Consider that different countries are not counting 'cases' and 'deaths' in the same way.
Australia has one third the population of UK, spread out over a much larger area.
I really don't understand these people who relish how 'badly' we have done in UK. What would you do differently? Brick people up in their houses?
I certainly don’t relish that people are dying.
As to what could have been done differently, the biggest thing would be swiftness of action. At the beginning, we saw what was happening in Europe and were about three weeks ahead of the curve, but dithering meant we squandered that. It’s happened several times since, whether it was regarding the tier system or lockdowns 2 and 3. I hate lockdown, but by acting sooner we might have been able to keep more of a lid on it, and perhaps been restricted for a shorter period. The area I live in changed tier 3 or 4 times in December, and that wasn’t helpful to anyone - for example, we went to tier 2, the pubs reopened, 10 days later they’re closed again. The costs involved in that may well have been more than had they just remained shut.
The other major failings in my eyes are test and trace and quarantine. With the amount of money thrown at test and trace, that should have been far more functional over summer, when the numbers were lower and it could have been far more effective. The quarantine rules for travel have been a joke - there appears to be zero attempt to enforce them.
I’d have also liked to see more targeted financial support available to those who needed it, particularly to allow isolating. There are no figures for it, but I’ve heard too many anecdotal accounts of people going to work when they shouldn’t because, well, otherwise they wouldn’t have been paid. It's difficult to lay blame on the individuals in those situations.
Like everyone else, fatigue has long since set in. We seem to have reached the point that everything is riding on the vaccine. I just hope it’s effective enough that we don’t end up locking down again next winter.
As you’re of an alternative opinion, anything you’d have done differently? Or do you think this is as good as we could have hoped for?