[user104658]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

I mean that's good if you get over it but the vaccine might stop people who would get it badly/fatally from getting it (or getting as bad a case) maybe? and yeah the health service is a big worry for us in Ireland too atm, it's bad here right now, 13 counties are at full capacity in ICU now (Cork included)

Well yes that's why I think it's not being announced particularly loudly - if the message in the media is "catching it and recovering is as good as the vaccine" then a lot of reckless younger people will decide that they might as well just do that, being at low risk, which would obviously be an absolute disaster for health services and the vulnerable.

In theory though, if it does "get away from us", it makes a very strong case for vaccinating the elderly and vulnerable first which I think is indeed what most places are doing.

Also immunity doesn't mean a "Covid passport" because I believe they think that immune people who are exposed (both vaccinated and natural immunity) can still potentially pass it on to others... So social distancing measures etc. can't really end until we're sure that there's a high level of immunity in the population.


The major benefit with this though, is that we can still achieve the levels needed for herd immunity even if there's a large percentage who refuse the vaccine, which was a worry before.