”I am actually astunned. I don't understand it. All the pandemic preparedness plans were there, and they were just ignored.”

The words are Martin Kulldorff’s, professor of medicine at Harvard, and he refers to the harsh covid-19 policies that have been imposed almost worldwide.

”It’s a huge experiment. And it's a terrible experiment because of the collateral damage.”

Martin Kulldorff’s research areas are closely connected to the pandemic. In October he published a declaration together with epidemiology professor Sunetra Gupta and professor of medicine Jay Bhattacharya. The three experts expressed a fear that the remedy, lockdowns, will show to be worse than the disease.

Three basic principles of public health have been thrown out the window this year by most countries, according to Kulldorff: To look at things long-term, not to focus on just one single disease and to protect everybody in society.

”We have seen outbreaks of measles you wouldn't have expected under normal circumstances. Cancers are not being detected. And mental health is deteriorating.”

”Low risk people and affluent people, who can work from home, are being protected, but the working class is being exposed.”

Thus, lockdowns are exacerbating the societal inequalities.

Closing schools makes no sense whatsoever in this pandemic. Mortality from covid-19 is more than 1,000 times bigger for elderly people than for children. A seasonal flu is more dangerous than covid for the youngest.

”Every year, between 200 and 1,000 children die from the flu in the US. But we don’t close down the schools because of that.”

Instead of all-encompassing lockdowns, Martin Kulldorff would like to see different forms of focused protection to keep vulnerable groups as safe as possible.

The vaccine will be an excellent tool for focused protection of the vulnerable, says professor Kulldorff. But to make vaccination mandatory is a bad idea:

”A key principle of public health is trust. If you try to mandate something, that's going to lead to a lot of suspicion. The trust has already taken a hit because of the lockdowns.”