GREAT BARRINGTON DECLARATION HOW TO

'Our goal should therefore be to minimize mortality and social harm until we reach herd immunity.' Though it is possible to achieve herd immunity via mass infection, one would be hard-pressed to come up with a major infectious disease that reached lasting herd immunity without vaccination. the point at which the rate of new infections is stable-and that this can be assisted by (but is not dependent upon) a vaccine,' it says. 'We know that all populations will eventually reach herd immunity-i.e.

GREAT BARRINGTON DECLARATION HOW TO

Unfortunately, the group's suggestions for how to proceed toward that goal are somewhat murky.Ĭonsider one of the declaration's fundamental claims. They propose another way forward: 'The most compassionate approach that balances the risks and benefits of reaching herd immunity, is to allow those who are at minimal risk of death to live their lives normally to build up immunity to the virus through natural infection, while better protecting those who are at highest risk.' Such is the notion at the heart of the Great Barrington Declaration, and it's a sensible one. Though lockdowns were expected to have costs, we wouldn't want those to outweigh the benefits. Mental health problems appear to be rising. Researchers have also noted an 'alarming decline' in child vaccination rates 'due to disruptions in the delivery and uptake of immunization services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,' according to both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). A July study in The Lancet concluded that the United Kingdom should expect 'substantial increases in the number of avoidable cancer deaths' because 'cancer screening has been suspended, routine diagnostic work deferred, and only urgent symptomatic cases prioritised for diagnostic intervention.' A recent Oxfam report posits that 12,000 people could die from starvation per day as a direct result of supply chain interruptions caused by COVID-19 lockdowns. It's true that the coronavirus lockdowns have precipitated a slew of indirect harms. 'The results (to name a few) include lower childhood vaccination rates, worsening cardiovascular disease outcomes, fewer cancer screenings and deteriorating mental health-leading to greater excess mortality in years to come, with the working class and younger members of society carrying the heaviest burden.' Let's start with the gist of the declaration: 'Current lockdown policies are producing devastating effects on short and long-term public health,' write Dr. It's been hailed as the 'best advice' and condemned as 'grotesque.' So who's right?

Reactions were predictably polarized, as coronavirus proposals have tended to be. Their alternative: a model called Focused Protection, outlined in their Great Barrington Declaration, which would reopen society and allow young people to live their lives normally while implementing safeguards for the elderly. A trio of epidemiologists released a public letter last week rebuking the lockdown-focused approach to combating COVID-19.

Great barrington declaration