'Near extinction' of influenza in NZ as numbers drop due to lockdown

Re:'Near extinction' of influenza in NZ as numbers drop due ... by contemporary343 on Saturday October 17, 2020 @04:04PM (#24812793)

It's a great strategy! The internal economy is open because people aren't afraid to be out and about, shopping and going to sporting events, etc. Even in US states with absolutely no restrictions on indoor dining etc. there was a huge drop in activity from, well, people having normal self-preservation instincts.

A strong vaccine candidate within the next 6 months is a strong likelihood, along with antibody-based therapeutics. So the plan is to hold out, keep the internal domestic economy moving forward - the tourism hit was going to happen anyway, so might as well have everything else as operational as possible.

Herd immunity is not a strategy, it's just what used to happen before we understood that we could actually reduce the impact of disease on our lives.

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Re:'Near extinction' of influenza in NZ as numbers drop due ... by burlesona on Saturday October 17, 2020 @04:33PM (#24813077)

I agree with the first part of your statement, but we really don’t know what vaccination will look like or when it will be here.

NZ may be isolated for a long time. But given the alternatives, that’s the approach I’d take too.

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Re:'Near extinction' of influenza in NZ as numbers drop due ... by m0zg on Saturday October 17, 2020 @04:10PM (#24812854)

> A strong vaccine candidate within the next 6 months is a strong likelihood

There's zero evidence to support this assertion. First there's zero evidence that it's "strong", whatever that means. Second there's zero evidence that we'll have it in the next 6 months. Remember, it also has to be safe, not just "strong". Ensuring that takes a lot of time.

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