What Is Herd Immunity?

- Herd immunity occurs when a majority of people are immune to a disease through natural infection

- The "Great Barrington Declaration: proposal written by a group of well accredited scientists advocated for those who are at minimal risk to go about with their daily lives in order to achieve herd immunity from COVID-19

- Sweden has adopted this policy since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in April. Although this model hasn't been entirely successful, Sweden's COVID-19 death toll is significantly lower than other countries

- This plan has been embraced by White House officials, but has draw criticism from scientists

Pros:

- Alleviate stress on the economy

- Decrease the sudden spike in domestic violence and drug abuse

- Allow for students to return back to school to receive an adequate learning experience

- Prevent further mental health declines due to isolation

Cons:

- Those who recover from COVID continue to suffer long-term effects

- This model doesn't explicitly outline how high-risk people will be protected

- This model fails to mention the predicted death toll of this policy