'We are achieving herd immunity right now': Professor argues against lockdown measures
7 October 2020, 18:21 | Updated: 7 October 2020, 19:35
Professor makes case against lockdown measures
There is no longer a rationale for lockdown restrictions as the UK is "achieving herd immunity", a university professor has told LBC.
Dr Gabriela Gomes, a professor of mathematics and statistics at the University of Strathclyde, made her case against lockdown measures to LBC's Tom Swarbrick.
The professor is one of thousands of scientists and medical experts to have signed a letter calling for the end of lockdown restrictions and a return to a herd immunity strategy.
The 'anti lockdown petition' as it has been called, has been signed by at least 50,000 members of the public, 2,500 scientists and 3,200 medical practitioners so far.
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It calls for those who are less vulnerable to the effects of Covid-19 to be allowed to return to normal life, with a herd immunity approach to tackling the Covid-19 pandemic while protecting the most vulnerable.
Dr Gomes told LBC: "Since the beginning of the pandemic we have been acquiring immunity in the population and I've been developing mathematical models to describe that.
"According to our models we are achieving herd immunity right now, which means that an epidemic growing out of control is no longer an expectation.
"So, given that, if we expect the numbers of infections to continue roughly constant for some time and then decline as more immunity is acquired, the rationale for constraining society and lockdowns...is no longer met."
The University of Strathclyde professor also told LBC that the UK would achieve herd immunity when 20% of its population become immune to Covid-19.
The number of new daily coronavirus cases soared past 14,500 on Tuesday - up by 2,000 on the previous day - with 76 new deaths.
Listen to the full exchange with Tom in the video at the top of this page.
