WHAT DO YOU THINK, DAD-TO-BE?

As you may know, The Federalist has published a recommendation by a doctor from Portland, Oregon, named Douglas A. Perednia that young people be taken to parties where they can be deliberately infected with the covid-19 coronavirus.

It is time to think outside the box and seriously consider... controlled voluntary infection (CVI).

CVI involves allowing people at low risk for severe complications to deliberately contract COVID-19 in a socially and medically responsible way so they become immune to the disease. People who are immune cannot pass on the disease to others.

If CVI were to become widespread and successful, it could be a powerful tool for both suppressing the Wuhan coronavirus and saving the economy. It could reduce the danger of passing COVID-19 to vulnerable populations, drastically reduce the amount of social isolation needed, reopen businesses, and even help achieve the level of “herd immunity” needed to stop the spread of the disease within the population....

Before vaccinations for childhood diseases such as chickenpox and German measles were developed, families would hold chickenpox or German measles “parties” when one child contracted the disease. All the neighborhood children were invited to play with the infected child with the understanding that they would probably become infected as a result. The entire community would get the disease out of the way in one little local epidemic.

... According to a recently published study in the journal Pediatrics of 2,143 pediatric patients from China with confirmed or suspected cases of the Wuhan virus, one child died (0.05 percent). This is an order of magnitude lower than estimated mortality for the population as a whole.

How would this work? Let Dr. Perednia explain:

* Otherwise-healthy young people who have not yet contracted COVID-19 can enroll in the CVI program at a designated “safe infection” site.

* After being medically screened, participants are actively exposed to the mildest form of COVID-19 virus available.

This is a virus we knew nothing about four months ago, but somehow we're supposed to isolate "the mildest form ... available" -- as if we can know with certainty what that is -- and expose young people to it.

They are then housed under quarantine in an appropriate CVI facility. The facility could be as small as one’s home or as large as a hotel or cruise ship. (Given the recent example of spring break 2020 for college students in Florida, one could imagine CVI even becoming a social activity.)

* All participants are then regularly screened for the presence of an active COVID-19 infection and medically monitored during their illness. Patients who experience serious medical complications would be evacuated to an acute care facility. Once a patient reliably tests negative for an active infection, he or she receives a certified clean bill of immunity (CCBI) and is allowed to re-enter the community.

Good thing we have a lot of medical personnel sitting around idle right now, desperate for something to do to stave off boredom. This will keep all those folks busy. (That was sarcasm, folks.)

* A critical component of this program is widespread testing of the general population to determine exactly who has and has not already become immune to coronavirus. Those who have previously been infected and developed immunity would also be given a certified clean bill of immunity.

Oh, there's a minor hurdle to this genius plan: It requires widespread testing. Fortunately, we've totally nailed the testing thing in this country, now that America is great again. (That was sarcasm again.)

Dr. Perednia, by the way, does not practice any form of medicine relevant to this discussion -- he's a dermatologist. What's more, Vice's Laura Wagner reports that he's not licensed to practice in the state of Oregon.

The publisher of The Federalist is Ben Domenech, who, of course, is married to Meghan McCain. McCain recently made this announcement:

Personal news. pic.twitter.com/Pp2RhUUK6v

— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) March 22, 2020

So Domenech is about to be a dad. Since he published this grossly irresponsible article, I hope someone asks him:

When your child is born -- after your wife's self-quarantine -- would you and she take the kid to one of these parties?

If not, why not?

And if you wouldn't, why are you publishing a recommendation, by an unlicensed dermatologist, that the rest of us should consider it?