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  • NEWS FEATURE

The false promise of herd immunity for COVID-19

Why proposals to largely let the virus run its course — embraced by Donald Trump’s administration and others — could bring “untold death and suffering”.
  1. Christie Aschwanden

    1. Christie Aschwanden is a science journalist in Cedaredge, Colorado.

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In May, the Brazilian city of Manaus was devastated by a large outbreak of COVID-19. Hospitals were overwhelmed and the city was digging new grave sites in the surrounding forest. But by August, something had shifted. Despite relaxing social-distancing requirements in early June, the city of 2 million people had reduced its number of excess deaths from around 120 per day to nearly zero.

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Nature 587, 26-28 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-02948-4

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