Natural herd immunity, a ‘fringe proposal,’ sets off global health alarms

The World

The idea behind an effective vaccine is that it can protect communities from outbreaks of an infectious disease — if enough people get it. Recently, a group of scientists proposed a completely opposite approach to the pandemic that they hope might have the same effect down the road. The untested idea, natural herd immunity, is to just let the virus spread in the general population. As communities brace for more restrictions amid new outbreaks, it’s gaining some more political attention. But as The World’s Elana Gordon reports, a growing chorus of public health experts around the globe are speaking out and warning that the idea is extremely dangerous and deadly.

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