Link , Link , [Even so, both Trump and Atlas have pushed the concept of letting the virus circulate widely -- at least among young health people -- without using the term "herd immunity." Last month, the president expressed interest in exploring the option of allowing the disease to spread quickly and allow the populace to build up resistance. "Well, once you get to a certain number, you know, we use the word 'herd,' right, once you get to a certain number, it's going to go away," Trump said on Fox News. "So -- you know -- it doesn't have to be..." Atlas has also drawn ire for controversial statements about returning children to schools. He has questioned whether children can transmit the virus and complained that the U.S. is "the only country … this hysterical about opening schools." The Stanford experts noted that, "while infection is less common in children than in adults, serious short-term and long-term consequences of Covid-19 are increasingly described in children and young people." They concluded their letter by emphasizing the need to exercise "science-based decision-making," and warning that any policy proposals that fall short of that standard could undermine progress in combatting the disease. "Failure to follow the science – or deliberately misrepresenting the science," the letter continues, "will lead to immense avoidable harm."