This post was originally published on this site
“ ‘Let’s stop underemphasizing empirical evidence while instead doubling down on hypothetical models. Facts matter.’ ”
That’s Scott Atlas, former chief of neuroradiology at Stanford University, making his case for ending coronavirus lockdowns in favor of a targeted approach to getting the U.S. back on its feet.
“Americans are now desperate for sensible policy makers who have the courage to ignore the panic and rely on facts,” Atlas wrote in a widely read piece for The Hill last week. “Leaders must examine accumulated data to see what has actually happened, rather than keep emphasizing hypothetical projections; combine that empirical evidence with fundamental principles of biology established for decades; and then thoughtfully restore the country to function.”
Since that article published, Atlas has been bringing his message of ending lockdowns to several other media outlets in recent days, including an interview on the “Conservative Review with Daniel Horowitz” podcast, a chat with The Blaze, and an op-ed in the NY Post.
Atlas explained how the death rate in New York, where almost a third of all U.S. deaths have taken place, shouldn’t be a cause for panic for most. He said that more than 99% of those who have died had an underlying condition and that the rate of death for all people 18-45 is 0.01%.
“We know children and young adults in good health have almost no risk of any serious illness from COVID-19, so logic means opening most schools,” he wrote in The Post. “With sensible precautions and sanitization standards, most workplaces and businesses should reopen. This would save lives, prevent overcrowding of hospitals, restore vital health care for everyone and allow the socializing essential to generate immunity among those with little risk of serious consequences.”
In addition, Atlas says that, because of such “hypothetical projections,” patients in need of other medical care, such as those suffering from cancer and heart conditions, are being ignored.
“People are dying to accommodate ‘potential’ COVID-19 patients and for fear of spreading the disease,” he wrote. “Most states and many hospitals abruptly stopped ‘nonessential’ procedures and surgery. That prevented diagnoses of life-threatening diseases, like cancer screening, biopsies of tumors now undiscovered and potentially deadly brain aneurysms.”
Also, by continuing the lockdowns, he says, the powers-that-be are actively delaying the process that must take place for things to get back to normal. Herd immunity, according to Atlas, is the only way to move forward without a proven treatment or vaccine.
“Infected people without severe illness are the immediately available vehicle for establishing widespread immunity,” he wrote in The Hill. “By transmitting the virus to others in the low-risk group who then generate antibodies, they block the network of pathways toward the most vulnerable people, ultimately ending the threat. Extending whole-population isolation would directly prevent that widespread immunity from developing.”
Meanwhile, governors continue to set their own timelines on when parts of their economies can reopen. In Georgia, gyms, hair salons, bowling alleys and tattoo parlors were allowed to reopen on April 24. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said a limited reopening in his state could begin on May 15, while New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is also expected to reveal a plan.
