Time to start thinking about a date to reopen nation

In “Ready or not, the nation will reopen” (5-6/6) Peter van Onselen refers to the difficult choices of reopening the nation when there is likely to be incomplete vaccination of the population. The choice is to reopen or leave us in a perpetual state of isolation: an economic hell for some, just a tedious limbo for others; either way would be untenable.

Of Covid-19, there have been three things it was considered rash and inhumane to say:

One, “it’s just another flu”. The truth is that for those under 50 this is often the case — just a cold or a touch of gastro or an asymptomatic infection.

Two, “some will die of it”. Also true. But people die of the consequences of lockdown: medical restrictions, psychological damage and economic impoverishment. Policy should balance choices, not have a monomaniacal focus on one risk.

Three, “let it rip”. There comes a time when this is appropriate, even if only 50 to 60 per cent of the population has been vaccinated. Why would this be a sufficient proportion? We have a responsibility to the elderly, the sick and frail who are most at risk. There is time in the coming months to increase the proportion of vaccinated in this vulnerable group to 100 per cent. Then we can “let it rip” among the much less vulnerable.

Yes, that means children being infected because it could never have been for their sake that schools were closed down for so many months: it was because they could be transmitters.

This means a limited risk to some of the healthy under-50s with a much lower chance of dying from this infection. The risk of long Covid should be an impetus to younger adults to get vaccinated. But this is not the Spanish flu of a century ago that killed so many fit, young adults.

The casual anti-vaxxers may change their tune: then the ardent must accept their choice. They would be responsible for their own perhaps tragic misjudgment.

A deadline is necessary to encourage us to be vaccinated. We need a goal: summer is a good time with this epidemic having seasonal tendencies and with six months to prepare. So let it be known across the land, we are reopening to the world on December 1.

Dr Richard Peppard, Hawthorn, Vic

Having written more than one letter to the editor rebutting claims by Peter van Onselen, I feel obliged to congratulate him on his excellent column “Ready or not, the nation will reopen”. This article shows a very clear understanding of the Covid-19 dilemma.

On the large number of people who are yet to be vaccinated his reasoning that “some will be citizens who are time-poor or disorganised” is spot on. Many people fear the flu more than Covid-19 and have prioritised getting the flu vaccine.

By doing this they will delay a full AstraZeneca vaccine by at least 14 weeks, that is, two weeks after the flu shot plus 12 weeks between Covid-19 jabs.

Health authorities should have advised us all to take the AZ shot first and slot the flu vaccine between the Covid-19 jabs.

Bruce Harvey, Moorine Rock, WA

Saturday morning in Melbourne a man identifying himself as a businessman is arrested for not wearing a mask whereas across the street there is a building site with hundreds of workers and not a mask to be seen.

The streets are deserted save for hundreds of heavily armed police. Not one shop is open.

This is not the wonderful city I grew up in.

Antony Blakeley, Winchelsea, Vic

A Victorian couple, senior citizens, were refused entrance to a Saturday night meal at a coastal RSL club north of Newcastle due to that club’s Covid restrictions. The couple have been in northern NSW for three weeks and are on their way back to Victoria, so were well outside any possible infection from the latest outbreak.

This is simply paranoia gone wild.

Rob Buchanan, Bundeena, NSW

Paul Kelly (“PM’s line in the sand: funds with a catch”, 5-6/6) reports that since the national lockdown last year Victoria has mandated 140 days of new lockdown versus an average six for the rest of Australia.

This statistic confirms what we all suspected: that the Andrews cabinet and its health bureaucrats are blundering, bungling, maladroit incompetents. In some jurisdictions they would be charged with criminal neglect.

Gary Bacon, Ferny Grove, Qld