Cost of the cure

sir – The suggestion by Dr Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer, that some form of lockdown could remain in place for six months is concerning.

In those circumstances, the “cure” for Covid-19 could bring worse consequences than the disease. Some commentators say that the health of the nation is more important than the economy – but the economy is the health of the nation, and the longer the lockdown lasts the greater the collateral damage, both physical and mental, to young and old alike.

We will have to learn to live with Covid-19, just as we do with other diseases. Sadly people will continue to die from it, just as they do from other illnesses. However, it appears that most people who catch the virus will suffer only mild symptoms, and they should be able to return to work and normal life without undue delay.

President Trump’s aim to get America working again by mid-april might be over-optimistic but should be applauded nevertheless.

Norman Macfarlane

Kingston upon Thames, Surrey

sir – Whether or not criticism of Professor Neil Ferguson’s coronavirus modelling is justified (report, March 28), his statement that anyone who thought the virus was akin to seasonal flu was “living in cloud cuckoo land” appears to have been spot on.

One of that land’s residents, President Trump, tweeted exactly that on March 13, but only two weeks later the US had the world’s highest number of coronavirus cases, with more than 2,000 deaths.

Bruce Denness

Niton, Isle of Wight