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appalachiablue

(41,047 posts)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 11:42 PM Sep 2020

'He's Describing A Massacre': Trump Touts Herd Immunity Approach To Covid That Could Kill Millions

"He's Describing a Massacre": Trump Touts Herd Immunity Approach to Covid That Experts Warn Would Kill Millions. "'Herd immunity' without a vaccine is deadly," said one epidemiologist. "Trump's idiocy on science is killing us." Jake Johnson, Common Dreams, Sept. 26, 2020.



- Dr. Anthony Fauci and President Trump in a meeting at NIH in Bethesda, Md. March, 2020.

Insisting during a town hall Tuesday night that Covid-19 will simply disappear on its own- echoing a baseless claim he also made in February, March, April, May, June, July, and August—President Donald Trump touted a so-called "herd immunity" approach to the pandemic that public health experts warn would lead to hundreds of millions of new coronavirus infections and millions of additional deaths.

We're gonna be OK. And it is going away," Trump told ABC's George Stephanopoulos. "And it's probably gonna go away now a lot faster with the vaccine. It would go away without the vaccine, George." When Stephanopoulos replied that "many deaths" would result such a scenario, Trump said: "You'll develop like a herd mentality. It's gonna be herd developed, and that's gonna happen. That will all happen. But with a vaccine, I think it will go away very quickly. But I really believe we're rounding the corner, and I believe that strongly."

Watch:



Trump's remarks came as Covid-19 continues to spread across the U.S., with the nation averaging around 38,000 new cases per day over the past week. In total, the U.S. has recorded over 6.6 million positive coronavirus cases and at least 195,600 deaths, and it remains unclear when a safe and effective vaccine will be available to the public..To reach "herd immunity" to the virus, experts say around 65% of the U.S. population- over 200 million people- would have to be infected. Given the current U.S. death rate from Covid-19, that number of cases would kill millions of people. "'Herd mentality' is what his cult followers have," epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding tweeted following the president's comments late Tuesday. "'Herd immunity' without a vaccine is deadly. Trump's idiocy on science is killing us."

>Univ. of Michigan professor Justin Wolfers noted that "developing herd immunity doesn't just take time, it works by infecting over a hundred million and killing hundreds of thousands." "He's describing a massacre," tweeted Wolfers. "If you think the problem here is that he said herd mentality rather than herd immunity, you're missing the big picture. Whatever word he spoke, the idea is to sacrifice several hundred thousand more people's lives." Trump's town hall came days after Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned the number of deaths that would result from a "herd immunity" approach to the virus would be "totally unacceptable." "If everyone contracted it, even with the relatively high percentage of people without symptoms... a lot of people are going to die," said Fauci...

More, https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/16/hes-describing-massacre-trump-touts-herd-immunity-approach-covid-experts-warn-would
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'He's Describing A Massacre': Trump Touts Herd Immunity Approach To Covid That Could Kill Millions (Original Post) appalachiablue Sep 2020 OP
About an hour ago, I started a discussion on DU about this very subject. Two of the points: Eyeball_Kid Sep 2020 #1
Thanks for the info. and update. appalachiablue Sep 2020 #2
And what is Plan B? What if any immunity wears off after, say, six months? Or the virus mutates? Midnight Writer Sep 2020 #3
He and Dr. Herd Atlas, the Fox TV doctor & radiologist appalachiablue Sep 2020 #4
Ah, of course. It will just go away, like a miracle. Midnight Writer Sep 2020 #5

Eyeball_Kid

(7,410 posts)
1. About an hour ago, I started a discussion on DU about this very subject. Two of the points:
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 11:55 PM
Sep 2020

Herd immunity will NEVER BE ACHIEVED.

The death count will be much higher than 6 million BECAUSE infections will NOT spread to 70% of the population.

Finally, herd immunity is only being attempted for as long as Trump is in office. The show, and the ghastly death count, will slow once Biden is inaugurated. Then Biden's AG will get busy.

appalachiablue

(41,047 posts)
2. Thanks for the info. and update.
Thu Sep 17, 2020, 12:09 AM
Sep 2020

This method is in place in the view of many following the grisly subject. 'Sacrifice the Weak' as the Nazi Aktion T4 Euthanasia program promoted.



- 'Sacrifice the Weak' sign at a rally urging the state of Tennessee to re-start its economy amid COVID-19 lockdown orders.

True. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/sacrifice-the-weak-sign-real/

Midnight Writer

(21,546 posts)
3. And what is Plan B? What if any immunity wears off after, say, six months? Or the virus mutates?
Thu Sep 17, 2020, 01:19 AM
Sep 2020

What is the plan if, after two or three million American deaths, we are worse off than we ever were, because we allowed the virus to flourish?

This is typical of Trump. A big, flashy, swing for the fences gamble based on his gut.

appalachiablue

(41,047 posts)
4. He and Dr. Herd Atlas, the Fox TV doctor & radiologist
Thu Sep 17, 2020, 01:34 AM
Sep 2020

haven't got that far yet. 'It'll get better, you'll see.'

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