I am attaching for those who want some up to date info about what the leading scientists and doctors are saying.
COVID-19 in 2021: What Can We Expect?
15 Oct 2020
At 12.55 he talks about the first generation vaccines on the way, and what protections current vaccines likely to give (up to this point he has given a summary of what we now know incl the fact that herd immunity is not a viable strategy)
At 19.31 he speaks of government policy and adherence by people being key in controlling the disease. He describes distinguishing between science and pseudoscience and politics.
www.johnsnowmemo.com/#
2700 scientists, researchers and hcps have signed so far
Quote from the John Snow Memo which is being signed (the whole thing is worth reading deeply, Dr Leung says):
Although lockdowns have been disruptive, substantially affecting mental and physical health, and harming the economy, these effects have often been worse in countries that were not able to use the time during and after lockdown to establish effective pandemic control systems. In the absence of adequate provisions to manage the pandemic and its societal impacts, these countries have faced continuing restrictions.
This has understandably led to widespread demoralisation and diminishing trust. The arrival of a second wave and the realisation of the challenges ahead has led to renewed interest in a so-called herd immunity approach, which suggests allowing a large uncontrolled outbreak in the low-risk population while protecting the vulnerable. Proponents suggest this would lead to the development of infection-acquired population immunity in the low-risk population, which will eventually protect the vulnerable. This is a dangerous fallacy unsupported by scientific evidence
Any pandemic management strategy relying upon immunity from natural infections for COVID-19 is flawed. Uncontrolled transmission in younger people risks significant morbidity(3) and mortality across the whole population. In addition to the human cost, this would impact the workforce as a whole and overwhelm the ability of healthcare systems to provide acute and routine care
Furthermore, there is no evidence for lasting protective immunity to SARS-CoV-2 following natural infection(4) and the endemic transmission that would be the consequence of waning immunity would present a risk to vulnerable populations for the indefinite future. Such a strategy would not end the COVID-19 pandemic but result in recurrent epidemics, as was the case with numerous infectious diseases before the advent of vaccination.