I'll set aside the herd immunity issue, because the science on it isn't clear (the latest I read is that immunity lasts no longer than three months - no source, sorry), and the disease leads to lasting organ impairment (plenty of sources for that).
But the shutdown does make sense if you're a doctor. It is to do with slowing the spread. Bear in mind we have universal healthcare. If our hospitals are filled to overflowing with Covid patients, then what happens to the people with heart attacks, car accident injuries, strokes, and so on? They die.
My wife is a pathologist who was sceptical about the shutdown. We did the maths. Population: 25m. infections: 27610. Current deaths: 907. That's a 0.033% death rate. Projected deaths if the entire population was infected: 821260. but say only 1/10 people got it. That's only 82126 deaths. Instead, we have had only 907 because of the lockdown. Then add in the deaths from other causes which cannot be treated by the hospital system has broken by a pandemic overload. We only had 60000 soldiers killed in WW1 over four years. 82126+ is a crazy number for one year.
But yes, mental health issues and domestic violence are a very, very big deal, and no one should discount that at all. I don't know the numbers on that. However, that isn't a numbers game. Its a horrible thing. I have no answer to it.
Oh and the Australian economy is doing ok, but mostly because the steel and gold prices have jumped.
As for Sweden (you'll recall my ex is a Swede and so I've been watching it closely), this is from yesterday:
https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/heal...roversially-lax-covid-strategy-c-1514129 "?We see that the situation is heading in the wrong direction - the situation is very serious,? Prime Minister Stefan Lofven told a press conference on Tuesday.... One in five patients receiving intensive care was a COVID-19 patient, added Lena Hallengren, Sweden?s minister of health and social affairs."
See also this Lancet note: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31673-1/fulltext
Back to your regularly scheduled political punch-up.
