Herd immunity?

397,670 British people have been tested for the virus. More than one third, 129,044, were positive. This is very encouraging if it means herd immunity is in sight. In any case it strengthens the case for lifting the lockdown in the UK, but for politicians that would be fraught with peril (and possibly for everyone else). On the other hand were those people tested at random or because they had reason to think they were infected? 

The research at Oxford suggested last month that half the UK might be infected. Other scientists last month thought it was one in fifteen.

Of the deaths registered in the UK in the week ending 10 April, one third mentioned “novel coronavirus (COVID-19)”, compared to 21% the week before. Most of these deaths are with not of the virus. This also suggests the British are rapidly approaching herd immunity, if herd immunity is attainable, which depends on whether having the virus once gives you immunity and whether the virus mutates sooner rather than later. The Daily Mail has a story headlined 

“Chinese study finds up to 30% of coronavirus patients hardly develop ANY antibodies against the infection - raising concerns many who recover from COVID-19 are not immune.”