Natural herd immunity is the wrong strategy

The Dec. 19 letter by Basia Crane suggests that Americans will reject the vaccine, so we should let the virus run its course. But, she argues we should try to protect the most vulnerable and open up the economy. This was recommended by the Great Barrington Declaration, pushed by Dr. Scott Atlas at the White House, and implemented by the Swedish government. I believe Crane’s recommendations are wrong.

More and more Americans are supportive of the COVID-19 vaccines, more than 70% now, with numbers rising as they see how safe it is. The Great Barrington Declaration has been countered by the John Snow Memorandum, which is signed by thousands of health care professionals. Recently, Sweden’s leader announced that the country’s approach, to leave the economy open, was a failure. The Swedes tried to protect the most vulnerable, but their mortality rate is much higher than neighboring Nordic countries.

A study published on Dec. 16 in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that among U.S. adults aged 25 to 44, during the first half of 2020, there were more deaths due to COVID-19 than due to opioid overdose. In California, the high death rate in this young adult population is especially impacting the Latino and Black communities. Deaths among young adults will increase if we completely open the economy.

The lockdown rules do harm to small businesses, especially restaurants. But with the current high rate of infection and deaths, and hospital ICU beds full, the lockdown is the best way to prevent more deaths until this wave declines and all those who want the vaccine can get it. Small businesses and the unemployed should be financially supported by our federal government during this crisis.

— David Rempel, Inverness