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Nobel Prize-winning scientist explains why COVID lockdowns may have cost more lives than they saved
The Blaze ^ | MAY 24, 2020 | Chris Enloe

Posted on 05/24/2020 8:18:55 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

Stanford School of Medicine Professor Michael Levitt, who won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, says the strict lockdown measures imposed to combat the coronavirus pandemic may have cost more lives than they saved.

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"I think lockdown saved no lives," Levitt said on Saturday, The Telegraph reported.

"I think it may have cost lives. It will have saved a few road accident lives, things like that, but social damage — domestic abuse, divorces, alcoholism — has been extreme. And then you have those who were not treated for other conditions," he explained.

Levitt correctly predicted the scale of the pandemic, which most models, such as the widely publicized model from Imperial College, grossly overestimated. Those overestimations resulted in unnecessary "panic," Levitt said.

"I think that the real virus was the panic virus," Levitt said. "For reasons that were not clear to me, I think the leaders panicked and the people panicked and I think there was a huge lack of discussion."

Instead of mass lockdowns, which have been ongoing for several months across most of the globe, Levitt has advocated for developing "herd immunity."

In a separate interview earlier this month, Levitt explained:

I think the policy of herd immunity is the right policy. I think Britain was on exactly the right track before they were fed wrong numbers. And they made a huge mistake. I see the standout winners as Germany and Sweden. They didn't practise too much lockdown and they got enough people sick to get some herd immunity.

I see the standout losers as countries...

(Excerpt) Read more at theblaze.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: excuses; illogic; liberals; libertines
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1 posted on 05/24/2020 8:18:55 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Groups of humans are not herds.


2 posted on 05/24/2020 8:31:15 PM PDT by coaster123 (Virus = First Plane Strikes Tower)
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To: coaster123

While I agree the terminology might sound crude the process is exactly what we need. How beautiful is it that our immune system uses the very threat to combat and eliminate said threat.

What we have done is upset that ability. All we have accomplished is prolonging the virus.....along with the bonus of stripping away essential freedoms.

Our actions thus far are 180 degrees opposed to what was needed. The school closures being the worst of the worst decision wise.


3 posted on 05/24/2020 8:41:13 PM PDT by walkingdead (By the time you realize this is not worth reading, it will be too late....)
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To: walkingdead

https://nationalfile.com/fauci-photographed-with-soros-and-bill-gates-father-who-was-head-of-planned-parenthood/


4 posted on 05/24/2020 8:42:49 PM PDT by Maudeen (The Rapture . . . Separation of Church and State)
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To: walkingdead

“While I agree the terminology might sound crude”

Agree with who? The word isn’t crude and I wouldn’t care if it were.

Groups of humans are not called herds. Okay?


5 posted on 05/24/2020 8:44:33 PM PDT by coaster123 (Virus = First Plane Strikes Tower)
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To: coaster123

"Groups of humans are not called herds."


I believe an alternate term they sometimes use for that is "Community Immunity".  See this NIH article >>===> "Community Immunity - How Vaccines Protect Us All", where it says,

"This type of protection is known as 'community immunity' or 'herd immunity.' When enough of the community is immunized against a contagious disease, most other members are protected from infection because there’s little opportunity for the disease to spread."
This term apparently applies to both vaccination immunity, and naturally induced immunity.   (I heard Dr. Marc Siegel use that term on a recent "Tucker Carlson" show.)

6 posted on 05/24/2020 9:10:24 PM PDT by Songcraft
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To: coaster123
I suppose you personally take exception to the term herd mentality as well.
7 posted on 05/24/2020 9:14:17 PM PDT by FoxInSocks ("Hope is not a course of action." -- M. O'Neal, USMC)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

It’s the fault of anyone but the promiscuous addicts themselves. [Irony and sarcasm there.]


8 posted on 05/24/2020 9:19:01 PM PDT by familyop (Hell hath no fury like a scorned parrot.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

But environmentalists are crooning “Look how the Earth is healing, we need to use these same powers because OUR computer models say the world is doomed!”


9 posted on 05/24/2020 9:22:35 PM PDT by tbw2
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To: coaster123

Making matters worse, Neil Ferguson has a HISTORY of really wrong computer models.

Exhibit 1: Bird flu pandemic ‘could kill 150m’
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/sep/30/birdflu.jamessturcke

Exhibit 2: up to 50,000 dead from mad cow disease
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2002/jan/09/research.highereducati


10 posted on 05/24/2020 9:23:24 PM PDT by tbw2
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To: tbw2

“Making matters worse, Neil Ferguson has a HISTORY of really wrong computer models.”

If I had a record like that, I would have been fired long ago.

The politicians relying on him don’t care that he is wrong. They like their lockdown powers.


11 posted on 05/24/2020 9:30:37 PM PDT by SecAmndmt (Arm yourselves!)
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To: FoxInSocks

What else do you suppose?


12 posted on 05/24/2020 9:31:32 PM PDT by coaster123 (Virus = First Plane Strikes Tower)
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To: coaster123

Groups of humans most certainly do act like herds sometimes, while at the same time congratulating themselves for their individuality.


13 posted on 05/24/2020 9:43:05 PM PDT by Fresh Wind (This tagline is an advertisement-free zone. Is yours?)
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To: Fresh Wind

Humans conform.

What’s the problem?


14 posted on 05/24/2020 9:46:54 PM PDT by coaster123 (Virus = First Plane Strikes Tower)
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To: coaster123

Word police? Herd immunity is an accepted epidemiological term. Deal with it.


15 posted on 05/24/2020 9:54:31 PM PDT by kabar
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To: coaster123

Denial of reality.


16 posted on 05/24/2020 9:57:38 PM PDT by Fresh Wind (This tagline is an advertisement-free zone. Is yours?)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I live in in California in a 36 unit apt bldg and 2/3rds of the people are unemployed. I still have my job and can work from home. I also have savings to last a few decades if need be from my stock.

What happens when the unemployment checks stop? What you get with unemployment checks is not what many earn at a job and everyone has bills to pay.

The cities will demand property tax payments soon, state wants their share of the taxpayers moneys. The jobs are gone for many. 100,000 companies alone are gone in New York state.

Coronavirus Forces 100K NY Small Businesses To Close Permanently
https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus-forces-100k-ny-small-192934579.html


17 posted on 05/24/2020 10:00:58 PM PDT by minnesota_bound (homeless guy. He just has more money....He the master will plant more cotton for the democrat party)
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To: coaster123

Conformity IS herd behavior.


18 posted on 05/24/2020 10:01:26 PM PDT by Fresh Wind (This tagline is an advertisement-free zone. Is yours?)
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To: kabar

No, not word police.

One simple post saying groups of humans are not herds. Now you figure you can call me names and tell me how to deal?

Are you sure?


19 posted on 05/24/2020 10:05:39 PM PDT by coaster123 (Virus = First Plane Strikes Tower)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

L8r


20 posted on 05/24/2020 10:25:47 PM PDT by preacher ( Journalism no longer reports news, they use news to shape our society.)
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