Coronavirus measures doing more harm than good: Doctors

A group of 81 doctors wrote an open letter to politicians raising concerns about the social distancing measures still in place against the spread of the coronavirus. According to them, these measures may be doing more harm than good.

The doctors wrote that social distancing and self-isolation may have been defensible during the peak of the virus, but the measures have insufficient scientific basis to keep them going. "There is little to no evidence of the usefulness of social distancing of 1 to 2 meters," the doctors wrote. And at the same time, the number of people who built up antibodies against the virus remains low.

Considering the "damage in the field of the psychosocial domain, economic damage, and damage to non-covid healthcare and total healthcare costs" done by these measures, the doctors believe that the disadvantages of social distancing far outweigh the benefits. Social distancing limits hospital capacity to such an extent that there is no chance of undelivered care being caught up any time soon, they said. According to them, the 1.5 meter society leads to "major logistical challenges in hospitals and also jeopardizes good outpatient care."

The signatories call on political parties to look "independently and critically" at the coronavirus law the government is currently working on, which gives the coronavirus measures a legal framework. They also call on other healthcare providers to comment on these measures.