Once you have started down the path of lying, in order to maintain the charade then the misdirection has to increase both in frequency and intensity, as a greater level of lie is required to justify the increasing disconnect between the truth and what you are masquerading is the truth.
Have you noticed that on government websites and publications, this sentence:
“You can spread the virus even if you don’t have symptoms.”
has now been inserted?
Correct and true for any viral infection. Just like the flu. In the same way though, you cannot spread the virus once you have had it, whether or not you displayed any symptoms.
The government’s one-sided fearspeak completely ignores the fact that an increasingly large element of the population has had the virus and/or the disease and so cannot spread it. These individuals have no reason to be under house arrest or not be able to go about their daily lives without any restriction.
A prudent response would be to use these individuals as the vanguard of any societal response as they can be deployed in front line functions, in particular in any role that engages with higher and high risk individuals. A prudent response would be to antibody test front line and first response healthcare workers, immediately deploying those with immunity. Instead the government continues with its misplaced focus upon virus testing which has the unfortunate effect of exposing healthcare professionals to much higher levels of potential infection as they continue to go about their daily work.
This is because of the viral load. In order to ‘catch’ a virus you must be exposed to a certain amount of it, known as the minimum infectious dose. For SARS-CoV-2 this is thought to be approx. 100 virus particles. However, if you are exposed to multiple hosts over a sustained period of time, the viral load can increase, i.e. there is more of the infection in your body. Research into two other betacoronaviruses; SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, suggests increased exposure over a sustained time period causes more severe symptoms. In very simplistic terms and assuming no other contributory factor (such as underlying health conditions or compromised immune system), low viral load = mild symptoms, shorter period to viral clearance and high viral load = more intense symptoms, longer period to viral clearance.
Therefore a fundamental flaw in this latest sleight-of-hand from the government highlights the breathtaking arrogance or stupidity – or likely a bit of both – in the government’s response. Elevate NHS workers to sainthood while confining everyone else to house arrest, without caring (arrogance) or realising (stupidity) that NHS workers are far more likely to acquire a high viral load from coming into contact with SARS-CoV-2 on a sustained basis from constant, close contact with those who are seriously ill than everyone else, who are not. Yet the government thinks that the general public are super spreaders whereas healthcare workers are all invincible, which presumably is why the government doesn’t provide them with satisfactory protective equipment. The virus is droplet spread so we don’t need total protection but just equipment that is appropriate and proportionate.
What irony then that the government is killing more NHS heroes than the general public.
Ignore the government advice to stay home else you will destroy the NHS and kill everyone on sight. It is a lie.