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Vice President Mike Pence said the United States “has the capacity to conduct a sufficient amount of testing to move to Phase 1” and defended the government’s current coronavirus testing program. (April 17th)

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Claims: Flock immunity, not social distance, blocks COVID-19

Most experts encourage the general public to “flatten the curve” of social distance, but attempts to gradually spread the lifespan of outbreaks so as not to overwhelm the healthcare system. A phrase used to describe-some people objected to that tactic.

Knut Whitkowski, a former biostatistician at Rockefeller University, argued that social distance is not the right way to deal with a pandemic.

Wittkowski was cited in a WND article – Quoted from a YouTube video, widely shared on Facebook – He said that achieving immunity in herds is the only thing to stop respiratory illnesses like COVID-19, within a few weeks Advocated opening a school so that enough people would be exposed to the virus and acquire the immunity to stop the spread of the virus.

Rockefeller University Issued statement on April 13 Taking Wittkowski’s allegations, he stated that his views “do not represent that of Rockefeller University, its leadership, or its faculty.”

He is not alone in this idea.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, recently hospitalized at COVID-19, Approved similar ideas, His chief scientific adviser later canceled the statement. Johnson justified the herd’s immunity strategy by explaining that strict behavioral restrictions can be very tiring for people and may eventually fail to follow social distance protection protocols.

And a group of over 500 behavioral scientists Issued a letter It criticized Johnson’s justification for fatigue because of lack of evidence.

A similar herd immunization strategy was adopted Sweden, With considerable criticism.

Despite the accusations, Wittkowski still supports his claim, citing the difficulty in contact tracking and the current lack of vaccines.

“We have to make what the vaccine would otherwise do naturally, and it creates people who are immune because they have had a very mild form of the disease,” he said. .

COVID-19 Herd immunity uncertainty

Herd immunity occurs when the majority of the population becomes immunized to a disease or virus, and it stops its spread because very few people can get it.

This is usually achieved by vaccination rather than widespread infection. Immunity of a flock Measles It is achieved when 19 out of 20 are vaccinated.

Wittkowski supported the herd immunity due to the infection.

Although it is possible to achieve herd immunity by infection, “it does not rely on highly lethal infectious agents to create the immune population.” Akiko IwasakiHe spoke to the Atlantic Ocean, a virologist at Yale University School of Medicine.

Dan Balach“I certainly defend the latter,” between the two options of achieving herd immunity through infection and vaccination, said the director of the Harvard University Virology and Vaccine Research Center.

Relying solely on herd immunity through widespread exposure to combat with COVID-19 can overwhelm hospitals and endanger the elderly and pre-existing people.

The need for hospital beds varies from state to state. March USA TODAY analysis Data from the Census Bureau and the National Hospital Association show that in some states, when infection spreads with a mild flu rate, eight times more beds are needed to properly treat patients with coronavirus. (The exact infection rate of COVID-19 is still unknown.) This estimate assumes that all infections occur at once, all hospital beds are empty, and both are false.

Graham medley He leads a group of scientists who model the spread of infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He explained to the Atlantic that herd immunity to coronavirus may result, but that should not be the end.

The World Health Organization has also raised questions about herd immune responses.

WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris said In an interview with BBC She has questions about achieving herd immunity through infection and mentions that too little is known about the virus to see if it works.

And a letter signed by more than 500 scientists In Britain, he criticized the country’s move to pursue herd immunity. “At this point, seeking“ group immunity ”does not seem a viable option. This puts (UK National Health Service) at an even stronger level, endangering more lives than necessary. “

Flock immunity is also dangerous, as little is known about the natural protective immunity to the virus after infection. Exposing people to the virus to reach the herd’s immunity can be counterproductive if people can be infected again shortly after testing negative.

“For most viral infections, once someone is infected and then heals, at least for a period of time, he or she will be immunized and will not be re-infected. This is true for most viruses. Not for all viruses.” Barouch said. “We still don’t know about COVID-19. There is still no clear evidence of whether there is natural protective immunity.”

James WhitneyThe principal investigator at the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research agreed, saying that the unknown mutation rate of COVID-19 also introduces uncertainty to reach herd immunity.

“The simple answer is that we don’t have enough information so far to say whether the infection provides complete protection,” Whitney said. “Everyone who roams in the hope of immunizing a herd is probably not the best scenario. Vaccines are probably the best and most durable way to immunize a herd. I think.”

Our verdict: partly wrong

The herd’s immunity found a claim to stop COVID-19, rather than flattening the curve and making some mistakes. Although herd immunity may ultimately be achieved as a result of vaccination or widespread infection, other factors such as access to testing and medical devices, social distance, isolation, and vaccination may be COVID. -Helps prevent respiratory disorders such as -19. In addition, experts say little is known about the novel coronavirus to ensure that herd immunity provides complete protection from infection.

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