Herd Immunity as a Coronavirus Pandemic Strategy

Would letting coronavirus infect the broad US and global population be a safe and effective means of ending the COVID-19 pandemic? Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, of Stanford University's Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research is a signatory of the "Great Barrington Declaration," which proposes to "allow those 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." Marc Lipsitch, PhD, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, a signatory of the "John Snow Memorandum," which refutes the argument, responds. Related Article: Herd Immunity and Implications for SARS-CoV-2 Control