For the love of God, hold his hand

I'm struggling when I hear of these young children who die in a hospital bed, alone.  A report this morning speaks of a 13-year-old who had no-one by him as he died.  Quite why Mum and Dad can't be allowed to suit up and hold his hand at this time is beyond me.  It is desperately sad; I'm finding it too sad to even imagine.  

There appears to be no depth in the strategy of how this virus is being handled.  The level of thinking appears to be akin to that needed to play draughts when, in fact, the strategy required is more suited to a game of chess.  Just before the official announcement of the lockdown, the writing was on the wall, and I popped in the letterbox of three neighbours in my street a note to offer my assistance and let them know they are not alone.  One of them has just spent six nights in a hospital with pneumonia and managed to get sent home again, having been tested and told NOT to have C-19.  Nothing far short of miraculous as far as I can tell.  But her other half was left at home, not a well man, fending for himself, worried sick about his poor wife.  I've just gone and got a prescription for him, and as I dropped it off, both of them are leaving the house, to walk to the Doctors for their appointments.  She only got released from hospital 24 hours ago.

It seems that in all our attention regarding the lack of PPE in hospitals, the elderly in nursing/care homes have been neglected; and the staff inside them too.  Given the fact that the elderly are the most vulnerable in this situation, would it not have been sensible to at least consider where they can normally be located in society?

What's needed is more depth. You imagine what data is available in communities about the elderly.  It would not be beyond human capability to gather data, predict high risk locations and individuals and proactively prepare.  

More testing, and sooner would have been good.  Quite why other countries can realise that simple fact, yet we appear unable to is worrying.  But if people show symptoms, drill down on contact points for those individuals and manage the isolation of all concerned.  Granted, that takes effort and resources, but this blanket shutdown of the nation is a poor substitute.  It's blunt; it's insensitive and not smart. 

I rather suspect it will also turn out to be terribly harmful to the mental health of our population as well as fatal for our economy.

I appreciate it is easy for me to sit here in true keyboard warrior style, criticising this and that, but closing down our nation while also allowing 13-year-old children to die in a hospital alone is cruel.  It is heartless, and in my eyes anyway, it is unacceptable.  You just try and imagine for one minute how terrifying and lonely these poor children must feel - to me, that is just too much.