[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by tweetiepooh

<SNIP>

On the report about 80 year olds - again statistics, if you are told that you need to shut the whole country down to protect one (smallish) group of people what would you do? (Forget if you have 80+year old relatives or are 80+ yourself for a moment.) Especially if you can make provision for that group fairly easily? (I'm not saying that these actions are true or possible.)

I think that's an artificial question that Boris tried to answer (unsuccessfully).

Patients with Covid were ejected from hospital into care homes (provision for the group), IIRC. They're over 80 - they don't matter and we might kill a few more off in the process (the latter isn't what they said (I think), but it's what happened).

If I were PM, I would not take the callous attitude. Reasons would be on one end the slaying I'd get from everywhere when the truth came out to be at the other end that I have a duty of care to every life in the UK.

That said, there is the matter of trusting the CMO and the CSO who are the caution merchants. But the figures speak for themselves and the science behind epidemiology is well established. This, in turn, determines how you should proceed - managing vaccinations and managing NHS delivery. We were very vulnerable when there was no vaccine and NHS workers could not be protected - but that is no longer the situation.

Finally - are the 80+ lives worth more than the economy? The person on the planet Zog might say "no". The UK population and the press and the political opportunists would wish not to sacrifice the 80+ people. Which leaves us with the possibility that Boris might as well be from Zog.