A Simple Explanation of Herd Immunity to Defeat Covid-19

Herd immunity is counter-intuitive. It is hard to understand. Here's how it works:

Rather than trying to prevent the spread of the virus, you allow the spread of the virus. In the case of a highly infectious virus that is hell-bent on infecting everyone, the only way to kill it is when more people than not have caught the virus and either passed away or beat it. When most people in the population have beat the virus, it has nowhere to jump to, no one to infect. At that point, the viral line dies out and no one needs to worry about it.

The best way to fight the covid-19 virus is NOT to quarantine everyone, hoping that people will not catch it.  On the contrary, the best way to beat the virus is to allow people to catch it. We now know that less than 1% will be unable to fight the virus and will tragically pass away. We also know that approximately one third of the people who catch it have such a mild case that they don't even know they have it. The rest will catch a dickens of a bad cold but will get over it. Once they get over it, their body has learned how to defend itself and they will be able to fend off future attacks.

This contrasts with taking a vaccination that confers limited immunity. With a vaccination your body has not learned how to fight the virus; it's merely borrowing temporary immunity that will likely need future boosts in the form of annual vaccinations. 

While it made sense in January, February, and March to slow the rate of infection in order to secure adequate medical resources for the pandemic, we are now in the position to go forward with herd immunity.

We should be putting our resources into confirming which treatments do the best job of healing those who are hit the hardest by the virus, at which point the death rate can be controlled to far less than the 1% it is now. 

We can also make antibody test kits available over the counter, so people can monitor their own status. At that point, people who have had the virus and successfully beat it can breathe easy, knowing they will not die from this silent killer. They won't die because they didn't die, and the antibody tests prove that.

But what about the vulnerable populations? Do we all need to stay on lockdown in order to protect grandma and grandpa and those with severely compromised immune systems?  No, we do not. Society can go about its normal business. The only ones who need to stay on lockdown are those who are vulnerable and afraid. The lockdowns should not amount to house arrest. It is up to the vulnerable or, if they are incapacitated, to their legal and medical caretakers, to protect them. Everyone else needs to go out into society.

There is no need to avoid others for fear of catching the virus. There is certainly no need to institute a system of surveillance and "safe to pass" papers. No Big Brother controls "for our own good," thank you anyway. Neither is there a need to wait until there is a vaccine before getting back to work. With herd immunity, there is no need to fear the virus at all. We have far more to fear by losing our liberty and our ability to make our own decisions.

Keep in mind, I am not advocating that everyone has to go back to work. I am advocating continued precautions for the vulnerable, but these must be voluntary, not mandatory. Involuntary house arrest is not the way our country works. 

Meanwhile, if you are fearful about catching the virus, there are things you can do to strengthen your own immune system. These are the same protocols you've been told before--eat healthy foods, exercise, avoid excessive alcohol and smoking, take vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc. Build up your immunity so that when you inevitably catch the corona virus, and you will, you can defeat it instead of becoming one of its victims. Take responsibility for your own health--don't rely upon the pharmaceutical industry to save you. Don't insist others lose their jobs just because you are fearful. You can do better than that. Build your health now; don't be a helpless victim huddling in your home. There's no time like the present!