In the most crucial Address to the Nation, PM Mark Rutte defended his "well-founded" herd-immunity to protect future generations of the Dutch people. "Many loved ones will die." Do I hear Boris Johnson speaking ...

Coronavirus: Johnson warns 'many more families are going to lose loved ones'

Cracks In Rutte's Wall of Herd Immunity | De Volkskrant |

Group immunity ("herd immunity") is a classic from medical textbooks, where it ended up in 1923 after experiments by British bacteriologist William Topley.

Rutte said it as if it were a given. "The reality is that a large part of the Dutch population will become infected with the virus in the near future." Let the virus "circulate in a controlled manner among people who are not bothered by it," as RIVM advisor Jaap van Dissel described at Nieuwsuur. "the idea behind this policy."

But in the UK, where science consultant Patrick Vallance unfolded the same philosophy, it sparked a storm of criticism. Young people and young adults are less affected by the disease, but a minority can become seriously ill and in rare cases even die from the virus. "Heartless" and "dangerous" to expose them on purpose, even if controlled, British scientists raged. Large numbers still threaten "Italian scenes", medical microbiologist Roel Coutinho said in de Volkskrant on Tuesday.

○ Around 60% of NL residents must get Covid-19 for herd immunity: RIVM

Doing the math in a nation of 17.5 million, 60% infected is 10.5 million of which half is older than 50 yrs. Simple numbers would mean 75,000 loved ones will die in a small country of The Netherlands ... health care could NOT cope with the number of patients. Comparison with the Spanish Flu arise ... political leaders?