Eradication is impossible

Re Lockdown rules should be relaxed, health experts say, I noticed no physicians were referenced in this thoughtprovoking article and wanted to add my thoughts as a recently retired physician with 30 years’ experience.

‘‘Flatten the curve’’ was a term used across the world to slow the spread of Covid-19 in order to allow healthcare systems the ability to keep up with demand, specifically concerning hospitalised critical care patients.

This was never about eradication; the virus will spread and eradication is an impossibility, short of closing our border permanently. In New Zealand, we never had a hospitalised curve to flatten. We have never had more than 15 hospitalised patients with Covid-19 at any given time, and never more than five people in critical care.

‘‘Stay home, Save lives’’ has forced healthy beachgoers to stay home, but allowed Covid-19 to freely walk into aged residential care units and rest homes, where our most vulnerable people reside.

Instead of locking down our most vulnerable Kiwis and assuring their safety, we harshly policed the healthy to keep them from the beach and the bach. This decision has allowed our most vulnerable to be infected, and forced our healthiest into lockdown.

During this level 4 lockdown our GPs have been financially devastated. The real killers of Kiwis – cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney failure, suicide, family violence and drug abuse – have been running rampant. At this time, we may safely end the lockdown and return to alert level 2 assuring containment measures.

The problems caused by Covid-19 for New Zealand seem more related to the lockdown than the virus itself.

Dr Douglas Stephenson, Fellow, Royal Australasian College of Physicians Certified Professional in Patient Safety, Balclutha

Re Call for return to normal life (April 14), a group of public health experts believe life should return to near-normal in two weeks’ time.

These ‘‘experts’’ include academics in law, experimental economics (whatever that is), biostatistics, population and Pacific health, as well as a few epidemiologists who give the sage advice

that those over 60 can remain self-isolated while life for everyone else returns to normal. How lovely and relaxing for us oldies.

But I wonder if they could tell me who will work in the food banks, the opportunity shops and the numerous other charities who rely on the voluntary work of retired people. Who will get our groceries for us when everyone else is busy back at work? They barely have time to get their own.

Who will pick up the grandchildren from school and take them to their afterschool activities, as I imagine if life does immediately return to normal, then sport, swimming lessons etc will be up and running?

I do hope the Government sticks to the plan based on the excellent advice it has so far heeded because those academics are very short sighted indeed. No-one is enjoying this, but the aim to stamp out the virus is achievable if we hang in there. Margaret McKay, Petone

Call for return to normal life demonstrates once more that the old saying about hell having no fury like a group of academics who have been scorned holds very true. And running to the media to push Plan B is a common sequel.

It is very probable that those currently in control of the largely successful New

Zealand response to the crisis have been presented with mathematical/statistical arguments for Plan B which have not been convincing.

In the case of our present leadership I would not be convinced either unless they could quote the successful example of a country that has followed Plan B and obtained the sustained reduction in infections that our Plan A has produced.

I hope Plan B will not be used except with the condition I have suggested, and I haven’t noticed a success elsewhere in the world yet.

Peter Waring, Eketahuna

Utilitarianism is the school of thought that promotes maximising overall net human welfare i.e. aggregate human wellbeing minus aggregate suffering.

New Zealand’s response has been to minimise cases of Covid-19. To try to achieve this, all but essential economic activity has been halted and the population has been confined to home. You don’t have to take a position on utilitarianism to recognise that there is no utilitarian justification for New Zealand’s response to Covid-19.

A person who contracts Covid-19 can of course suffer. Some have no symptoms at all and for most the symptoms are mild. A few suffer severely but any suffering doesn’t last long and quite quickly one either recovers or dies – and there’s no suffering after death.

Most who die are old with comorbidity factors, which means that, if they had not died, their remaining lives wouldn’t have been much fun.

The other side of the coin is that New Zealand’s response will itself cause vast, long-term human suffering. Businesses, jobs and livelihoods have been irretrievably destroyed. Unemployment will skyrocket.

Attempts at economic stimulus will empty the national coffers of funds that would otherwise have been available to fund future education, social welfare, public health and infrastructure. Taxes will have to increase. To say nothing of the awful domestic violence, social dislocation and other human suffering that home confinement is causing.

John George Ronaldson McLean, Khandallah

Re Call for return to normal life, what irresponsible journalism.

Apparently health ‘‘experts’’ say the pandemic is not the disaster we feared. Tell that to the people whose loved ones have died or to the thousands who have suffered the disease or died from it across the world.

It is obvious that, if we are all in isolation, the measures taken have reduced the risk. This does not equate with the pandemic not being a significant health risk that needs to be contained. These ‘‘experts’’ suggest normal life can return along with people aged 60-plus and those with health issues remaining in self-isolation.

I am over 60 and can assure these health professionals that I will not remain home while others return to ‘‘normal’’ life. This is blatant ageism.

Obviously they do not value older people’s contribution to normal life. Pull your heads in, I say.

Teresa Homan, Upper Hutt [abridged]

How interesting to read that a ‘‘group of academics’’ has had a little round-table and decided to put forward ‘‘Plan B’’ for a return to a normal life for New Zealanders.

And all men, fancy that. Perhaps they thought Jacinda Ardern needed serious help with this. And that she wouldn’t know where to go for it.

Jacinda, please, just ignore the ignorant and do what you have been doing for the past few months with coronavirus. Put the people first, and worry about the ‘‘normal life’’ for us as far down the track as it takes. That way, no collateral damage along the way. Linda Klein-Nixon, Lower Hutt