Herd immunity 'not really a viable strategy' in Alaska's COVID-19 fight, physicians say

[TexasTowelie]

PALMER — Last week, a Mat-Su physician told reporters that healthy people need to expose themselves to COVID-19 so most of the population can develop so-called herd immunity.

Herd immunity comes when a population develops immunity to an infectious disease through exposure and vaccination. It’s a controversial strategy touted by some to combat COVID-19 as an alternative to lockdowns ravaging economies.

Many researchers say without a vaccine, herd immunity is effective only if there’s very high level of population immunity that lasts a long time and against a virus that doesn’t mutate — conditions that don’t exist at this point in the coronavirus pandemic.

Wasilla physician Dr. Wade Erickson, a presenter at a Matanuska-Susitna Borough news media briefing last Wednesday, urged continued social distancing and mask wearing but said safely reopening the economy is key to acquiring immunity.

Read more: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2020/05/06/herd-immunity-not-really-a-viable-strategy-in-alaskas-covid-19-fight-physicians-say/
(Anchorage Daily News)

[mr_lebowski]

1. Someone explain to me how this works?

"safely reopening the economy is key to acquiring immunity"

Kinda sounds like bullshit to me.

[TexasTowelie]

2. That's because it is bullshit.

However, I'll give you some points for being so perceptive.

[bearsfootball516]

3. In "theory"

You open the economy up and allow those who are young and healthy to work. They get COVID19, get over it, acquire immunity and the virus dies out. Then, you open things back up to the elderly and high-risk now that the virus is gone.

The problem is, there are TONS of elderly and high-risk people who also live with those who are young and healthy. There's no way to separate the young and healthy from the elderly and high-risk. The "theory" is complete garbage.