Costs of covid response that many are not putting down to covid response

[brad465]

Companies/other entities blaming covid for pre-existing failures is well known now. But the inverse also appears to be present, where things that covid was mostly responsible for are being blamed on stuff that either didn't cause a subject problem, or played a minor role.

The main one that comes to mind is rising inflation worldwide. This mainly comes in the form of concentrating high demand after shutting down large sectors of the economy, and Central Banks overdoing their already very loose monetary policy stimulus (e.g. 80% of all US dollars in existence were printed in the last 2 years), meaning more money chases less goods/services. There are certainly other causes to high inflation, but the covid response cause is being largely ignored, when denying problems doesn't help us solve them.

There will no doubt be other costs, some of which may yet to emerge, such as environmental impacts from covid PPE and lack of focus on the environment due to heavy covid focus.

 

[Cbob]

It makes sense, if there is no underlying economic growth, or a contraction, that excess money floating around would result in price inflation.

 

[Cdd89]

The costs of escalating tensions with Russia and China.

It’s obviously impossible to know for certain, but I can’t help wondering whether this would have happened without our irrational Covid response. Our reaction clearly exposed a pretty fundamental weakness in Western society that is terrified of any risk, which other nations may seek to exploit.

 

[Cbob]

The costs of escalating tensions with Russia and China.

It’s obviously impossible to know for certain, but I can’t help wondering whether this would have happened without our irrational Covid response. Our reaction clearly exposed a pretty fundamental weakness in Western society that is terrified of any risk, which other nations may seek to exploit.

Depends what you mean by 'irrational'. If you mean 'draconian', then China has the most draconian COVID policies (essentially aiming for zero COVID) which no Western nation has the ability to stomach.

 

[Cdd89]

If you mean 'draconian', then China has the most draconian COVID policies (essentially aiming for zero COVID)

Zero Covid is not irrational (though it’s looking unattainable) — it’s one of only two stable potential endpoints, with endemicity being the other.

What’s irrational is the West using endless “mitigations”, rooted in and enforced by fear, to try and achieve some undefined level between zero and endemicity.

 

[Cbob]

Zero Covid is not irrational (though it’s looking unattainable) — it’s one of only two stable potential endpoints, with endemicity being the other.

What’s irrational is the West using endless “mitigations”, rooted in and enforced by fear, to try and achieve some undefined level between zero and endemicity.

Why would zero COVID be attempted if it wasn't from fear of endemicity?