Flattening the peak and letting every who can recover without infecting others is the objective.

This virus is interesting, it seems that there are 2 strains circulating and both of them infect people in almost random ways One is much more benign than the other.
The commonly described symptoms are not universal, by any means. One symptom that does seem to be common, irrespective of the degree of infection, is a loss of smell and taste.
My Daughter in Amsterdam thinks she probably had it following a meeting in Switzerland in late Feb. She had some symptoms, but wasn't sure if it was just a cold, or her period, or both. Her cough lasted 10 days, but she didn't get any lung involvement. My personal feeling is that there are far, far more infected people than are recorded, because so many don't feel ill enough to think anything of it. With the hay fever season starting the sniffles, eye and throat irritation that are part and parcel of hay fever will further disguise Covid 19 symptoms. My estimate is that there are probably 2 to 4m infected people in the UK


A bit of desk research shows the UK has an average natural mortality rate of 1650 people a day. So far, over a about 4 weeks we have lost 1020 or so and the death rate is rising at just over 200 in the last 24 hours. So in the context of the natural death rate an increase of 12%. It has not levelled out, the big question is where it peaks: 400 a day, 600 a day? We can only wait and see.

So I can see why the NHS is worried and why they want everyone to keep away from everyone else. At 600 additional deaths a day they will need the special hospitals. Latest media comments, probably a deliberate leak, is that we may be in this for 12 weeks, to the end of June, with between 36,000 (40 a day) and 54,000 (600 a day) additional deaths over the normal 148,000 in the same period.

In the meantime we are all but self isolated: extreme social distancing, one might say. Home, the stables and tomorrow the GP surgery to collect our monthly supply of medicines. One day this week I'll need to go to a supermarket for essentials.
But that is all... There are far worse places to be stuck, I have everything I need for the garden and by the end of June it is usually the time to start enjoying the fruits of my labours, from what by then will be an abnormally immaculate back garden!




Peter,
66, 2016 Porsche Boxster S
No longer driving Tarka, the 2014 Plus 8...