Herd immunity is difficult to achieve in the case of covid virus, say experts

 Country governments are pushing for vaccination in order to attain herd immunity. But medical experts feel that when Delta variant is the predominant mutant strain in the population, obtaining herd immunity to fight the deadly virus is impossible. Are the politicians listening???

Herd immunity and the coronavirus pandemic

Herd immunity is when people get protected by  antibodies that are produced in the body by natural infection or vaccination. It helps to reduce the virus transmissions hence halt the pandemic. But when the highly infectious delta variant is around and most vaccines seem unable to contain it, is attaining herd immunity possible? Leading epidemiologist from Oxford Vaccine Group, Sir Andrew Pollard feels that this is not possible. It is mythical. There are other experts in the field who are thinking on solar lines. But the ignorant politicians refuse to listen to the experts. They are continuing to push for rules and regulations that would be ineffective in the long run to contain the virus.

Sir Andrew states that despite vaccination the Delta variants spreading. Vaccinated individuals continue to get infected and also spread the virus. Hence reaching herd immunity is a mythical concept here. Sir Andrew is one of the lead researchers in the creation of the AstraZeneca-University of Oxford vaccine. He added:

“I think we are in a situation here with this current variant where herd immunity is not a possibility because it still infects vaccinated individuals,”

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He continued:

"And that does mean that anyone who’s still unvaccinated, at some point, will meet the virus. That might not be this month or next month, it might be next year, but at some point they will meet the virus and we don’t have anything that will stop that transmission.”

Covid is different

At the U.K.’s All-Party Parliamentary Group, Andrew opined:

“The problem with this virus is [it is] not measles. If 95% of people were vaccinated against measles, the virus cannot transmit in the population,” 

Vaccination might slow the spread but cannot halt it since new viral variants would emerge and vaccination cannot protect vaccinated people from it. He explained:

“I suspect that what the virus will throw up next is a variant which is perhaps even better at transmitting among vaccinated populations and so that’s even more of a reason not to be making a vaccine program around herd immunity.”

Dr. Andrew Freedman, reader in infectious disease at Cardiff Medical School also agrees with Andrew's opinion. He said:

“The delta variant is highly transmissible meaning that the proportion of people needing to be fully vaccinated for herd immunity is probably not achievable. The vaccines provide very effective protection against severe disease/hospitalisation/death but are less effective in preventing infection, mild disease and transmission, especially for the delta variant.”

There are also children in the unvaccinated group and they would change scenario as regards immunity. 

Vaccination should be continued but are not answers to the eradication of the virus. Vaccine unwillingness, viral mutations, and uneven vaccination across the globe could deter effective control of virus in the near future. Besides, immunity to the viruses new over time and is not lifelong like the previous viruses. 

Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London holds similar views. He states that not much is known about covid virus and it affects populations differently and there are different variants worldwide in circulation. He feels:

“The whole herd immunity thing was one of those bits of medical textbook-speak that was adopted early on by policy advisors, then the press, then the public and has throughout been contorted and over-simplified,”