
The Herd Immunity Taboo – Tablet Magazine - mrfusion
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/science/articles/plague-journal-herd-immunity-doidge
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JacksonGariety
The purpose of the quarantine was to prevent the hospitals from being
overwhelmed, right? In my state we now have more than enough resources. Why
are we still locked down as if it were day 1? I really don't get it at all.

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danieltillett
You do realise that there can be multiple purposes for an action? The most
pressing at the time the lock down was implemented was preventing the hospital
system being overwhelmed, but there are others like allowing time for better
treatments to be developed.

Looking at the infection rates even in Europe the idea of herd immunity was
always doomed. Not even Sweden is anywhere near herd immunity and their
economy is as trashed as their neighbours.

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JacksonGariety
Fair point.

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mantap
Would you rather lose your job or lose your parents? "Herd immunity" is good
insofar as you can convince yourself that _your_ family is special and will be
spared.

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mrfusion
The idea is the at risk isolate until herd immunity is reached. So you’d
actually want the healthy to get it as fast as possible.

It’s definitely an idea that’s up for debate but I feel your comment
misrepresents the concept.

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revx
"Herd immunity is the natural immunity that builds up in a population when
people (often younger and healthier members) are exposed to the virus, get
ill, and then recover in large enough numbers"

... or die in large enough numbers. I am not willing to sacrifice my family
and friends so people can make more money.

Instead of reopening, how about we restructure our society in a way that
allows people to stay safe until we have a vaccine?

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trhway
>I am not willing to sacrifice my family and friends so people can make more
money.

you and your family can continue to stay locked down even after the lockdown
is lifted for everybody else.

I think that at the current stage the total lockdown is kind of creates more
damage than helps (among everything else there was that news that 80M children
already missed vaccinations or something like this because of the lockdown).
The people in the highly vulnerable group should definitely be locked down as
much as possible until vaccine/treatment/etc. becomes available or until we
reach herd immunity. The rest - whoever wants to stay locked down stays so,
and whoever wants goes out and builds herd immunity.

