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32.  Viewpoint: The “Not So” Great Barrington Declaration
Recently, an international group of scientists signed a declaration advocating for achieving herd immunity from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by opening communities and business, while protecting the vulnerable with “focused protection.” The Declaration states: “A comprehensive and detailed list of measures, including approaches to multi-generational households, can be implemented, and is well within the scope and capability of public health professionals.” But to be honest, I’m not sure how this can be done.
Currently, the United States is undergoing a third peak of infections on our first wave and the metrics, of cases and test positivity rates are increasing.
For infection preventionists and frontline healthcare workers, the Great Barrington Declaration places their lives and livelihood at risk. A field hospital has been activated in Wisconsin and the state is at risk of running out of hospital beds and trained staff.  Infection Control Today.  Oct. 15, 2020. 
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/viewpoint-the-not-so-great-barrington-declaration  
  

References
 

(1) Mills S. COVID-19 Field Hospital At Wisconsin State Fair Park Opens Wednesday. Wisconsin Public Radio. Oct. 14, 2020. https://www.wpr.org/covid-19-field-hospital-wisconsin-state-fair-park-opens-wednesday
 
(2) Payne K. University Hospitals seeing shortage of available beds. Iowa Public Radio. Sept. 24, 2020. https://www.radioiowa.com/2020/09/24/university-hospitals-seeing-shortage-of-available-beds/
 
(3) The Virus Surges in North Dakota, Filling Hospitals and Testing Attitudes. New York Times. Oct. 9, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/07/us/coronavirus-north-dakota.html

(4) Stolberg SG. White House embraces a declaration from scientists that opposes lockdowns and relies on ‘herd immunity.’ New York Times. Oct. 14, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/13/world/white-house-embraces-a-declaration-from-scientists-that-opposes-lockdowns-and-relies-on-herd-immunity.html
 
(5) Kavanagh KT. Viewpoint: Have You Heard About the Herd? It’s a COVID-19 Fallacy. Infection Control Today. April, 29, 2020. https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/viewpoint-have-you-heard-about-herd-its-covid-19-fallacy
 
(6) Farhi P. Three White House journalists test positive for coronavirus after closely covering Trump. Washington Post. Infection Control Today. Oct. 2, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/three-white-house-journalists-test-positive-for-coronavirus-after-closely-covering-trump/2020/10/02/c907f1c4-04f5-11eb-b7ed-141dd88560ea_story.html
  
(7) Yang A, Deliso M. 11 attendees at SCOTUS nomination Rose Garden event test positive for COVID-19. ABC News. Oct. 5, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/three-white-house-journalists-test-positive-for-coronavirus-after-closely-covering-trump/2020/10/02/c907f1c4-04f5-11eb-b7ed-141dd88560ea_story.html 
  
(8) Patel MM, Thornburg NJ, Stubblefield WB. Change in Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 Over 60 Days Among Health Care Personnel in Nashville, Tennessee. JAMA Network. Sept 17, 2020. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2770928
  
(9) Wang L, Wang L, Zhuang H. Profiling and characterization of SARS-CoV-2 mutants’ infectivity and antigenicity. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy. Sept. 3, 2020. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-020-00302-8 
 
(10) Walker M. Second COVID-19 Reinfection Case Confirmed. Med Page Today. Oct. 12, 2020. https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/89077
 
(11) Yang W, Petkova E, Shaman. The 1918 influenza pandemic in New York City: age-specific timing, mortality, and transmission dynamics. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2014 Mar; 8(2): 177–188. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4082668/
  
(12) Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) People at Increased Risk And Other People Who Need to Take Extra Precautions. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Sept. 11, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/index.html 
 
(13) Adult Obesity Facts. Obesity is a common, serious, and costly disease. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. June 29, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
 
(14) CDC COVID-19 Response Team. Severe Outcomes Among Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) — United States, February 12–March 16, 2020. MMWR. Mar. 27, 2020. 69(12);343-346, https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6912e2.htm&nb 
 
(15) Shi S, Qin M, Shen B, et al. Association of Cardiac Injury With Mortality in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. JAMA Cardiol. 2020;5(7):802-810. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2020.0950 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamacardiology/fullarticle/2763524&nbs 
 
(16) Rajpal S, Tong MS, Borchers J. Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Findings in Competitive Athletes Recovering From COVID-19 Infection. JAMA Cardiology. Sept. 11, 2020. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamacardiology/fullarticle/2770645
  
(17) Brown D. Microsoft adopts 'hybrid workplace' that will let more employees work from home permanently. USA Today. Oct. 11, 2020. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/10/11/microsoft-reveals-permanent-work-home-policy/5960462002/ 
 
(18) Evanega S, Lynas M, Adams J, Smolenyak K. Corona virus misinformation: quantifying sources and themes in the COVID-19‘infodemic’ Accessed on Oct. 14, from: https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/evanega-et-al-coronavirus-misinformation-submitted-07-23-20-1/080839ac0c22bca8/full.pdf
 
(19) Allyn B. Researchers: Nearly Half Of Accounts Tweeting About Coronavirus Are Likely Bots. NPR WKU. May 20, 2020. https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/20/859814085/researchers-nearly-half-of-accounts-tweeting-about-coronavirus-are-likely-bots
 
(20) Wolf SH. Chapman DA, Sabo RT, et al. Excess Deaths From COVID-19 and Other Causes, March-July 2020. JAMA. Oct. 12, 2020. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2771761         

This webpage is for guidance only, consult your healthcare provider and the CDC Website for information before making decisions relating to the coronavirus.