Freedom Day–what’s not to like?

Freedom is a precious thing; from tyranny or from illness. It is a two-sided coin.

On the other face is responsibility.

My freedom may take away the freedom of a cancer patient with weak immunity to go outside, or even live.

Vaccines have been highly effective yet barely half of our population is fully jabbed.

The correct time to relax rules would be when cases are falling, and hospital use is going down.

1200 health experts have written in the Lancet calling for a halt in relaxation of rules.

We do not have to choose between health and wealth. They stand together.

Firm action on securing our borders, early lockdowns when cases rise, public sector test and local trace with strong support of isolating individuals could have given us much shorter lockdowns with far fewer needless deaths.

Late lockdowns meant longer lockdowns and wreaked lives and livelihoods.

So what to do? Keeping away from crowds, masks on public transport and shops remains helpful.

The original ChineseCovid had a symptom triad of fever, new continuous cough and loss of smell.

The newer Delta variant has headache, runny nose, sore throat, diarrhoea or vomiting.

One cannot presume that bad cold is not Covid.

Home-based lateral flow tests are not designed for people with symptoms.

They are not good enough for people who have become ill. The proper PCR test via 119 or online booking is vital.

The world looks on with alarm at this experiment in the UK. We may gain freedom. We risk new variants.

We should guard our freedoms with masks and PCR testing.

We head into uncharted waters with submerged rocks. Let’s hope it is plain sailing.

DR JON ORRELL

Chickerell