Dangerous COVID-19 plan
Jeanne Ives is promoting a dangerous scheme to resolve COVID-19 economic issues. Known as the Great Barrington Declaration, it recommends isolating elderly and medically vulnerable, while allowing the virus to spread, unchecked, to achieve herd immunity.
The declaration is deeply flawed.
First, it isn't known if infection makes a person immune to future infection.
Second, the declaration is theoretical and vague. It doesn't define elderly or medically vulnerable. It doesn't explain how to isolate huge swaths of the population for indefinite lengths of time.
Third, per the Mayo Clinic, experts estimate 200 million would have to recover to halt the epidemic. This amount of infection could lead to serious complications, millions of deaths, overwhelm our hospitals and further destroy our economy.
The president can't or won't lead a coordinated national response to COVID-19.
The nation has been left rudderless, with governors forced to confront this crisis largely on their own. After eight months, 228,000 dead, a weakened economy, and no end in sight, vulnerable citizens are being preyed upon for political gain.
Ives claims Sean Casten is proposing a complete shutdown. That's a lie. Sean Casten endorses a science-based, ethical path to reduce lockdowns and virus spread until a vaccine is ready; a plan developed by public health experts and epidemiologists. This includes social distancing, hand washing, contact tracing, increased testing, mask usage, and limited restrictions as circumstances require.
Congressman Casten voted for several bills to provide individuals and businesses economic relief, provide funds to hospitals and health care workers for PPE, allocate monies for increased testing, development of treatments, a vaccine, and more. He, unlike Ives, understands we can achieve both public health safety and economic security. We must not accept immoral, wrong-headed proposals masquerading as science.
Vote for Sean Casten for IL-06 on or before Nov. 3.
Jacqueline Eberle
Crystal Lake