Let’s get this straight, Covid-19 is at the root cause of these deaths

On how we measure Covid deaths, people keep trotting out the line, ‘If you test positive for Covid-19 and then die in the next 28 days of anything at all then that gets put down as a coronavirus death. Even if you get run over!’ as if that discredits the figures. Let’s set this straight.

The vast majority of diseases can be cured or at least successfully treated. Thus, if someone tests positive for Covid-19 and they die within 28 days, the chances are that the reason they didn’t recover from anything else would be because they also had Covid-19 – which means that the coronavirus will have been the root cause of death in the overwhelming majority of cases.

It may not be the sole cause of death but it’s the primary cause – life will have been demonstrably curtailed by the coronavirus.

‘But what if you get run over?’ they bleat. Last year there were 1,752 road deaths reported in the UK – just under 34 a week. The chances of you testing positive for Covid-19 and then dying in a traffic accident are statistically insignificant, which is why going through the Covid-19 deaths to remove RTAs would be a virtually pointless exercise.

There is no conspiracy here, it’s just that a great many people aren’t especially mathematically literate.

Julian Self, Wolverton

In pointing out that life is for living, Peter (MetroTalk, Mon) misses my point when I wrote that, being over 80, my wife and I would rather our vaccine went to our grandson because we are happy to stay home now we can use modern tech.

In the first lockdown, we were pleased to be brought into the 21st century, which kept us and others safe, including the NHS.

In our lifetime, we have been out in the real world, travelling extensively for holidays and work, and are now lucky enough to have a large garden and able to go on beautiful walks from my home and visit our local high street when we are allowed. It may sound a bit boring but we do follow the government guidelines.

Peter mentions unemployment, which is why I would be willing to give up my vaccination, as I am sure are many pensioners, in order to get things back to normal by boosting the economy.