On 28/03/2022 12:02, Mark Goodge wrote:
> On Mon, 28 Mar 2022 10:29:10 +0100, The Natural Philosopher
> <t...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On 26/03/2022 17:35, Vir Campestris wrote:
>>
>>> The jabs have killed almost nobody, and save millions from dying.
>>>
>>> It's also helped control the spread of it around the population,
>>> including those people who are still susceptible even though though
>>> they've had the jab.
>>>
>> I think at the moment something like 16% of the population has covid,
>> but no one requires hospitalisation.
>>
>> Whether this proves covid never was dangerous, or that vaccination has
>> carried us through the most dangerous strains, is moot.
>
> It's not moot. It's absolutely blindingly obvious that vaccination is
> the reason. Despite current infection rates being higher than in the
> first two waves, hospitalisation and death rates are considerably lower.
> And it's not because the current variant is milder. In parts of the
> world which don't have near-full vaccination rates, hospitalisation and
> death rates are still high and the authorities are still having to
> resort to lockdowns.
That last is the killer piece of information.
And since its not JUST the Guardian it may actually be true.
There is a very real debate however as to how much we are individuals
with freedoms, and how much we are members of a common herd and should
conform for the good of all.
And of course how much abuse of 'for the common good' is currently an
excuse for massive profits, and suppression of political dissent...
There is another aspect of course, and that is social Darwinism, in that
vaccination rates are high enough to both protect and reduce the rate of
infection to the point where the only people likely to catch the disease
and die of it are the unvaccinated.
Like criminals, society can tolerate a small proportion of anti-vaxxers.
I have often felt a bit of Monte Carlo game theory might be applied to
social conformity to see how many non conformists benefit society and at
what point it becomes a destabilsing influence.
--
Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the
gospel of envy.
Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.
Winston Churchill