DOCTORS ' LOUNGE
DOCTORS ' LOUNGE
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DON ’ T HERD ON ME AUTHOR Mary Barry , MD
Ever more desperate for some way to
return to the open society of 2019 , some federal officials are promoting the concept of herd immunity to COVID-19 and suggesting that opening up our society will “ get us back to normal ” sooner .
In early October , a group of scientists released the Great Barrington Declaration , which proposed removing all current restrictions to allow widespread infection of the healthy young , while trying harder to protect the vulnerable and the old . I quote : “ Current lockdown policies are producing devastating effects on short and long-term public health … keeping these measures in place until a vaccine is available will cause irreparable damage , with the underprivileged disproportionately harmed … 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 White House greeted this proposal with enthusiasm . Alex Azar , Secretary of the Department of Health , and Dr . Scott Atlas , who was trained as a neuroradiologist but lately has been the White House spokesman on COVID-19 matters , both expressed support . Mr . Azar tweeted on Oct . 5 that this was “ strong reinforcement of the Trump Administration ’ s strategy of aggressively protecting the vulnerable while opening schools and the workplace .” White House officials who would only speak anonymously to New York Times reporters on an Oct . 13 call said , “ This plan is endorsing what the
president ’ s policy has been for months .”
I would describe his policy as , “ Let the states fight it out for PPE and staff and all manner of help , and may the deepest pockets win when they buy it back from us . In the meantime , let ’ s not wear any masks and criticize those who do . It ’ s going to disappear ! Until then , let ’ s make money off this thing .”
The Great Barrington Declaration has got great big gaps in it . You ’ d think it was the Maginot Line . They propose only staffing facilities for the old and infirm with “ already immune staff ” despite the clear evidence that measurable , lasting immunity is not yet definable . Antibodies disappear over several months . Known cases of reinfection exist . Long-haul COVID-19 sufferers defy the very concept of “ immune means safe / cured .” Their declaration notes that detailed protocols must still be worked out , and paid for , yet with no guarantee of safety . They fail to mention that roughly 4,000 of the known COVID-19 deaths have occurred in people under 40 ( CDC data ).
The authors propose this while three major trials of vaccines have been halted for safety reasons ( Johnson & Johnson , Astra-Zeneca and the Oxford trial ) although the Oxford one has been restarted , but not in US facilities . There is yet no actionable timeline from any vaccine manufacturer with a viable plan for mass distribution . The generals in charge of “ Operation Warp Speed ” have been sleepless for months , intensely managing their experts and staffers night and day , but we are not there yet .
Meanwhile , with schools open around the country , there are new and ongoing surges with mid-October record case rates . Kentucky has broken its one-day case record as I write this . Hospitals in at least five states are once again at capacity . Wisconsin had more than
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