Dr. Knut Wittkowski: A second wave of coronavirus infections will come as a direct result of social distancing and self isolation

In this interview published by Ratical, epidemiologist Dr. Knut Wittkowski talks about the nature of the novel coronavirus, how similar its characteristics and outcomes are from coronaviruses of the past, as well as the implications of its differences. Wittkowski also asserts that containment (lockdowns) of low-risk individuals could lead to the second wave of infections. 

Editor’s Note: While data on SARS-COV-2 is only starting to be collected, studies using this data show that the novel coronavirus is behaving the same way as other coronaviruses. The sudden panic due to its spread does not come from the high mortality, but rather from the unvalidated news being shared online, and the unnecessary fear generated by wide-scale lockdowns. 

Based on Dr. Wittkowski’s discussion, we can now understand why lockdowns are difficult to end. Public officials do not understand that the only way to end this pandemic is through strong individual immunity that collectively leads to herd immunity. Governments cannot stop the virus by decree.