Lockdown can’t wait for vaccine

How has a tiny, densely populated nation of about 24 million (four times Victoria’s population) managed to contain COVID-19 without shutting down its economy or effectively imprisoning its population?

Unlike Victoria, Taiwan was well prepared and immediately implemented the lessons it had learned from the deadly 2003 SARS outbreak. It seamlessly co-ordinated a well-funded health system with cutting-edge technology and copy-book epidemiology, to selectively quarantine the vulnerable and their close contacts, thereby avoiding a destructive, broad-brush overreaction. At the time of writing, Taiwan has reported just 329 cases.

Contrast that with Victoria’s 1036 cases, where business is being destroyed, unemployment queues are skyrocketing, retirement plans are in tatters and freedom of movement heavily restricted, even though the immune-compromised homeless and drug-addicted continue to wander our streets unrestricted. Seriously?

Most crucially, early inaction by the Andrews Government failed to intercept infected overseas travellers. It's been reported that “almost two-thirds of cases are directly linked to overseas travel”. The fear of being called “racist” exceeded any urgent and decisive action, and is now delivering its harsh lesson in reality.

While the shutdown is said to “save lives”, how many others will succumb as rates of isolation, financial hardship, paranoia, anxiety, depression and suicide skyrocket? Has any scorched-earth style strategy ever made any dire situation better?

Lou Coppola, Geelong East, Vic

Yesterday I came out of 14 days of isolation for returning travellers. This has been a most disturbing two weeks emotionally. I miss my grandchildren terribly. Now I must continue in isolation as the rules have changed.

The number of COVID-19 infections is a meaningless figure. We desperately need to know the outcomes of infections in Australia. How many result in hospitalisation? How many of those hospitalised are over 70? Of those under 70 how many had pre-existing conditions that made them vulnerable? For every death we need to know the age and health back story.

The English Health Service published this information recently and the results were startling. Not a single person under the age of 63 has died without having existing health vulnerabilities. This information is critical to our mental health as we try to live with and understand this thing.

Bruce Williams, Merewether, NSW

There are social divisions widening that would be unwise to ignore. The first is between young and old. Despite campaigns to explain to the young how at risk they are, the simple fact remains that the mortality rate in that broad age group is almost non-existent and only gradually increases until it really hits the over-75s. Yet the lives, careers and freedoms of the young are being destroyed.

The second is between classes. The affluent and educated, who are often also older, can much more easily ride out the storm than can those workers and others who already live from pay packet to pay packet. Yet the affluent are disproportionately among the loudest voices calling for total lockdown and damn the economic consequences. Class war, anyone?

These divisions will sharpen and may become ugly and, indeed, terrifying. As the decision-makers look into the future, they should perhaps strongly consider advising (or forcing) those who are most vulnerable to take all possible precautions and then provide massive support to help them do so. Then free up everyone else and open the economy.

Patricia Loughlan, Glebe, NSW

It must be noted with alarm the misfit between the current “lockdown strategy”, designed to last six months, and the apparent availability of a vaccine, projected to be 18 months. From all accounts this virus will be waiting to spring free with devastating effect as soon as the lockdown strategy is eased. But the lockdown strategy is non-sustainable beyond six months, after which our economy and social structures will be devastated.

This is a global dilemma and health bureaucrats must bypass standard drug development protocols so vaccines are available in six months or these draconian strategies will inflict great cost for no return.

I trust there is a backup strategy designed to protect the vulnerable while releasing society from the lockdown strategy?

David Lion, Bondi, NSW