Herd Immunity

It appears to me that the government's current strategy is for the nation to gain herd immunity through infection while we have a less virulent version of Covid doing the rounds. At first glance, this seems an entirely valid strategy, especially as the Delta variant is ripping through the population, but hospitalisations and deaths are remaining low.

However, this is herd immunity against the Delta variant, not necessarily future variants (which is why we have modifications to the flu vaccine on a yearly basis). If the virus is ripping through the population, then the chances of a new variant emerging are increased exponentially, any one of which could be lethal and vaccine-resistant; the chance of a variant emerging is directly proportional to the number of infections, and we currently are 4th highest in absolute cases and with the 3rd highest in numbers per million, thanks to Johnson not closing air corridors between the UK and India.

Managing Covid will have to be along the same lines as the way in which we manage flu - annual booster shots based on the prevalent variant. Masks and social distancing in the Covid season may also be necessary.

The question I have is, considering that the wearing of masks is more for the protection of others than oneself, why is the government relaxing mask usage when countries such as Israel, which has an enviable record on containing Covid, is doubling down on measures to prevent infections when it has only a fraction of the infections the UK has? 

There again, Johnson has an unenviable track record of imposing restrictions too late and relaxing them too early - why would we expect him to learn lessons from the past when he's refused to do so on every other occasion? It looks rather like repeating past mistakes in the hope of a different outcome.

Talk of taking personal responsibility is a diversion, as one is relying in the personal responsibility of others to oneself and, based on the inconsiderate actions of a considerable proportion of the population, I have little, if any, trust in the personal responsibility of many toward others. That's why we have speed limits and traffic lights. Smoking in pubs was banned because of the effects on other people - it wasn't left to personal responsibility. Is it such an imposition to wear a mask, for God's sake?

Then there's the fact at least 8 cases of the Lambda variant have been discovered in the UK and, according to science, this is more lethal than the Delta variant. Of most concern to scientists is its "potential increased transmissibility or possible increased resistance to neutralising antibodies" - meaning it could spread faster and be more resistant to vaccines or antibody treatments. 

I'm still seeing people on social media maintaining that masks are useless anyway. The most comprehensive study yet has shown science that everyone wearing masks cuts transmission by 25%. They also reduce particles exhaled by 62%. They're used by surgeons to prevent their patients getting bugs from surgeons - they're to protect others.

As for giving the NHS the George Cross, I feel a gesture that would be infinitely more appreciated is cancelling the outstanding university debt of all staff who worked during the pandemic. Care home staff too, although they're less likely to be doing university degrees.

Why is the government following this strategy? It has been argued many times that the government is more concerned about the economy than health, but that can't be right when we're hurtling into the effect of Brexit, which certainly isn't beneficial to the economy. Is it, perhaps, more to do with some form of masculine individuality, regardless of the consequence? That certainly ticks all the boxes on both Covid and Brexit. There is, however, another factor, which is it's currently not in the interest of the government to eradicate Covid, as it's a rather convenient smokescreen to hide the harmful effects of Brexit. 

There again, it could be a ploy to persuade more people to get the vaccine.

Perhaps it's worth quoting from Dom Cummings' blog about Boris Johnson: 

"Boris is complex portrayed as simple. Behind each mask lies another mask — but there’s no masterplan behind all the masks, just the age old ‘will to power’. He is happy to hide behind the mask of a clown, mostly unbothered by ridicule, while calculations remain largely hidden (including from parts of his own mind). 

"He rewrites reality in his mind afresh according to the moment’s demands. He lies – so blatantly, so naturally, so regularly – that there is no real distinction possible with him, as there is with normal people, between truth and lies. He always tells people what they want to hear and he never means it. He always says ‘I can’t remember’ when they remind him and is rarely ‘lying’. He trusts nobody including his own family yet bears almost no grudges. He will sacrifice anybody for his career yet wants to make up with people who have screwed him over. He will use anybody for anything but is more polite than most top politicians towards junior staff. He is totally untrusted by anybody in No 10. He’s almost as comfortable with living in chaos as Floyd Mayweather but panics all day about the media. He sometimes compares himself to historic titans (Octavian is a favourite) and regularly admits it’s ludicrous he’s prime minister. He’s hopeless at bureaucratic infighting and examines every room he enters for physical escape routes. 

"He is both much more useless than the media portray and much more capable of self-awareness and ruthlessness than they ever portray, or his enemies usually discern. He routinely says and does things so foolish that people are open-mouthed, and is so hopeless at getting rid of duffers, so determined to avoid difficult situations, that people are usually shocked when he suddenly moves with ruthless speed to remove them. He was desperate to be prime minister but has almost no interest in the job."

Cummings bears prime responsibility for getting Boris into the job he desperately wanted, but shows no interest in.