Selfish few who ignore rules do not give damn about vulnerable or NHS

IN an attempt to get beyond the national lockdown as a policy to control the new Covid-19 case numbers and prevent them overwhelming the NHS hospital capacity (already strained at this time of year), the UK Government has introduced a new, localised tier system.

It is hoped that this will be more responsive to local conditions, which vary across the country.

Already on Question Time there was dissent from libertarians who oppose the nanny state telling them how to behave.

They argue we should be allowed to determine the amount of risk that we are happy with and take responsibility for ourselves to go about our business unhindered from government interference.

But we have seen what happens: people can have a very selfish view of the risk to themselves while completely ignoring the risk they pose to others.

They argue that Covid is only going to kill those who were going to die anyway, quoting the average age of death as 82 years, but ignoring that the average age of hospitalisation is 58, and many who recover have longterm, distressing symptoms, which we still do not know how to treat.

They seem to be unaware that a relatively small increase in hospitalisation numbers will effectively shut their local hospitals for all admissions of all illnesses for everybody since capacity has been overtopped. New beds cannot just be added without trained staff, who do not yet exist and take years to train.

Infection control is absolutely necessary; lockdown is the last resort that proves we have failed in the basics of public health.

If we cannot put out the fires of infection before they spread out of control the entire community is burned, killing the most vulnerable.

The pandemic has demonstrated survival of the fittest; highlighting our general bad health as a society.

READER

Coleraine, Co Londonderry