> There was no empathy for this demographic, but lots of empathy for 70+ year olds.

There was lots of empathy for young people, including from those 70+ folks; it's just the narrative can not sustain on a diet of empathy.

In the places where lockdowns have been both draconian and ineffective, the priority is more to give the impression that the politicians are "doing something", not to seek a good outcome on a balance of opportunities taken and missed.