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Experts are rejecting the possibility of the Omicron COVID-19 variant (or any other variant) leading to herd immunity. According to Dr. Don Milton at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, herd immunity is an elusive concept and does not apply to coronavirus.
Herd immunity takes place when a significant number of people are immune to a virus, resulting in less possibility for the germ to spread to those who are not protected by vaccination or prior infection.
For instance, herd immunity against measles requires about 95 percent of a community to be immune against the disease. Early hopes of herd immunity against the coronavirus diffused due to a number of reasons.
One of the reasons is that antibodies developed from available vaccines or previous infections reduce over time. While vaccines are able to provide strong protection against severe COVID-19 illness, reducing antibodies enhance the changes of possible infection, even among those who have taken the booster dose.
Furthermore, there is a huge regional variation in vaccination rates. While some low-income countries have less than 5 percent of the population vaccinated against COVID-19, several rich countries struggling with vaccine hesitancy. Moreover, young children are still not eligible for vaccination in several countries.
The ongoing spread of the COVID-19 virus is resulting in its mutation. This means the virus is surviving and giving rise to new variants, such as Omicron. These mutations are becoming better at evading the protection people are getting from vaccines or even earlier infection.
Milton added that people are also moving towards “herd resistance”. In such cases, infections will continue to take place.
However, there is enough protection against COVID-19 among people that will reduce the disruption due to future spikes, thanks to robust vaccination campaigns by various countries.
Meanwhile, scientists are also expecting COVID-19 to eventually become like the flu and cause seasonal outbreaks.
SOURCE: Khaleej Times