NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio thinks himself justified for the draconian lockdown measures he and Gov Cuomo recently imposed on Boro Park and other community’s in Brooklyn. In a recent press conference on Oct 7, he told reporters that, “We want to protect everyone. This is based on data and science.” However no less an authority than the World Health Organization (WHO) has condemned the widespread use of lockdowns as the primary method taken to contain COVID-19. In an interview with Andrew Neil of The Spectator magazine, Dr David Nabarro, the WHO’s Special Envoy on COVID-19 said, “We really do appeal to all world leaders: stop using lockdown as your primary control method.” He then went on to cite the many real-world problems that lockdowns cause. “Lockdowns just have one consequence that you must never ever belittle, and that is making poor people an awful lot poorer.” He also forecasted an astonishing possible doubling of world poverty next year and “at least a doubling of child malnutrition” as a result of the lockdowns. According to Dr. Nabarro, the only time the WHO believes a lockdown is justified is when a short time is needed “to reorganize, regroup, rebalance your resources, protect your health workers who are exhausted.” None of these conditions are the current reality in NYC. The hospitalization rates have remained the same over the past few months after falling off in June. Neither is the WHO alone. An open letter signed by more than 3,500 medical professionals has recently called on leaders the world over to end the harmful lockdowns. In the letter called the The Great Barrington Declaration. The authors, professors from Harvard, Oxford and Stanford, write, “As infectious disease epidemiologists and public health scientists we have grave concerns about the damaging physical and mental health impacts of the prevailing COVID-19 policies, and recommend an approach we call Focused Protection.” Highlighting the huge cost of the pervasive lockdowns, they continue, ” Coming from both the left and right, and around the world, we have devoted our careers to protecting people. Current lockdown policies are producing devastating effects on short and long-term public health. The results (to name a few) include lower childhood vaccination rates, worsening cardiovascular disease outcomes, fewer cancer screenings and deteriorating mental health – leading to greater excess mortality in years to come, with the working class and younger members of society carrying the heaviest burden. Keeping students out of school is a grave injustice. Keeping these measures in place until a vaccine is available will cause irreparable damage, with the underprivileged disproportionately harmed.” Proceeding to outline a new plan, they note, “Fortunately, our understanding of the virus is growing. We know that vulnerability to death from COVID-19 is more than a thousand-fold higher in the old and infirm than the young. Indeed, for children, COVID-19 is less dangerous than many other harms, including influenza. As immunity builds in the population, the risk of infection to all – including the vulnerable – falls. We know that all populations will eventually reach herd immunity – i.e. the point at which the rate of new infections is stable – and that this can be assisted by (but is not dependent upon) a vaccine. Our goal should therefore be to minimize mortality and social harm until we reach […]
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