I'm glad you said that. I've been quietly pondering if things might not have been a lot easier if we'd just isolated all those who were particularly at risk and let everyone else go about as normal (a bit like the old measles parties) then hopefully within a few weeks we'd have immunity across the bulk of the population so the virus would find it a lot harder to spread and then could 'release' the vulnerable bit by bit as intensive care spaces were available. Not an easy decision of course and that approach could back-fire badly if isolation of the vulnerable couldn't be made effective. But on the other hand with no vaccine on the horizon it's likely that everyone will be exposed it eventually so perhaps the perceived emphasis should be more on managing those who will need extra help rather than trying to "stop" its spread.


As for financial costs, I guess many value a life at about £1M - but in terms of justifying costs of treatment I'm told NICE usually start at just £20,000 per patient annum. The £350bn government package is likely only the tip of the iceberg to the economy - so how much per life? and how many of those lives would have been lost anyway in a similar timescale due to 'flu or other causes. I don't wish to sound harsh, but perhaps questions that need debating.


   - Andy.

I'm glad you said that. I've been quietly pondering if things might not have been a lot easier if we'd just isolated all those who were particularly at risk and let everyone else go about as normal (a bit like the old measles parties) then hopefully within a few weeks we'd have immunity across the bulk of the population so the virus would find it a lot harder to spread and then could 'release' the vulnerable bit by bit as intensive care spaces were available. Not an easy decision of course and that approach could back-fire badly if isolation of the vulnerable couldn't be made effective. But on the other hand with no vaccine on the horizon it's likely that everyone will be exposed it eventually so perhaps the perceived emphasis should be more on managing those who will need extra help rather than trying to "stop" its spread.


As for financial costs, I guess many value a life at about £1M - but in terms of justifying costs of treatment I'm told NICE usually start at just £20,000 per patient annum. The £350bn government package is likely only the tip of the iceberg to the economy - so how much per life? and how many of those lives would have been lost anyway in a similar timescale due to 'flu or other causes. I don't wish to sound harsh, but perhaps questions that need debating.


   - Andy.