GOP State Lawmaker: 'I Want To See More People' Get Coronavirus

Del Marsh, a state senator in Alabama, said he's “not concerned” with the spike in infections and touted the controversial idea of herd immunity.
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A GOP lawmaker in Alabama said he’s “not concerned” about the current spike in cases of the coronavirus in the state.

“In fact, quite honestly, I want to see more people, because we start reaching an immunity as more people have it and get through it,” Alabama state Sen. Del Marsh told reporters Thursday.

“I don’t want any deaths — as few as possible,” he continued. “So those people who are susceptible to the disease, especially those with preexisting conditions, elderly population, those folks, we need to do all we can to protect them. But I’m not concerned. I want to make sure that everybody can receive care. And right now we have, to my knowledge as of today, we still have ample beds.”

Check out Marsh’s comments here:

Sen. Del Marsh says he is not concerned about reaching more than 2,000 cases in one day.
Marsh says he wants to see more people with COVID-19 because "we start reaching an immunity as more people have it and get through it." pic.twitter.com/JH43IJCdUw

— Lydia Nusbaum (@LydiaNusbaum) July 9, 2020

In his comments, Marsh ― who sits on the state’s coronavirus task force ― appeared to be referring to the idea of herd immunity, which contends that a virus will not spread as easily once a certain high percentage of the population has contracted it or been vaccinated, and therefore developed the necessary antibodies.

The controversial approach has been contested by scientists and public health experts: Herd immunity could still be a long way off from happening, if it does at all with this virus, even with a vaccine.

Marsh’s comments drew scorn on Twitter:

It’s probably much easier to be “not concerned” when you don’t actually understand science.
Those of us with advanced degrees in science are actually pretty concerned. #stayinyourlane #alpolitics #aldems #al01 https://t.co/ELqy4FzFbR

— Kiani for Congress (@KianiGardner) July 10, 2020

Umm @SenatorDelMarsh are you aware that dying from COVID isn’t the only metric? That it is chronic and can affect your health the rest of your life? Additionally Spain discovered thru study that herd immunity isn’t an option without a vaccine. Antibodies don’t stick around.

— HRCSuperVol1 (@hrcsupervol01) July 10, 2020

Welp, this is disturbing as hell, but it's been that kind of day. https://t.co/m7QUm7DB7R

— Joseph Goodman (@JoeGoodmanJr) July 9, 2020

@SenatorDelMarsh Not only is this line of thinking dumb, but it is also dangerous. https://t.co/ZyjD4U9ETA

— Alabama Democrats (@aldemocrats) July 10, 2020

We don’t even know if herd immunity response happens with this disease, it’s novel.

I honestly am so weary of these people talking about life and death as if it means nothing.

— christina louisa 🥂🍑 Χριστίνα (@WatersOfMarch11) July 10, 2020

Why America can't solve its coronavirus problem, exhibit 7500 https://t.co/k3R1NCkT5G

— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance) July 10, 2020

Alabama on Wednesday recorded its highest-ever tally of new cases ― more than 1,800, according to the state’s Department of Public Health:

Alabama, we had our highest number of #COVID19 cases yesterday with over 1800 cases. We urge you to wash your hands, wear a face covering, practice social distancing, and stay home when possible. This graph is Tab 7 on our Dashboard: https://t.co/GTqQp3nNQU. pic.twitter.com/TWLoczonay

— Alabama Public Health (@ALPublicHealth) July 9, 2020

Dr. Don Williamson, the president of the Alabama Hospital Association, warned on Thursday that the state’s daily infection count will likely spiral in the coming weeks because “none of these numbers reflect the effect of the Fourth of July.”

“We are looking at an incubation period here of minimum days, up to two weeks, and usually there’s a lag of about a week from infection to being hospitalized — or a week to two weeks — and so we are probably not going to see the real impact on the health care system until next week and the week after,” Williamson told WBRC.

“There is major movement in the wrong direction, and really these movements have accelerated and that’s the most concerning part of this,” he added. “It’s the trajectory of the curve.”


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