forever now. Put restrictions in place and it slows the spread. As soon as you lift restrictions it spreads fast. It’s not rocket science.

The sooner people realise that most of us will get it at some point, the better. Folk are in denial.

Absolutely this. Some people seem to think they will be able to avoid Covid forever. We will all get it or be exposed at some stage. Might as well be now when the vast majority of people have had a vaccine.

I wonder if the herd immunity proponents would feel the same if catching the virus led to a hugely increased risk of Parkinson's, Lewy body dementia, or similar in the near future.
They have already proved that even mild infection leads to cognitive impairment, and a study on rhesus monkeys found Lewy bodies and brain damage in ALL monkeys, even those who had it asymptomatically.

‘The vaccines have been a big help’ but but but masks. Yes like a gun would be a big help in a fight with a grizzly bear but ooh don’t forget your pointy stick and sunhat!

Don’t want to get seriously ill then have a vaccine, but everyone is going to get this virus more than once despite shoving a piece of cloth on your face or whatever. Trying to kid yourself otherwise is bonkers.

Lol at how fragile people are. Compliance would wane after first lockdown. I can’t even raise a modicum of care over that ‘blame’.

I get people were taken in with ‘stay safe’ message for first 18 months. But it’s gone, as it will after vaccination. In pretty much every country.

herd immunity won't work, we tried it already remember

When did we?

And if we did (and it somehow passed me by), did we have vaccines to increase the likelihood of HI?

What is the latest information about how much immunity actually having Covid provides you with?