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The Herd Immunity Taboo – Tablet Magazine

10 points by mrfusion 6y ago

JacksonGariety 6y ago
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.
- danieltillett 6y ago
  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.
  - JacksonGariety 6y ago
    Fair point.
mantap 6y ago
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.
- mrfusion 6y ago
  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.
revx 6y ago
"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?
- trhway 6y ago
  >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.
- mrfusion 6y ago
  The old, There’s no economy if everyone is dead argument.

10 points by mrfusion 6y ago

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.

danieltillett 6y ago
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.
- JacksonGariety 6y ago
  Fair point.

mantap 6y ago

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.

mrfusion 6y ago
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.

revx 6y ago

"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?

trhway 6y ago
>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.
mrfusion 6y ago
The old, There’s no economy if everyone is dead argument.