Kayte,I have no wish to minimise your experience and those of others on your ward and I hope that you will in due course recover.And I agree with your point that the experience of Covid-19 is different than that of flu. However, the point at issue is how the overall seriousness of CV compares with that of other diseases we are familiar with. This is a product of individuals' cases across the population. (comparison of QALYs lost might be a relevant approach).I have been unable to find any quantitative analysis for this, partly for the obvious reason that CV is a new disease and any really long term effect have not yet been experienced.This quote from the Wikipedia article on influenza indicates that we already live with a disease that has long term effects for some patients:"Influenza's effects are much more severe and last longer than those of the common cold. Most people will recover completely in about one to two weeks, but others will develop life-threatening complications (such as pneumonia). Thus, influenza can be deadly, especially for the weak, young and old, those with compromised immune systems, or the chronically ill.[78] People with a weak immune system, such as people with advanced HIV infection or transplant recipients (whose immune systems are medically suppressed to prevent transplant organ rejection), suffer from particularly severe disease.[170] Pregnant women and young children are also at a high risk for complications.[171]The flu can worsen chronic health problems. People with emphysema, chronic bronchitis or asthma may experience shortness of breath while they have the flu, and influenza may cause worsening of coronary heart disease or congestive heart failure.[172] Smoking is another risk factor associated with more serious disease and increased mortality from influenza.[145]Even healthy people can be affected, and serious problems from influenza can happen at any age. People over 65 years old, pregnant women, very young children and people of any age with chronic medical conditions are more likely to get complications from influenza, such as pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus, and ear infections"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza#PrognosisIf it turns out that the overall QALYs lost due to CV are of a similar magnitude to flu, we need to question why we are still subject to the onerous and harmful laws and regulations that the government has inflicted upon us.
Andy Riley ● 2223d