If long-term suppression is not possible, how do we minimize mortality for COVID-19 and other emerging infectious disease outbreaks?

If COVID-19 containment policies fail and social distancing measures cannot be sustained until vaccines becomes available, the next best approach is to use interventions that reduce mortality and prevent excess infections while allowing low-risk individuals to acquire immunity through natural infection until population level immunity is achieved. In such a situation, allowing some infections to occur in lower-risk groups might lead to an overall greater reduction in mortality than trying to protect everyone equally.