Originally Posted by
Knobcrk1
In order for there to be herd immunity something like 200 million need to be infected. Also we don’t know if we can actually develop immunity in the long run, not to mention long term complications of contracting it. Also some hospitals in the states that are most populated with highest rates are sending patients to kids hospitals as they’ve ran out of space. The rates in these states are skyrocketing. And this is after like two weeks of openings. So again, how do you advocate doing it? What is the problem with wearing a mask and social distancing which the doctors are saying works, saves lives and curbs the rates.
Agreed, that number is probably about right (200M/330M = 60% of the population ~ herd immunity). Flattening the curve is not supposed to change that math; it's supposed to get us to the 200M or a vaccine (whichever comes first) in an orderly fashion. We do that much more safely by 1. Keeping the vulnerable more protected (we've been very half @ssed about this) and 2. Reasonable precautions (masks, etc.). I didn't really address reasonable precautions for the less vulnerable, so yes agreed there. But lock down? That only makes things worse in the long run. Restaurants, bars, sporting events, theme parks, air travel, etc. should be fair game, just wear a mask when seated in close proximity to another. Not saying we should have kissing booths set up to get it over with, but lock downs like the re-shut down of bars in TX are counter productive at this point. It's a balancing act and we're being way too protective of the less vulnerable and not protective enough of the vulnerable IMHO.
The only way to get around this reality in the near term is with a vaccine and I don't think that will happen before herd immunity. The CDC now says the number of infected in America is about 20M, so we've hit 10% of our "goal".