Are these figures suggesting that stroke and heart attack deaths are down because susceptible people are weak, already close to the end and are taken by something else?

Or because of better medicine, emergency response times and health?

Stats - you can say what you like about them...

...so let me ask you all here: should we be happy to have "vaccine passports" to prove we are not susceptible to COVID?

Are you happy having your freedoms to engage in society defined by this? Are you happy with our move towards a Chinese-style "social score", where the govt controls what you can do dependent on how subserivient you are to government decree and rule?

Does anyone find any of this seriously f***ing insidious? Where are the anti-ID-card advocates now? The Conservative party that once considered "Labour’s approach to our personal privacy [as] the worst of all worlds – intrusive, ineffective and enormously expensive". All good now?

For the record, I'm neither a COVID denier, nor an anti-vaxxer. I am, however, anti-authoritarian and pretty keen on not living under a quasi-police state ruled by fear, coercion and social conditionng.

Remember...back in March it was two weeks to flatten the curve.

Now I can't go to Tesco's with my missus.

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

Happy is strong – I'd say no, but on balance it would make sense if implemented sensibly, which is not usually Governments strong point.

Important to remember there's still debate about whether this should happen at all. The WHO are against it, for example.

All depends on the efficacy of the vaccines really – if they're high across the board, say 80% or above (the flu jab is only 40-60%) then some countries may demand it for entry in the short term. And considering the potential economic damage caused by an outbreak, I can't fault the logic there. You can argue against that but ultimately they want to protect their economies, and ultimately their citizens. Makes sense.

By the way, this 'vaccination passport/proof' already exists for Yellow fever, polio etc. – some countries will not allow entry without proof of vaccination.

As for requiring proof in order to freely move around within your own country, I have more of an issue with that. But I can see businesses – corporate, leisure, entertainment or otherwise, embracing it, along with regular testing. Certainly in the short term. And again, why not? If they want to stay solvent and operating is there any other option? We may even get to a situation where events or businesses won't be offered insurance unless they have such a system in place.

I also think this is less of an ethical issue in the UK. We get the vaccine for free – it's accessible to everyone. Other countries, not so much.

On the subject of ID cards.. I see these as inevitable at some stage. Personally I've never had an issue with them so long as they're not invasive. Most people already have a passport, driving license, NI number, pay taxes... all information already held by government digitally. It's just a consolidation of that. If you want to go off grid, fine, but why should the state still pay out if you're not willing to register? What have you got to hide?

Also I think you're tin hatting a bit about the social score concept. Maybe been watching too much black mirror. China clearly loved it – as you allude to it's been implemented in some locations there, but if anything that restrictive was to come in here there would be serious resistance.

What it seems to come down to is people thinking all this is the 'new normal'. i.e. permanent. It's not – nothing I've seen, heard or read suggests it will be. The question is how long is temporary... in some peoples minds, all this should have been over last summer. Patience and logic is required

Did you know? 98.0000001% of people are morons.

Let me ask you a hypothetical question.
"I've got a pill for all of you and your family, half are placebos and half are a dose of covid.
I cant tell you how severe the covid will be but you will get it from half the pills. You may not have symptons or you may end up in ICU. Who would pick first in your family". If you go for it you can go about with as much freedom as you want.
What would you do. Just a yes or no as that appears to be similar to the choice you want.

You’re comparing a one in however many thousands of a chance with one in a handful.

COYP