Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Vaccination update

Sospan bet me to it - I was just going to say we have to strike a balance and not get too obsessed with a group think lockdown approach.

The only virus I believe that has been eliminated is Smallpox - we don’t lockdown the country against flu or HIV. The consequences of a lockdown not just economic but on mental and all the other physical health needs - how many will suffer and die due to lack of diagnosis and treatment on cancer, diabetes etc?

I believe there are already plans being suggested to redeploy the UKs disproportionately large genome sequencing capability to these ends ... which would be good for everyone.

K

To be perfectly honest I think the global population is only now beginning to realise that this is another water shed moment as 911 was and that life will never be quite the same again, because it won't be long before another nasty appears from the same neck of the woods until basic habits and hygiene routines are subject to reforms.

That will never happen so the sick cycle will carry on unabated as we have no choice, we are the victims.

Malcolm thank you very much for your resume.

Living out here I still feel the UK has a long way to go with border restrictions, so that finally you can get on top of this wave, incredible effort with the vaccination programme -though I feel using this in conjunction with travel controls will be so much more effective. Those of you that caught the Americas Cup online will realise that though under level one we are living and working completely as normal, no masks except on public transport, using the contact tracing app to scan on your phone when entering a shop or building is not onerous, its not perfect by any means -but we are free to travel internally and carry on as normal.

Posted here not the Monday humour topic.......

I would like to ask what might seem a silly question.
Why has the Coronavirus issue happened now (2019/20/21)?
With all the past hundreds and thousands of years of human and animal or natural world evolution, why is it only now that something has evolved that is so potentially infectious and deadly to homosapiens particularly? Why not in say the 17th Century or sometime when we didn’t have the science knowledge to develop treatment and vaccines?
Is it because we are now so used to being “clean” and everything wiped down with disinfectant that we no longer have the biological need to develop natural resistance to bugs etc? (I realise that’s a simplistic approach of course)
HB

What about the black death, the sweating flux or Spanish flu?
Modern travel helps spread as does population density but small pox introduced by the Spanish devastated s america.

What about the black death, the sweating flux or Spanish flu?
Modern travel helps spread as does population density but small pox introduced by the Spanish devastated s america.

HeadlessBlue .... I don't think this virus is particularly virulent on a historical scale ... I think its impact is a combination of social rather than epidemological factors .... our modern health services have been very successful in prolonging the life of significant numbers of people .... however, they are old, have (often many) co-morbities .... and we have the organisation and understanding to at least partially protect them .... our level of social development means we feel morally and politically obliged to try our best to protect them in spite of the social costs of doing so .... even a hundred years ago that vulnerable group would have largely already passed on and death was more of a day to day reality, even for the young (witness the ages on victorian tombstones) .... also it wouldn't have been seen as the business of government to intervene to any great extent .... the disease would have run it's course through the population and the increased death rates would have been hardly noticed against a much higher background level.

It was a different world, even when our parents were young, let alone a few hundred years ago


K

Malaria, ebolla, HIV, cholera and many more. Also add in the potential for antibiotics becoming less effective as evolution results in resistance to them. Evolution means change. Not all change is beneficial. Smallpox is one of only successfully eradicated diseases. Rinderpest is the other.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_smallpox
Image makes a very good point about improved health care mitigating deaths.