I wrote the following on the 9th April this year and I wonder how much has really changed - until there is a vaccine CV-19 will still be around killing people. The major difference is that thousands of people have lost jobs and more still are less well off than they were. A few will have made 'loadsamoney'!
Covid-19 - The story so far!
I am writing this more in an effort to clear my thinking on this rather than to make any points. I would welcome comments as to whether I have got things right.
1. Covid-19 is a virus that mainly seems to attack the respiratory system.
2. There is no cure as such. All the medics can do is to treat the symptoms (often with oxygen or mechanical ventilators to help breathing) until either the auto-immune system overcomes the virus or the patient dies.
3. The elderly or those with underlying medical problems are particularly vulnerable as the body's defence systems are in a weakened state.
4. The strategy for dealing with the virus is to try to limit the rate of spread of the virus so that the medical services are not overwhelmed with patients needing critical care.
5. This strategy will not affect the total numbers getting the virus, just the timing as to when they get it. The total number dying form the virus should reduce as the medical services will be treating the same number of people, but over a longer time period, so they will be able to give each individual patient better care rather than being swamped.
6. There will be increased numbers dying from what might be termed "indirect effects". That is routine operations are postponed so someone due to have, for example, a "routine heart bypass" dies from not having the bypass rather than dying from Covid-19 itself.
7. Dedicated teams of researchers are desperately trying to work on both a cure for the virus and for a vaccination that prevents the virus taking effect in the body.
8. If everybody, and I mean everybody, stayed at home for three weeks then the virus would die out as it would not be transmitted. This would however result in widespread numbers of deaths with many people dying at home - no power, no food, no carers etc etc - NOT very practical.
9. When the current lockdown is ended, the virus will still be attacking people, so the elderly and vulnerable will still need to take extra care and be vigilant.
10. Our (UK) governments initial strategy seemed to be let people get the virus. Some will die but it will be over and done with in a short space of time.
11. We have now moved to a strategy of flattening the curve.
12. Currently there is no exit strategy.
13 We should pray that the researchers soon find a cure.
