Three epidemiologists and almost 15,000 health professionals are arguing against the mass COVID-19 lockdowns in the Great Barrington Declaration, stating that despite the good intentions, the restrictions are likely doing more harm than good.
Written by professors at some of the world’s most prestigious universities—including Dr. Martin Kulldorff, a professor of medicine at Harvard University with an expertise in epidemiology and biostatistics; Dr. Sunetra Gupta, an Oxford professor and epidemiologist; and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a physician, Stanford professor and epidemiologist—the Declaration argues that lockdown policies across the world are damaging people’s mental and physical health more than COVID itself.
The Declaration begins, “As infectious disease epidemiologists and public health scientists we have grave concerns about the damaging physical and mental health impacts of the prevailing COVID-19 policies, and recommend an approach we call Focused Protection.”
It continues, “Coming from both the left and right, and around the world, we have devoted our careers to protecting people. Current lockdown policies are producing devastating effects on short and long-term public health. 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. Keeping students out of school is a grave injustice.
“Keeping these measures in place until a vaccine is available will cause irreparable damage, with the underprivileged disproportionately harmed.”
Currently, 5,013 medical and public health scientists, 9,606 medical practitioners and 132,370 members of the general public have all signed on, which shows that the mass lockdowns, instituted by various governments on the state and federal level, are wearing thin.
Instead of continuing to impact everyday life, these physicians and medical professionals are advocating that governments work towards herd immunity and allow the broader public to live their lives while protecting the most vulnerable.
“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. We call this Focused Protection.”
For those in extremely restrictive states like California, where Governor Gavin Newsom recently told residents that they should keep their masks on between bites of food, this is likely welcome news.
Unsurprisingly, certain groups don’t want people to hear this message.
According to the American Institute for Economic Research, Reddit has removed posts about the Great Barrington Declaration for an unknown reason.
There are medical experts that disagree, with some questioning whether herd immunity is really an effective measure. However, Sweden has adopted an incredibly similar strategy with seemingly great effect and minimal deaths.
For those excited to see life return to normalcy, this Declaration is encouraging and will hopefully result in policies that protect the most vulnerable without infringing on the rights of every citizen.
Photo from Shutterstock
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