I do worry a bit that we're stuck with this virus forever, and I have played out plenty of scenarios in my head about what that would mean. I do think that the sports and entertainment industry will be permanently changed...I believe college and professional sports are in for a world of pain and may never recover to "the way things were." But I try not to get caught up in fear or negative thinking, because it just gets overly depressing after a while.

There is virtually nothing definitively known about COVID-19, including whether immunity is lasting. I have seen plenty of research that short-term immunity is real, but the question is how long will that immunity last. And unfortunately, we don't know yet.

But let's play out a scenario in which there is no herd immunity and a vaccine isn't effective and this virus is here to stay for years and years, if not forever. In that case, we are pretty much stuck with the decision to either spend the rest of our lives hiding and watch the world collapse around us, or we take some calculated risks and move on with life as best as we know how. In that situation, I absolutely vote for the second option, and I am NOT an inherent risk taker. I realize not everyone would be comfortable with that, and I think it's an intensely personal decision to figure out what you are comfortable doing, and each person should absolutely be allowed to decide what's best for them. But as far as I'm concerned, I can't continue on like this for much longer. So I'm hoping for herd immunity so we're not faced with very difficult decisions.

Your question is valid, but I don't think anyone discussing herd immunity as a distinct possibility is doing so in an attempt to feel important. I think they're being optimistic about there being a natural end to this virus based on what we know about other viruses and the human immune response, the same way that people hoping for a vaccine are being optimistic. My personal opinion is that herd immunity is a more likely savior, but that's just a gut feeling. Only time will tell what the reality is.