RateTheRef

I'm afraid listening to the Chief Scientific Adviser on Sky yesterday made me very nervous.  To achieve herd immunity which he seemed to be advocating, would require 60% or so of the population to get it.  Do the sums - 36m people!  And what overall mortality rate do you apply to that, let alone a higher rate for us oldies?  1%?' 0.5%? Even at those low levels, the numbers are mind-blowing.  And how convincing is the argument that lockdown will simply hide the virus which would return again in the Autumn / Winter in greater measure?  Could better treatment or even a vaccine not be found in the meantime to reduce the impact.

I was reading about the SARS virus in 2009 when the first cases were reported in Scotland in the April.  Cases were widespread in England in June  and July.  But mass immunisation was available with a vaccine in October, just 6 months from the onset.  I'm no scientist so don't know how different or more complicated it is to develop a vaccine this time. However, considering the message a few days ago was not to get alarmed, the headlines now are hardly reassuring.  And Boris succeeded in getting a headline in several papers yesterday - "Many families will lose loved ones".  Scientifically probably correct alas, but diplomatic?

It is puzzling why other countries, no doubt also getting expert scientific and medical advice, have reached a different conclusion on how to react.
Is there really no hope of finding a vaccine (a solution hardly mentioned by the Science Adviser yesterday) for 12 -18 months?