I would argue that an increase in 'cases' without a corresponding increase in deaths is actually a positive development. It simply means that the overall mortality rate is decreasing.
We cannot hide behind symbolic masks from this or any virus. Dr. Sunetra Gupta of Oxford University seems to be one of few voices of reason on this.
We need to protect the vulnerable, and let the virus work its way through the rest of society in order to reach herd immunity.
The goal from the beginning (we were told) was "15 days to flatten the curve" in order to keep the hospitals from being overwhelmed.
That goal has long since been achieved. Now the goal line has been moved to where we must keep these freedom-killing restrictions in place until it can be guaranteed that 'no one ever gets this virus again', which is a scientific impossibility.
To quote from The Great Barrington Declaration (which is been censored by the leftist social media cabal):
Keeping these measures in place until a vaccine is available will cause irreparable damage, with the underprivileged disproportionately harmed.
Fortunately, our understanding of the virus is growing. We know that vulnerability to death from COVID-19 is more than a thousand-fold higher in the old and infirm than the young. Indeed, for children, COVID-19 is less dangerous than many other harms, including influenza.
As immunity builds in the population, the risk of infection to all – including the vulnerable – falls. We know that all populations will eventually reach herd immunity – i.e. the point at which the rate of new infections is stable – and that this can be assisted by (but is not dependent upon) a vaccine. Our goal should therefore be to minimize mortality and social harm until we reach herd immunity.
The most compassionate approach that balances the risks and benefits of reaching herd immunity, is to allow those who are at minimal risk of death to live their lives normally to build up immunity to the virus through natural infection, while better protecting those who are at highest risk. We call this Focused Protection.
The “15 days” was absolutely preposterous when it was first said. Everybody knows that epidemics and pandemics take months and sometimes two years to fade away.