The fight back has begun!
From The Guardian:
An international group of scientists has called on governments to overturn their coronavirus strategies and allow young and healthy people to return to normal life while protecting the most vulnerable.
The proposal, drawn up by three researchers but signed by many more, argues for letting the virus spread in low-risk groups in the hope of achieving “herd immunity”, where enough of the population is resistant to the virus to quell the pandemic.
One of the lead authors is my favorite epidemiologist, Prof Sunetra Gupta. My second-favorite, Prof Michael Levett, has counter-signed it. I can't see Ivor Cummins on the list but maybe he'll turn up.
And now to the nay-sayers:
One critic said the “grotesque” plan amounted to a culling of sick and disabled people.
Nothing of the sort:
The authors of the declaration... argue that Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions are having “devastating effects” on public health by disrupting routine care and harming mental health, with the underprivileged bearing the greatest burden. While many governments are trying to suppress the virus until new treatments and vaccines are found, the trio write that older people and others at risk should be shielded while those in the least danger should “immediately be allowed to resume life as normal”.
No mention of a cull. The general idea is instead of everybody being locked down, the vulnerable are given the support they need (help with shopping and so on) to enable them to lock themselves down, if that is what they wish to do.
Debate Magazine
