An earlier post today. I just watched the PM briefing and spotted some interesting figures.
Normally hospitalisation lags infection and death lags hospitalisation.
Right now infection rates are higher than before, hospitalisation rates are about the same as the last peak and deaths are below the last peak – and all are falling.
Nice they are all falling, but there is an important inference from this data. It is becoming less likely that people who are infected will be hospitalised, and if hospitalised less likely that they will die.
Why? Who knows – maybe the weakest have already died, maybe the infection is higher in the young these days. But my guess is that we are becoming better at treating this disease. And better as time goes on.
I know vaccination is held up as the answer, but there is always that worry about new variants. The ability to treat the disease more effectively is becoming a really strong second line of defence, and we should not forget the people working in this area.