When COVID was new and we had no vaccines, we clung to herd immunity as our only real hope. We believed back then we only needed a single infection to be safe, and prayed for a mild dose. However, that introduction to herd immunity and COVID-19 hardly prepared us for the roller coaster ride that followed. Today we review what we now know.
Is Our Introduction to Herd Immunity and COVID Still Valid?
The principles still hold, although the likelihood of achieving group cover seems increasingly slim. Mayo Clinic says local herd immunity exists when a large portion of a community becomes immune to a disease. The possibility of an infection becomes increasingly unlikely, until everyone – immune or not – enjoys protection.
However, in reality not every member of that community escapes infection. Breakouts can occur if that number reaches ‘threshold’ level. But if the proportion of immune people is larger than that threshold, then the infection rate will continue to decline.
What Proportion Is Necessary to Achieve Herd Immunity?
Mayo Clinic continues with its introduction to herd immunity by answering the question with another one. The answer depends on how infectious the disease is. It cites the example of highly infectious measles where the threshold is 94%. While with other diseases it is far lower.
Could We Ever Achieve Herd Immunity from COVID?
Experts believe gaining COVID-19 herd immunity is impractical according to Mayo Clinic. That’s because there’s still a low risk of falling ill after vaccination, or from reinfection. However, we still need to take care because the symptoms may be severe.
Therefore it follows we ought not to drop our guard completely, and assume the other people around us are safe. We may have the strongest immunity available, but we still run a low risk of becoming another, unnecessary hospital statistic.
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