INSANE ADVICE
I pulled this headline from a news site after hearing about it elsewhere.
“Paul Alexander, a former Trump appointee to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), repeatedly urged top officials to allow millions of low-risk Americans to be infected with the coronavirus in order to adopt herd immunity”.
He further stated that it “will be best if we open up and flood the zone and let the kids and young folk get infected” to get “natural immunity…natural exposure.” He argued that they are much less likely to get sick from contracting the virus and the more people that get sick, the faster we will achieve herd immunity.
This is dangerous and insane advice!
July, 2020 was the deadliest month for people under 20 since we started tracking such data. Although deaths directly associated to Covid-19 are lower than in older people, it is not zero. As the overall number of Covid cases rises, the number of young people dying also rises. In addition, suicide rates are significantly higher and those attributable to the social isolation is significant.
Young people weathering the infection well is not the only issue. Spread by them to other, more at risk people, is more important. They are just as infectious as anyone else.
Yesterday (December 16th), we once again broke all the wrong records. More than 3500 Americans died. More hospitalizations and more positive cases than any previous single day. My local hospitals, where numbers have been rising but slowly, have the highest number of hospitalizations ever, covid era or not. With only 4% of the world’s population, the USA accounts for almost 18% of the cases and deaths. Whatever we are doing here in the US, it ain’t workin’!
In order to achieve herd immunity and eradicate this virus, we need a minimum of 80% of people to either have natural protection or protection provided by vaccination, ALL OVER THE WORLD, at the same time. Otherwise, pockets will keep popping up and it will continue to cause outbreaks all over the world indefinitely. Can it burn itself out by mutation? Possibly but we just don’t know and we should not count on that.
Although there is some immune protection provided to people who have contracted Covid-19, and the numbers of people infected is very high in the US, the numbers of infected people overall is small compared with the total population, just over 5%, and many of those cases are from early in the pandemic and thor protection has undoubtedly waned.
The goal of herd immunity should be achieved through vaccination primarily. In addition, the immune response from vaccination is more robust than the response from getting sick.
Personally, I would rather get immune protection from vaccination, which I am fortunate and grateful to be getting this Monday, than from getting sick, even if the disease were to be mild.
Although there is a lot of excitement about the start of the vaccination process, it will be a long road and we need multiple vaccines to get as many people vaccinated worldwide as possible. You may not be able to get it for many months and even after you get it, our behavior MUST not change. At least the responsible, proper, protective behavior. Just because you may be vaccinated and there may be some protection, you can still be exposed and pass it on to someone who is not.
Continue to do the basics:
- WEAR A MASK.
- Wear a good one. Synthetic materials are less desirable.
- Cover your nose. It’s where the virus replicates!
- Wear it correctly with the metal part on the top to create a better seal.
- Stop touching it.
- Shields are NOT replacements. They protect your eyes but are not a substitute for a mask.
- Vents may be OK for you, but no one else.
- DISTANCE. Physically and unfortunately, socially. This is obviously tough given the holidays. If you do choose to see family or friends, keep the numbers small, and do all the important stuff.
- WASH YOUR HANDS and USE SANITIZER IF YOU MUST. As we are receiving a lot of packages and gifts, the need to sanitize them is less of concern than it was at the start of the pandemic. If you are concerned, sanitize if you feel more comfortable but you don’t need to sterilize your bananas!
- DON’T TOUCH YOUR FACE. Especially if you have touched something else, like your mask!
- PROTECT YOUR EYES. Again, shields are not a replacement for a mask but they do cover your eyes well. I just wear my glasses out.
- VENTILATE. If you do get together, try to stay outside or at least near some windows. Run some heaters and fans. Air filters are a good idea. The longer you stay in an enclosed room with someone, the greater the chances of getting infected or infecting someone else.
- VACCINATE. When it’s your turn, get the Covid vaccine. It may be a while, but get whichever one is offered ASAP. As far as the flu is concerned, even though flu numbers are way down so far because of PPE, it is still a good idea to get your flu and pneumococcal shot. Not only will it help with not contracting those diseases, if you do get sick, it may help clarify if it may be Covid or not.
- GET HEALTHY. We are an overweight, unhealthy society, plagued with reversible, chronic diseases. As Dean Ornish MD says, EAT BETTER, MOVE MORE, LOVE MORE and STRESS LESS! Ramp up your fruits and veggies and cut back on animal products, sugar and processed food. You will be healthier, you will be doing something great for the planet and you will save a lot of animals. Even 5 minutes of activity is better than zero minutes. Call a family member or a friend. Send a card or a gift. Pray, meditate, practice yoga… whatever helps you chill out.
We will get past this.
Stay Safe and Be Well.
AC