THE
anti-vaxxers are now costing us taxpayers an absolute fortune and
risking the destruction of our NHS. Bit strong? Well probably not.
It
is now said that over 75% of those with Covid-19 needing hospital
care are anti-vaxxers. And if you look at current infection rates it
certainly looks to be true.
Total
numbers infected are at last falling but numbers entering hospital
are soaring. And that means it is those without the benefit of the
vaccine who are getting seriously ill and needing hospital care. In
their thousands it seems.
This
interpretation is also borne out by the falling death rate. It is the
aged and those with pre-existing conditions who mostly constitute the
dying - so if that number is still falling it follows that those
needing hospital care are fit enough overall to survive the virus,
however ill it may make them in the meantime. So, anti-vaxxers.
Now
I am not a mean minded person and I firmly believe in the NHS but...
if someone takes a serious risk with their lives I think they should
pay for their treatment. Not the life saving bit in the event of an
accident – but the longer term care that is often the outcome.
And
so it needs to be with Covid-19 - an easy route to protection exists
in the vaccine and the vast majority of people are sane enough to
understand that. So should those who do take the vaccine route have
to pay for those who stubbornly and knowingly refuse?
It
is certainly neither right no fair to change the system right now.
But it is right that now is the time to look carefully at the costs
we bear from the activities of our modern world and of our personal
decisions.
Should
we all bear the hospital costs of the few who undertake seriously
dangerous activities or refuse to accept the widely accepted course
of safe action?
Should
we all bear the cost of the rock climber, the tombstoner, the sky
diver, the cave diver etc who takes a risk and falls to serious
injury? Yes we should get them to hospital. Yes we should pay to save
their lives. But their injuries, knowingly risked, often result in
expensive long term care. Should we all pay for that? Or should they
be required to insure against these risks?
I
say yes, they should and I say that this could reduce the NHS costs
to all of us considerably.
