Last week  we, Sen. Steve Erdman and Sen. Steve Halloran, offered a joint article challenging the current response to COVID-19.  The current policy that is being used was based upon a flawed model provided by Dr. Neil M. Ferguson, which originally projected the American death toll to be around 2.2 million on March 16. Following that wildly irresponsible projection, on March 29 Dr. Fauci stated on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the death toll would range from 100,000 to 200,000, then two days later, on March 31, he told the American people during a White House press conference to anticipate as much as 240,000 deaths. Finally, on April 9 he revised the number down to 60,000 deaths during an interview on NBC’s “Today Show”.

Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx are now trying to convince the American public that social distancing is the reason for these drastically revised numbers and that they should somehow be credited for these diminished numbers.  However, it defies common sense to attribute social distancing as the reason for a decline from 2.2 million down to 60,000.  Instead, the initial projection was intentionally set high in order to make these carryover bureaucrats from the Clinton and Obama administrations look credible once the actual numbers came in.  These two physicians acted immorally when they advised the President to implement a policy that was based upon flawed models.

In order to help you see this more clearly, consider that Dr. Fauci played a similar role in curbing the H1N1 pandemic ten years ago. He counseled President Obama in the same way that he counsels President Trump today.  However, when the H1N1 pandemic first hit back in 2009 he did not give the same kind of advice to President Obama that he gave to President Trump.  Under Dr. Fauci’s watch, from April 12, 2009 to April 10, 2010 the CDC recorded that there were 60.8 million cases of H1N1 in the United States, along with 274,304 hospitalizations, and 12,469 deaths. So, why didn’t Dr. Fauci advise President Obama to lock down the nation? Obama never implemented these kinds of draconian measures that we see today, such as closing down schools, even though the H1N1 posed a bigger threat to school age children than the coronavirus.  According to a January 2010 article written in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, the H1N1 virus, “…caused disproportionate disease among young people…”

We have received many emails concerning the article we wrote last week.  While many were supportive, some took an opposing view.  We respect those who disagree with our perspective, but few gave any compelling data, facts or other information to counter our argument for herd immunity.

We regret that some have drawn the conclusion that we were emphasizing money over lives.  That could not be further from the truth!  Instead, we are concerned that when people lose their source of income, it will result in additional health issues.  Many of the 22 million unemployed are now without health insurance.   Moreover, domestic abuse and suicide hotlines have become overloaded.  Alcohol and drug abuse are ramping up, and long lines are now forming at food pantries.  Poverty kills.  Just as health issues skyrocketed during the days of the Great Depression, why should today be any different?

The current mitigation policies are putting undue strain on our healthcare system.  Hospitals are furloughing employees because they cannot perform elective surgeries.  Colonoscopies, breast cancer screenings, and ultrasounds are being delayed, yet these are the procedures we need in order to prevent premature deaths.  The longer we make hospitals and medical clinics forgo these procedures, the more we risk losing them altogether.

Our current methodology of flattening the curve will not reduce the number of coronavirus deaths; instead, it will simply spread those deaths out over a longer period of time.  Therefore, we have only two options before us:  (1) We can wait 12-18 months for a vaccine, or (2) we can protect those who are most vulnerable, such as the elderly, those with compromised auto-immune systems, and those with hazardous medical preconditions, and allow those who are stronger and more able-bodied to interact with the virus and develop the antibodies we need to develop a herd immunity. 

God designed the human body with the ability to form a natural defense against these kinds of viruses.  That natural defense system produces the antibodies we need to fight the coronavirus. The mitigation procedures that we’ve currently set in place actually work against the body’s natural defenses. This is why we prefer the second option.

Finally, we appreciate how Nebraskans have come together in unity during this healthcare crisis.  Many deserve our gratitude, especially those doctors, nurses and first responders, who put themselves in harm’s way in order to care for us.  Thank you for your faithful service to our communities.

Now it is time to liberate Nebraska…we need to get back to living and making a living.