Herd immunity may still be the key to fighting COVID-19

In this article for The Spectator, Harvard professor of medicine Martin Kulldorff tries to answer the important question: how do we gradually re-open society? Which institutions will be allowed to open first, and which ones should remain closed?

Kulldorff clarifies that herd immunity is not a strategy, but a phenomenon. The basic strategy for pandemic control is the same – the protection of vulnerable groups and allowing younger generations to continue with their lives and keep society afloat. Only when herd immunity, when a large number of individuals have been infected by the SARS-CoV-2, will the pandemic end [new studies are showing that the herd immunity threshold (HIT) for the new coronavirus is much lower at 10 to 20%, see No, there is no second wave].

By realizing that herd immunity is still the way out of the pandemic, Kulldorff proposes to re-open societies in a way that limits mortality and protects the most vulnerable populations. And as global evidence shows that the virus has modest risks to younger generations, it is time to reopen society for them to generate collective immunity.

Editor’s Note: Kulldorff adds his voice to the many experts who are pushing for the reopening of societies so that the young can get on with their lives. His is a proposal that is based on what we already know about the coronavirus and the pieces of evidence from global experience. It is time to reopen, not just for the economy, but also because this is the only way to stop the health impacts of the SARS-CoV-2 [Many others have taken this same position, read Johan Giesecke: Why lockdowns are the wrong approach and Death Rate, Science, Lockdown, Fear, the “New Normal”, Vaccines, Social Control and the Immune System]