Prof. Devi Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health, University of Edinburgh in The Guardian on December 24:
“The responsibility for this new [Covid-19] variant [in the UK which is similar to SA's] can partly be attributed to those who argued against restrictions, believing that allowing the virus to run rampant in young people while shielding the vulnerable would allow immunity to develop. Such conditions are ripe for variants to emerge. Unless we suppress the virus, it will probably mutate further. This could make our current vaccines ineffective, or lead to reinfections.”
The UK is now called “Plague Island”, exacerbated by its Brexit woes. Because of the infectious variant, Boris Johnson, after as usual flip-flopping, “cancelled Christmas”. The British wanted to be isolated but not in the way they thought.
Meanwhile, like the UK, the DA and DA-run Western Cape too are heading for their own right-wing isolationist bubble by arguing against restrictions (John Steenhhuisen, rightwing commentators et al). They and others lost three court cases about Covid beach restrictions. The odds are not in their favour but that doesn't stop them.
Family and friends have had Covid including a child who's supposedly less affected. One almost died. Months later they still experience severe effects. Others in our community have died. WC premier Alan Winde was lucky to have had Covid mildly.
But he, like the DA and right-wing (PW, IRR, PANDA, FMF ...) who're against restrictions on principle and conspiracy, are not learning the lesson from those who've had life altering experiences Covid and otherwise. This indicates they're wilfully ignorant and reckless and unfit for office where the public good is paramount, before personal and political (DA, right-wing) ideology.
Incidentally, before Covid the WC Health Department was already in a poor condition administratively and health service delivery wise, contrary to DA supporters' narrative it's “well-run”. The auditor-general has delayed releasing WCHD's 2019/20 audit results which is not good news for it (the former head of health left it in a bit of a mess).
In other countries 1 000 new cases a day is a cause of immense concern. In South Africa, which has an infectious new variant, 14 000 cases brings a shrug. SA’s laid back style, like the Proteas at a World Cup final.
With open borders, viruses spread. And if given time and hosts, i.e. ineffective or no isolation and quarantines, it mutates. Countries are not learning the lessons after a year of the pandemic. But a few did succeed like New Zealand which has, except isolated cases, eliminated Covid.
The pandemic, climate change and other denialism is almost exclusively the political principle of the right who have a transactional view of everything: their personal (financial) interest – the economy as a proxy – versus global human and environmental well-being. It's no surprise the prime global denialists – Trump, Bolsonaro et al – are also far-right and racist, which is their other quality.
The persistent denialism about any aspect of the pandemic and measures to combat it is pitiful, passé and idiotic in the face of the evidence.
The DA are denialists because although they say they don't dispute Covid, they – John Steenhuisen and at times even Winde – constantly attack measures – the only ones the world have – that can reduce its spread among the community.
It's fine to question how individual restrictions are applied but not that they don't work (they do if people heed them!) which Steenhuisen, DA and others have done with these really stupid and wasteful – time, money and energy – court actions. I hope, but don't believe, their legal losses will shut them up. They're incorrigible.
If left unchecked – no restrictions, no quarantines, no lockdowns, only palliative care – Covid and its infectious variants will infect 60-70% of the world's mainly high dense, urban population, but rural populations are not immune, within a few months until herd immunity comes into effect. The death toll would be unprecedented. The world's health system would collapse. Let's say 3% fatalities, that's over a 100 million deaths in 2-3 months! World War 2 had almost 80 million causalities in six years. The social order and economy that governments and right are so (crocodile tears) concerned about would face, if not collapse, then serious disorder and disruption
But because Covid is mutating, new variants, possibly harder to treat, would rise, perhaps re-infecting those who already had it. No one knows.
Economically, the world would sink into a deep economic depression with no country being able to help, some worse than others. The only modestly successful measure in curbing the virus is lockdowns and PPEs.
But those who say it's only a flu are not alarmed; it's not worse than road deaths and crime Their outlook: No worries, mate.
Boy, I'd like to be them.
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