The Immune-Buffer COVID-19 Exit Strategy that Protects the Elderly

COVID-19 is a viral respiratory illness, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus with frequent symptoms of fever and shortness of breath. COVID-19 has a high mortality rate among elders. The virus has spread world-wide, leading to shut-down of many countries around the globe with the aim of stopping the spread of the disease. To date, there are uncertainties regarding the main factors in the disease spread, so sever social distancing measures and broad testing are required in order to protect the population at risk. With the increasing spread of the virus, there is growing fraction of the general population that may be immune to COVID-19, following infection. This immunised cohort can be uncovered via large-scale screening for the SARS-CoV-2 (Corona) virus and/or its antibodies. We propose that this immune cohort be deployed as a buffer between the general population and the population most at risk from the disease. Here we show that under a broad range of realistic scenarios deploying such an immunized buffer between the general population and the population at risk may lead to a dramatic reduction in the number of deaths from the disease. This provides an impetus for: screening for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and/or its antibodies on the largest scale possible, and organizing at the family, community, national and international levels to protect vulnerable populations by deploying immunized buffers between them and the general population wherever possible.