That all makes perfect sense.
But, one way or another herd immunity is what stops this, correct? Either by vaccine or by natural antibodies.
Our economy, and social structure cannot withstand the current level of shutdown long enough to wait on a vaccine. So, as long as our hospitals are not over whelmed, shouldn’t healthy people be “out there” catching and getting over this virus?
I’m not in health care, but I understand how our economy actually functions.
It may be impossible to achieve herd immunity. Immunity to other coronaviruses is not permanent, and it is uncertain whether Covid-19 antibodies will actually protect against reinfection. In addition, there are technical issues with developing a vaccine.
The ideal situation is to completely eliminate the disease. That means social distancing, washing hands frequently, etc. We have a better chance of finding a drug to treat this than finding a vaccine at this point. I am hoping that once summer comes, we will have a reprieve to really fight this.
I keep seeing people worrying about the economy and advocating for a return to normal while the pandemic is still underway. That actually would be worse economically than the current measures. What happens if we reach a point where millions are infected and tens of thousands are dying every day? Isn't that just a little hard on the economy?