Day 116 of self-isolation - the costs of the lockdown

The costs of the lockdown

We have to recognise that the lockdown has costs, and that's not just economic cost. There are also health costs and education costs.

Hospitals have postponed all "elective surgery". That doesn't mean nose jobs and other cosmetics, it means hip replacements and anything else that isn't emergency works. And postponing cancer treatment will lead to some deaths. Postponing vaccinations will lead to some people getting other diseases.

But these treatments weren't postponed because of the lockdown. They were postponed because of the real risk of a patient coming in for a measles jab, and leaving with an infection of Covid-19, because Covid-19 is so prevalent that hospitals are full of it, and have become even riskier places than before.

There is also the economic slump, and the possible effects of that on health (especially mental health). This is true, but consider this. The economic slump in the UK is about 15%, which  means that the GDP in 2010 was less than now. And somehow, we managed in 2010 (and most of us felt that we weren't desperately poor).

Next, let's consider the costs of masking. Putting a cloth bandanna over your mouth and nose is going to cost less than a cup of coffee. And I cannot understand the people who claim that it interferes with their breathing - how do they think healthcare workers manage several hours per day in a mask? How did John Wayne managed to breathe?