VOLUNTARY exposure to coronavirus could be one way out of lockdown for healthy Brits, a top scientist says.

A researcher from the University of Cambridge has suggested that an alternative to the current social distancing measures could be if healthy people chose to be infected with Covid-19 and stayed home until no longer infectious.

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He says these people would then be able to resume something closer to normal life, once sufficient numbers were immune and the Government allowed it. 

It comes after Britain's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said lockdown measures could be in place until 2021 until a vaccine or drug cure is found.

Despite this, experts are warning that the theory could be potentially dangerous for people with underlying health conditions and over 70s.

Currently, most people do not know if they are infected until they show symptoms, and they can, therefore, pass the infection on to other people in shops or the street while unknowingly infected.

They could suffer less than half the overall harm under voluntary exposure than they do under continued social distancing

However, a new working paper by Dr Chris Hope, Emeritus Reader in Policy Modelling at Cambridge Judge Business School, has suggested a “voluntary exposure” approach.

People who choose to be immediately infected with coronavirus and then stay in their homes until no longer infectious “would then be able to resume something closer to normal life, once sufficient numbers were immune and the government allowed it."

However, Dr Hope emphasises that people at high risk or with pre-existing conditions would not be offered such voluntary exposure, or presumably not take it up if offered.

And he claimed that this alternative would mean young, healthy Brits could suffer "less than half the overall harm" than they would do under a continued lockdown.

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Writing in the paper title Controlled infection to exit Covid-19 lockdown: a first utilitarian analysis, Dr Hope says: "So assume a healthy individual has a choice: A. social distance until the emergency is over, or they are infected anyway, or B. choose voluntary exposure now, with testing, isolation and then immunity.

"Voluntary exposure will nearly always be effective in causing infection, as the illness appears to be transmitted easily.

"As the infection occurs in a controlled manner, there is no extra risk to those outside the household. Social distancing leads to a quality of life drop, loss of earnings, later infection or no infection.

"Which is better if I’m given a choice, voluntary exposure or social distancing?

'A basic tradeoff'

"The basic tradeoff is that voluntary exposure allows me to obtain an earlier return to near-normal life, and a certainty that I’m not infecting others outside my household in exchange for increasing the small chance that I will suffer major symptoms, possibly death, since under social distancing I may not get infected at all.

"For a young, healthy, single person, the analysis shows that they could suffer less than half the overall harm under voluntary exposure than they do under continued social distancing."

Dr Hope emphasises that the working paper is a “first analysis” of this new idea and has not been published or extensively peer reviewed.

“It’s really just a proof of concept, to show the idea shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand. I am keen to get comments from as many perspectives as possible,” he says.

In particular, Dr Hope's approach of voluntary exposure could be dangerous for those who are more vulnerable to coronavirus.

Currently, the Government guidance is that people who are over 70, have an underlying health condition or are pregnant, are strongly advised to limit social interaction and self-isolate.

This is because they people in these categories are more susceptible to falling seriously ill from Covid-19.

Therefore, it would be particularly dangerous if people in these group also voluntarily exposed themselves to the bug.

If your immune system is less efficient you are at higher risk of serious complications of coronavirus

Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and Clinical Director of Patient Access, told The Sun: "We know that if your immune system is less efficient you are at higher risk of serious complications of coronavirus infection.

"If your immune system isn’t strong, it’s more likely that the virus can multiply deep inside your lung, causing inflammation and scarring.

"Your immune system will try and fight it off, and will often destroy healthy lung tissue in the process.

"This makes you more prone to get ‘secondary’ infections like pneumococcal pneumonia."

Early on in the UK's outbreak, the Government suggested one way of beating the deadly bug was by allowing 60 per cent of Brits to get infected to build 'herd immunity'.

However, this discredited 'herd immunity' theory was soon discredited by scientists – saying it may have caused the virus to spread further.

Currently, Sweden are aiming for herd immunity – saying the country could have it as early as next month.

Swedish state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell, who flanks PM Stefan Lofven at TV briefings, said pressure on the country's health care services appeared to be easing.

In comparison to most EU countries, primary schools, and public gatherings of 50 people are still allowed in Sweden while shops are also open – with no new laws in place to crack down.

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