Alabama Republican: 'I want to see more people' get coronavirus

On Thursday, Alabama Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh suggested that he wanted more people to get coronavirus — because he thinks America would develop "herd immunity" and reduce the spread enough to protect more vulnerable populations.

"I'm not as concerned so much as the number of cases. In fact, quite honestly, I want to see more people, because we start reaching an immunity the more people have it and get through it," said Marsh. "I don't want any deaths, as few as possible, say, I get it, but those people who are susceptible to the disease, especially more serious pre-existing conditions, elderly population, those folks, we need to, you know, do all we can to protect them. But I'm not concerned, I want to make sure that everybody can receive care."

Marsh's remarks fly in the face of medical science. It is currently unknown whether people who are infected with COVID-19 become immune, and even if so, in order to achieve "herd immunity" through infection alone, experts estimate at least 70 percent of the U.S. population would have to be infected — which would mean tens of millions more illnesses and hundreds of thousands more deaths. To properly safeguard the population, a vaccine will need to be developed.

Watch below: