Was asked yesterday who are the vulnerable when it comes to COVID-19?

If we take this to mean, who has significantly greater risk of dying of this vs flu, it appears to be approximately:
1) everyone over 65 or possibly 50
2) everyone with only about one year of life expectancy

This comparison was made difficult because the amount of data and data analysis on flu deaths is far, far less than on SARS-CoV2, which is apparently now the most data-tracked virus of all time.

A bad flu epidemic happens every 2-4 years, kills 650,000 people, and generates roughly ten papers with data, all with huge margins of error.

SARS-CoV2 has killed a million so far and has produced immensely detailed data, the likes of which has never been gathered before.

I used centre of range data for flu risks, using solely UK data, in making this comparison.

Certainly, for under 25: the risk of death from flu appear comparable or worse - although when COVID-19 fully manifests, its much more unpleasant than flu.

That statement might need clarifying: the risk of death to under 25s appears very low indeed from either virus.

Often, ‘long COVID’ is mentioned as another fear. This is post-viral syndrome, which is not at all COVID specific, but is also not terribly well studied because until now nobody really cared about it.

Average cases of post-viral syndrome for COVID-19 appear to last 8 weeks.

There is no apparent risk of death that I can find with any post-viral syndrome.

I still don’t think the data we have on COVID-19 is cause to:
1) nullify civil rights
2) use interventions (e.g. face masks) without gathering data on their effectiveness
3) systematically exterminate small business, music and culture
4) cripple the prospects of a generation

Full disclosure: neither my work nor my life have been substantially damaged by what’s happened. Apart from not going to the pub once a month, and not getting a proper holiday, this would be a pretty good year for me personally.

My concerns are principled, not personal.

Apologies to anyone upset by this thread... I'm writing because of the distress I feel, the distress that we are mauling the science and the politics, that we are narrowly focusing on one set of harms...

And I feel immense despair about what's happening, it keeps me up at night.