Coronavirus: Health Experts Participate in Global Blockade Prevention Campaign

Thousands of scientists and health professionals have joined a global movement warning of “grave concerns” about the Covid-19 lockdown policy.

About 6,000 experts, including dozens from the UK, say this approach has devastating consequences not only for society but also for physical and mental health.

They seek protection focused on vulnerable people while healthy people continue their lives.

This declaration prompted warnings by others in the scientific community.

Critics point out that:

• A more targeted approach can make it difficult to fully protect vulnerable people
• The risk of long-term complications from the coronavirus means that many others are also at risk.

However, the movement, known as the Great Barrington Declaration, reflects some of the warnings in a letter signed by the British GP Group.

Sixty-six GPs, including television doctors Dr. Phil Hammond and Dr. Rosemary Leonardo, and many doctors who played senior roles in the British Medical Association, sent letters to the Minister of Health, sufficient for “non-covid harm.” He said no emphasis was placed on it. In decision making.

What is the Great Barrington Declaration?

The movement started in the United States.

And this declaration is now signed by about 6,000 scientists and healthcare professionals around the world, and 50,000 civilians.

The UK-based experts who signed it are:

• Dr. Sunetra Gupta, Epidemiologist, University of Oxford
• Professor Ellen Townsend, a self-harm expert at the University of Nottingham
• Dr. Paul McKeig, Disease Modeler, University of Edinburgh

They say that maintaining a blockade policy until vaccines are available “causes irreparable damage and disproportionately harms disadvantaged people.”

The cited health hazards include:

• Low childhood vaccination rate
• Deterioration of care for patients with heart disease and cancer

And they point out that the risk of coronavirus is 1,000 times higher than that of the elderly and the weak, and that children are at higher risk of influenza than Covid-19.

They say that as immunity builds up in the population, the risk of transmission to all, including vulnerable people, decreases.

And this would be a much more “compassionate” approach.

The Declaration recommends every possible move towards the use of immunized staff and a number of measures to protect vulnerable people, including regular inspections of care workers.

Retirees who live in their homes need to deliver groceries and other necessities, he says.

And if possible, they should meet outside the family rather than inside.

Simple hygiene measures, such as washing hands and staying at home in case of illness, should be practiced by everyone.

But:

• Young low-risk individuals should be allowed to work normally
• Schools and universities should be open for face-to-face teaching
• Sports and cultural activities may resume and restaurants may reopen

What do other experts say?

Obviously “good faith,” the declaration has serious ethical, logistic, and scientific flaws, says Dr. Stephen Griffin, an associate professor at the University of Leeds School of Medicine.

The vulnerable come from all walks of life and deserve to be treated “equally.”

And “Long Covid” has been reported to have left for months a mild infection with problems such as fatigue and joint pain.

Meanwhile, Dr. Simon Clark, a cell biology expert at the University of Reading, said it is unclear whether herd immunity is achievable.

“We will need a natural and lasting protective immunity against the disease,” he says.

“And I don’t know how effective or long-lasting immunity after infection.”

The most likely scenario is that immunity is not long-term, but future reinfection will be milder.