August 9, 2020

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Hard Lockdowns vs. Light Restrictions

COVID19 exposed many realities about modern political leadership, public health policy, and mass societal hysteria. With few exceptions (Sweden and Japan), world political leaders elected to EXPERIMENT with a draconian lockdown strategy that had NEVER been tried before.
 
In 2006 a few academic public health officials recruited some computer science programmers to "model" hypothetical influenza pandemics. Their theoretical models suggested a potential solution that turned centuries of influenza pandemic experience and modern medicine on its head: strict quarantines for the healthy, economic and social closures, and hard lockdowns.

Many prominent scientists argued against lockdown strategies, among them accomplished epidemiologist Dr. Donald A. Henderson (1928-2016) - credited with eradicating smallpox. Dr. Henderson suggested fighting influenza pandemics with either natural immunities or via vaccines - causing the LEAST DISRUPTION of normal LIFE. He asserted that potential social, economic, and political consequences should be considered by political leaders as well as health officials, and that potential adverse second and third order effects of mitigation actions must be weighed by policy decision makers.

Dr. Henderson responded to the proposed quarantines and lockdowns with a paper entitled: "Disease Mitigation Measures in the Control of Pandemic Influenza". His conclusion:
 

Experience has shown that communities faced with epidemics or other adverse events respond best and with the least anxiety when the normal social functioning of the community is least disrupted. Strong political and public health leadership to provide reassurance and to ensure that needed medical care services are provided are critical elements. If either is seen to be less than optimal, a manageable epidemic could move toward catastrophe.

 

 

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