 The COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread disruption due to the implementation of various non-pharmaceutical interventions such as lockdowns. These measures have had significant economic and social impacts, but they are not a sustainable solution to the virus. A more effective approach would involve protecting those who are most vulnerable to the virus while allowing it to spread among those at lower risk levels in order to reach herd immunity. This strategy was explored in a recent study which found that even if perfect shielding were achieved, hospitals would have been overwhelmed with many avoidable deaths among lower risk individuals. Even a slight decrease in the effectiveness of shielding would lead to a large increase in deaths. Therefore, our results suggest that this strategy would not have been a viable option for combating the COVID-19 pandemic and is unlikely to be successful for future pandemics. This article was authored by Cameron A. Smith, Christian A. Yates, and Ben Ashby.