New Zealand

‘New Zealand has had few deaths because they locked down and had decent leadership that took Covid seriously’.‬

‪Ok, but Belarus, Nicaragua, much of Africa, Sweden, didn’t lock down. They had leadership that didn’t respond much to Covid. Yet they also had few deaths - or at least, in the case of Sweden, less deaths than many of those countries that did respond robustly.

‪I’m not saying I understand what’s going on. It just seems correlation only equals causation when it suits? It seems like there’s other factors that determine what impact Covid will have - like the general health of the populace? Exposure to pollution and certain chemicals? Who knows.

‪Is it not possible that Covid may have already run through New Zealand and Australia before the lockdowns, with little impact?

Assuming that New Zealand’s stringent response really is the reason for their lack of deaths, then at best, Jacinda Arden may have slightly prolonged a few thousand lives‬. But at what cost?‬ Ruining everyone’s life on and off for perpetuity? Helping to screw the global economy, fueling famines? Normalizing health surveillance and criminalization of protest? Making millions of people take a rushed vaccine?

Given that the vaccine may only be 50% effective, and only designed to reduce symptoms, rather than prevent infection, I really don’t understand the long term plan? Stay on edge, with intermittent lockdowns, until there’s an ineffective vaccine? I don't get it.