Australia is spending up to $25 million for each Covid life saved

We do not like talking life, money and ethics, but we also need to remember 464 Australians die every single day, and 76 of them from preventable or accidental death.

The term "excess deaths" has also cropped up a few times in this debate, since lockdown begun, Australia has recorded 3500 "excess deaths" – 1000 of these were Covid, 2500 of these were from increases (against previous year trends) of cancer, dementia, diabetes and other illnesses.

Had we allowed the virus to run rampant, we would have had many more deaths, but I have not seen or heard of any of those 2500 families (seven per day) who experienced "excess deaths" in a media conference. Nor those 41 parents in Victoria alone whose children died as "excess child deaths", across lockdown.

What we require is a balanced discussion where the full costs of Covid measures are weighed against the obvious – that is the number of people saved. We need a health economist, or an ethicist at our daily press conferences.

Covid has become a hyper polarised topic in Australia, where some people and governments want to see more "Fortress Australia", whether it be reduced numbers of Australians returning home or acceptance of lockdowns. We need to realise there is an in between, as every other country in the world has learned except us.

We need to balance, with the knowledge we have gained, Covid-19 deaths rationally against other deaths, illnesses, injuries or priorities – maybe that $1 trillion we spent could have cured cancer (around 50,000 deaths per annum) or improved cars and our roads, reducing the 1200 odd road deaths each year.

One trillion dollars would certainly reduce the 1800 drug related deaths each year (five per day), of which two to three were accidental.

These are the numbers we need to consider when listening to the Covid press conferences each day.