The problem with 'shielding' people from coronavirus? It's almost impossible | Devi Sridhar and Yasmin Rafiei

Testing and tracing is the answer to protecting our most vulnerable - not trying in vain to cocoon' them away

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In the last UK government report on coronavirus policy, the word shielding" is mentioned 36 times. The UK, Sweden and the Netherlands have all shown much interest in this strategy of cocooning elderly and other vulnerable groups in their homes or shelters while attempting to reopen economies outside.

To date, shielding has meant asking the elderly, chronically ill, and others vulnerable to hospitalisation from coronavirus not to leave home, to avoid any face-to-face interaction, and to restrict human contact to the digital realm. What goes unsaid is that this strategy of shielding is distinctly western, and has not proven particularly effective at protecting these individuals.