We Cannot Stop the Spread of COVID, But We Can End the Pandemic

My message is this: we can't stop the spread of COVID, but we can end the pandemic.

The centerpiece of the declaration is a call for increased focused protection of the vulnerable older population, who are more than a thousand times more likely to die from COVID infection than the young.

Prioritizing those who have never previously had COVID will help preserve doses for those who would most benefit since - like the vaccine - COVID recovery provides excellent protection against future severe disease.

To preserve doses, they should be reserved for those who have not previously had COVID and were vaccinated more than 6 to 8 months ago.

US COVID policy should focus on making these tests cheaper and more widely available, as they are in the UK. Finally, since the virus very often spreads via aerosolization events, upgrades to ventilation systems in public spaces will reduce the risk of older people participating in everyday social life outside the home.

It is no accident that COVID disease spread is so rare on airplanes since they are all outfitted with excellent air filtration systems.

The good news is that with the new and effective technologies available and the focused protection ideas outlined in the GBD, we can end the pandemic if only we can muster the courage and political will to do so.

https://brownstone.org/articles/we-cannot-stop-the-spread-of-covid-but-we-can-end-the-pandemic/