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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.

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DECLARATION DECLARATION

DEUTSCH PORTUGUÊS

Signed by
Medical & Public Medical General
Health Scientists Practitioners Public

2,186 2,409 38,194

The Great Barrington Declaration

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.

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.

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 inXrm than the young. Indeed, for children, COVID-19 is less dangerous than many other harms, including inYuenza.

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 herd immunity.

The most compassionate approach that balances the risks and beneXts of reaching herd immunity, is to allow those who are at minimal risk of death
to live their lives normally to build up immunity to the virus through natural infection, while better protecting those who are at highest risk. We call
this Focused Protection.

Adopting measures to protect the vulnerable should be the central aim of public health responses to COVID-19. By way of example, nursing homes
should use staff with acquired immunity and perform frequent PCR testing of other staff and all visitors. Staff rotation should be minimized. Retired
people living at home should have groceries and other essentials delivered to their home. When possible, they should meet family members outside
rather than inside. A comprehensive and detailed list of measures, including approaches to multi-generational households, can be implemented, and is
well within the scope and capability of public health professionals.

Those who are not vulnerable should immediately be allowed to resume life as normal. Simple hygiene measures, such as hand washing and staying
home when sick should be practiced by everyone to reduce the herd immunity threshold. Schools and universities should be open for in-person
teaching. Extracurricular activities, such as sports, should be resumed. Young low-risk adults should work normally, rather than from home.
Restaurants and other businesses should open. Arts, music, sport and other cultural activities should resume. People who are more at risk may
participate if they wish, while society as a whole enjoys the protection conferred upon the vulnerable by those who have built up herd immunity.

On October 4, 2020, this declaration was authored and signed in Great Barrington, United States, by:

Dr. Martin Kulldorff

Kulldorff, professor of medicine at Dr. Sunetra Gupta
Gupta, professor at Oxford Dr. Jay Bhattacharya
Bhattacharya, professor at Stanford
Harvard University, a biostatistician, and University, an epidemiologist with expertise in University Medical School, a physician,
epidemiologist with expertise in detecting and immunology, vaccine development, and epidemiologist, health economist, and public
monitoring of infectious disease outbreaks and mathematical modeling of infectious diseases. health policy expert focusing on infectious
vaccine safety evaluations. diseases and vulnerable populations.

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Co-signers
Medical and Public Health Scientists and Medical Practitioners
Prof. Sucharit Bhakdi
Bhakdi, em. Dr. Rajiv Bhatia
Bhatia, MD, MPH, Prof. Stephen Bremner
Bremner, Prof. Anthony J Brookes
Brookes,
Professor of Medical Microbiology, Physician with the VA, Professor of Medical Statistics, Department of Genetics & Genome
University of Mainz, Germany epidemiology, health equity Brighton and Sussex Medical Biology, University of Leicester, UK
practice, and health impact School, University of Sussex, UK
assessment of public policy, USA

Dr. Helen Colhoun

Colhoun, professor of Prof. Angus Dalgleish
Dalgleish, MD, FRCP, Dr. Sylvia Fogel
Fogel, autism expert Dr. Eitan Friedman
Friedman, MD, PhD.
medical informatics and FRACP, FRCPath, FMedSci, and psychiatrist at Massachusetts Founder and Director, The Susanne
epidemiology, and public health Department of Oncology, St. General Hospital and instructor at Levy Gertner Oncogenetics Unit,
physician, with expertise in risk George’s, University of London, UK Harvard Medical School, USA. The Danek Gertner Institute of
prediction, University of Human Genetics, Chaim Sheba
Edinburgh, UK Medical Center and Professor of
Medicine, Department of Internal
Medicine and Depertment of
Human Genetics and Biochemistry,
Tel-Aviv University, Israel

Dr. Uri Gavish

Gavish, an expert in Prof. Motti Gerlic
Gerlic, Department Dr. Gabriela Gomes
Gomes, professor, a Prof. Mike Hulme
Hulme, professor of
algorithm analysis and a biomedical of Clinical Microbiology and mathematician focussing on human geography, University of
consultant Immunology, Tel Aviv University, population dynamics, evolutionary Cambridge, UK
Israel theory and infectious disease
epidemiology. University of
Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK

Dr. Michael Jackson

Jackson, PhD is an Dr. David Katz
Katz, MD, MPH, Dr. Andrius Kavaliunas
Kavaliunas, Dr. Laura Lazzeroni
Lazzeroni, PhD.,
ecologist and research fellow at the President, True Health Initiative epidemiologist and assistant biostatistician and data scientist,
University of Canterbury, New and the Founder and Former professor at Karolinska Institute, professor of psychiatry and
Zealand. Director of the Yale University Sweden behavioral sciences and of
Prevention Research Center, USA biomedical data science. Stanford
University Medical School, USA

Dr. Michael Levitt

Levitt, PhD is a Prof. David Livermore
Livermore, Dr. Jonas Ludvigsson
Ludvigsson, Dr. Paul McKeigue
McKeigue, professor of
biophysicist and a professor of Professor, microbiologist with pediatrician, epidemiologist and epidemiology and public health
structural biology. Dr. Levitt expertise in disease epidemiology, professor at Karolinska Institute physician, with expertise in
received the 2013 Nobel Prize in antibiotic resistance and rapid and senior physician at Örebro statistical modelling of disease.
Chemistry for the development diagnostics. University of East University Hospital, Sweden. University of Edinburgh, UK
of multiscale models for complex Anglia, UK
chemical systems. Stanford
University, USA

Dr. Cody Meissner

Meissner, professor of Prof. Ariel Munitz
Munitz, Department Prof. Yaz Gulnur Muradoglu
Muradoglu, Prof. Partha P. Majumder
Majumder, PhD,
pediatrics, expert on vaccine of Clinical Microbiology and Professor of Finance, Director at FNA, FASc, FNASc, FTWAS National
development, efXcacy and safety. Immunology, Tel Aviv University, Behavioural Finance Working Science Chair, Distinguished
Tufts University School of Israel Group, School of Business and Professor and Founder National
Medicine, USA Management, Queen Mary Institute of Biomedical Genomics,
University of London, UK KalyaniEmeritus Professor Indian
Statistical Institute, Kolkata, India

Prof. Udi Qimron

Qimron, Chair, Prof. Matthew Ratcliffe
Ratcliffe, Dr. Mario Recker
Recker, Associate Dr. Eyal Shahar
Shahar, MD professor
Department of Clinical Professor of Philosophy Professor in Applied Mathematics (emeritus) of public health,
Microbiology and Immunology, Tel specializing in philosophy of at the Centre for Mathematics and physician, epidemiologist, with
Aviv University, Israel mental health, University of York, the Environment, University of expertise in causal and statistical
UK Exeter, UK inference. University of Arizona,
USA

Prof. Karol Sikora MA

MA, PhD, Dr. Rodney Sturdivant
Sturdivant, PhD. Dr. Simon Thornley
Thornley, PhD, Prof. Ellen Townsend
Townsend, Self-Harm
MBBChir, FRCP, FRCR, FFPM, associate professor of biostatistics. epidemiologist, biostatistics and Research Group, University of
Medical Director of Rutherford Director of the Baylor Statistical epidemiological analysis, Nottingham, UK.
Health, Oncologist, & Dean of Consulting Center. Focus on communicable and non-
Medicine, UK infectious disease spread and communicable diseases. University
diagnosis. Baylor University, USA of Auckland, New Zealand.

Prof. Lisa White

White, Professor of Prof. Simon Wood
Wood, professor,
Modelling and Epidemiology statistician with expertise in
NufXeld Department of Medicine, statistical methodology, applied
Oxford University, UK statistics and mathematical
modelling in biology, University of
Edinburgh, UK

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