You might be one of the lucky people who has a job, and you know even with another 4 weeks of a lockdown you will still have a job at the end of it. I want you to stop and think about the ever-increasing number of people who will not have that privilege. I am angry because I believe, what we are all allowing to happen to our beautiful country is beyond insane. We are allowing a virus that is slightly worse than the annual flu to completely destroy people’s livelihoods, and their mental health, millions of people. And at the same time the fabric of society as we know it.
Reality check
After 7-months of this debacle we have data, loads of it. What is the average age of people dying from COVID-19? And you should know this by now, 82. In the UK it is a fact that we are an unhealthy population with a high dependency on the NHS. We are the fattest nation in Europe with very high levels of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and dementia. Therefore, we should not be surprised that we have one of the highest death rates due to COVID-19 due to co-morbidities and consequential weakened immune systems.
We fill the hospitals at this time every year, the NHS always has an annual capacity problem. Did you know that the NHS has one the least amount of beds per capita than most other European countries, so it stands to reason any slightly above normal occurrence could easily overwhelm the NHS? We all know this, (you might want to call this under funding of the NHS over decades, that is another article).
What is the hight of insanity, is to keep doing the same thing the same way and expecting a different outcome. My dad used to say to me as he clipped me around the ear, “you’ll learn, don’t make the same mistake twice son.” Yep, that is just what we have done.
Lockdowns do not work, even the World Health Organisation is now saying lockdowns do not work. You put perfectly healthy people under house arrest, for months on end, so we can ‘flatten the curve’ so we can protect the NHS and the virus just might go away. Did you think for one nanosecond that the virus would go away? It was obvious as night follows day that it wouldn’t because it’s out there. They always are, this one is no different. As soon as you un-lockdown and people come into contact with each other again, dooh!
How do we overcome a virus, we have to live with it, as we have always done, and yes we can protect the vulnerable, but fundamentally everyone else gets on with life, it’s called risk, and is also called herd immunity, and that is how we have survived as a species for 200,000 years?
Technology
However, in 2020 we now think because we are so technologically advanced, we can bypass nature and save a few lives by draconian lockdowns and ‘warp speed’ vaccines. I don’t want to get into vaccination here only to say that in 50 years of coronaviruses there has been no vaccine yet developed that protects against a coronavirus. We should not be waiting around for a vaccine to end our misery and get back to normality, because that may not be possible.
Staying Healthy
The fundamentals are, having a great immune system which means getting and staying mentally and physically healthy, take plenty of exercise and stay connected. What have we done, the opposite? We lock people away, close the gyms, close down the vitally important ‘Park Run’ and stop people seeing other, oh, and wear masks. Why is the government not promoting healthy lifestyles?
The Consequences
I have been a Samaritan for 4-years, I can tell you that the calls I now receive since lockdown are on another level. That is all I can say, I am sure you are savvy enough to understand what I am saying. Where are the statistic on suicides, the subject no one wants to talk about? Will the government please show the rest of us of how many of our beautiful young people, and older people who have taken their lives because they basically have no hope. They see no way out of this, their dreams and aspirations crushed. Just think about that for a minute before you continue.
Trade-off
We must get this ‘deadly disease’ as Boris Johnson calls into context. There is a trade-off. I would suggest that the damage we are causing to people in lost livelihood and catastrophic levels of mental health illness will be far in excess of the deaths that are being attributed to COVID-19.
As a starter - 26,000 extra non-COVID-19 deaths already between March and September, at home, because people were too frightened to go to the doctor or A&E. There are I am afraid going to be significant extra cancer, and heart disease deaths because the diseases have not been caught earlier enough to have a chance of survival. 1,000,000 missed mammograms are another example. The collateral damage of suicide, mental health problems, broken marriages, domestic violence at this time cannot be quantified, all I will say, it will be ‘through the roof’. This is obvious and you know this. This is frightening stuff.
Statistics, bloody statistics
We now have data and statistics on everything, but the problem is which ones do you believe, which epidemiologist do we go with, there are so many of them and they all seem to have a different model or opinion. The statistic that was fed out two days ago is that 70% of the population agree with Lockdown 2 (which was voted for by parliament with a very large majority) and that we should continue with the draconian measures and put even more people out of work and lives at risk from non-COVID-19 ailments. I cannot believe this, really, 70%.
Perhaps this is just a dream Peter and I will wake up soon, I really really need you to think again if you are one of the 70% and if like me you are one of the 30% then you must enter the debate (and be prepared to be unliked). Our children’s and grandchildren’s lives are on the line here. It is that serious in my opinion.