CV and mad panic behaviour

[Mav]

The recent addition of oral antivirals and another monoclonal antibody treatment to the doctors’ armoury is really encouraging. The death rate from Covid will continue to diminish. But there’s a couple of perverse public policy implications:

1. These treatments might be reserved for those at greater risk. Mostly, that’s fair. The elderly or those with co-morbidities need the help. But if being unvaccinated is seen as putting someone at greater risk of becoming seriously ill, then they’ll leapfrog others who’ve done the right thing. A 55 year old who is fully vaccinated will make way for his identical twin who is proudly unvaccinated. That sucks.
   
   
2. The increasing effectiveness of treatments might finally make the anti-vaxxers’ assertion that Covid is no more lethal than the flu true. That may undercut the basis for vaccine mandates. Of course, refusing vaccines and relying on expensive treatments will be a financial drain on health budgets but financial arguments might not make the case for mandates; on the other hand, the most vulnerable people will still benefit from high vaccination rates as they’ll remain most at risk of dying if they contract Covid..