EDITOR:
I think all of us in Platte County are glad that we have passed into Phase 2 / Step 2 of the COVID-19 Recovery Plan defined by the Platte County Health Department.
It is interesting to read that the final step in Phase 2 (Step 4) is scheduled to start on July 1, 2020 but that no timeframe has been defined for when Phase 2 will end and when Phase 3 will start. It is very open ended.
The following is taken from the Phase 3 section of the Recovery Plan: “This phase can occur when there are minimal active cases in the community and will most likely be associated with herd immunity achieved or availability of a vaccine.”
I don’t know what herd immunity is (does anyone know what this means?) but I am familiar with vaccines and I do know that it can take a long time for a vaccine to be developed and approved for public use. Realistically it could be 2021 (or later) before a vaccine is developed and approved for public use.
Would it be reasonable to stay in Phase 2 until that time–especially if the data indicates that we are not experiencing a major health risk?
I would ask the Platte County Health Department to re-evaluate the criteria for entering Phase 3 of the Recovery Plan and look at using the COVID-19 data (number of tests, positive cases, etc.) to determine when to move to Phase 3 instead of the development of a vaccine or herd immunity.
–Matt DeMarco
Farley