Returning to where we began, Ridley points out in his op-ed in The Telegraph that viruses naturally weaken over time as more and more individuals are exposed, and that by adopting harsher lockdowns, the virus largely spreads among the sickest, allowing the most dangerous types to prevail.
It is a worrying possibility that lockdowns could prevent this natural attenuation of the virus. They keep the virus spreading mainly in hospitals and care homes among the very ill, preventing the eclipse of lethal strains at the hands of milder ones. If so … then not only do lockdowns fail to wipe out the disease, they may be prolonging our agony. ~ Matt Ridley
In other words, by shutting down everything, we avoid the natural weakening of COVID-19, which is the exact opposite of what we desire. Ridley says:
“Viruses will always evolve to be more contagious if they can, but respiratory viruses also often evolve towards being less virulent. Each virus is striving to grab market share for its descendants.
The best way of achieving this is to print as many copies of itself as possible while in a human body, yet not make that person so ill that they meet fewer people. Where the [lockdown] sceptics have a point is that it is a worrying possibility that lockdowns could prevent this natural attenuation of the virus.
They keep the virus spreading mainly in hospitals and care homes among the very ill, preventing the eclipse of lethal strains at the hands of milder ones. If so, and it’s only a possibility, then not only do lockdowns fail to wipe out the disease, they may be prolonging our agony.”
Source : The Telegraph December 20, 2020
