WH COVID Adviser Advocating Controversial ‘Herd Immunity’ Approach

Scott Atlas, a new member of the White House’s COVID-19 task force, is reportedly pushing President Donald Trump to combat the coronavirus with the “herd immunity” strategy, which requires allowing mass infections to bloom throughout the country uninhibited.


This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1329675

Even if this were to work (it won’t) it’s much too late for this to be effective.

They’re desperate.

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Oh good, finally someone brave enough to explicitly advocate the do-nothing policy we have already had for the last five months.

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“You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs!”.
The Joker in Batman.

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Just a reminder of how tremendously stupid this guy is:











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Atlas is not qualified to even comment on the topic compared to degreed epidemiologists, virologists and infectious disease specialists but of course the media will likely give him equal attention. It’s not just Trumpster who lack critical thinking skills.

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So they thought health care workers were pissed before? If/when they officially push this, expect massive blowback from every health care worker in the country. This is absolute madness.

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Never fails…

image

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The Post also noted that Atlas, a neuroradiologist, does not have a background in epidemiology.

Well, at least this one isn’t a family member or has a degree from Trump or Liberty U.

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Scott Atlas, the radiologist recruited to the admin after downplaying the pandemic on Fox News has been pushing for herd immunity. To achieve this without a vaccine, about 250 million Americans would contract the virus and 1.5-2 million would die. https://t.co/V1eqm9sVsF

— Jonathan Reiner (@JReinerMD) August 31, 2020

So Trump got a Fox News radiologist to play virologist to “validate” Trump/RNC’s KAG = Killing American Geriatrics for Wallstreet mantra. After all, 57% Republicans find it acceptable!

Though the Republicans/MAGAts/WhiteSuprecamists/QAnon are Trump’s people…Dems + Independents out number them and D & I say it is NOT acceptable 90% and 67% respectively!

I never ever want to hear from Trumpers/Goppers/MAGAs/WS/QAnons about touting their pro-life value! Hypocrites!

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201 deaths from COVID-19???

Where the hell did he pull that from (and yes, I see the brown drippings - it’s a rhetorical question)???

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To paraphrase Major Kong,

I’ve been to the Texas State Fair, twelve rodeos, and two church picnics. That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.

(Thank you, Terry Southern!)

Herd immunity does not work without vaccines. Period. End of sentence.

If herd immunity worked without vaccines, we would not have:

  • Smallpox
  • Polio
  • Measles
  • etc.

We did manage to eradicate smallpox and polio, but it took vaccines to do it.

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The current case fatality rate, taking the data on identified cases at face value, is 3.1%.

If we need, conservatively, 60% of the population to be infected to achieve herd immunity, that means 6,000,000 fatalities from Covid-19.

If 3.1% is too high, we could go with 2% CFR and 4,000,000 fatalities or 1% and 2,000,000 fatalities. If 60% infected is the threshold.

In other words, mass murder.

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Herd immunity is not a strategy. It is a surrender. Yes, the outcome may be that majority of the population develops some exposure and resistance to COVID-19, but at the cost of sacrificing all of the vulnerable, with the mass death that would ensue.

There is no practical way of allowing a large segment of the population to go about their “normal” lives while telling a minority (elderly and those with underlying health problems) to stay sheltered and isolated. Herd immunity as a conscious tactic runs counter to any philosophy of a “culture of life” and a society structured to protect all of its citizens. It is clarion call to the rest of the world that the most ‘advanced’ nation on earth cannot defend its people against disease any better than primitive hunter-gatherers.

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How does the country segregate ‘at risk’ groups, Dr. Atlas?

asking for a friend…

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So, here we go again: why is no one in authority pushing back on this nonsense? Why have the morons got the megaphone again?

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Yet another dog whistle converted to megaphone.

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What’s the need? Aren’t we supposed to have a vaccine by Election Day? One that will magically appear in sufficient doses distributed across the county with sufficient personnel to enable everyone who needs a vaccine, namely just about everyone, to immediately get one.

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And not one person in the administration will see the irony that they are advocating herd immunity while having every person who comes in contact with Dotard tested every day. Yes, he’s doing these events, but they’re protecting him from having to be close to the rank and file. If herd immunity is good, then send him out to hang with the crowd.

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You can stop right there.

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