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Why herd immunity through infection is dangerous, deadly and might not work

A population has achieved herd immunity when a large enough percentage of individuals become immune to a disease

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Another way to get to herd immunity is through mass vaccinations, as we have done with measles, smallpox and largely with polio.

Steven Albert | The Conversation

7 min read Last Updated : Oct 29 2020 | 12:36 PM IST

White House advisers have made the case recently for a “natural” approach to herd immunity as a way to reduce the need for public health measures to control the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic while still keeping people safe. This idea is summed up in something called the Great Barrington Declaration, a proposal put out by the American Institute for Economic Research, a libertarian think tank.

The basic idea behind this proposal is to let low-risk people in the U.S. socialize and naturally become infected with the coronavirus, while vulnerable people would maintain social distancing

Topics : Coronavirus Coronavirus Tests Coronavirus Vaccine healthcare

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