Dr. Fauci: Herd immunity to SARS-CoV-2 is unlikely to be achieved

The coronavirus pandemic seems to be dying out, restrictions are lifted, but COVID-19 will stay with us for a long time. Achieving classic herd immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus may be impossible, say scientists from the US. However, the widespread use of currently available interventions to prevent and control COVID-19 will enable societies to resume most daily behavior with minimal disruption to normal functioning.

1. The coronavirus pandemic has been going on for over two years. More than 55% are fully vaccinated. people in the world. Over 490 million fell ill
2. American infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, however, believes that achieving classic herd immunity to SARS-CoV-2 is unlikely
3. SARS-CoV-2 continuously mutates, so it can flee from immunity from infections and vaccines, says Dr. Fauci
4. The expert’s statement coincided with the lifting of all restrictions in Poland.
5. In the past week, the requirement to wear masks and the obligation to isolate infected people and quarantine family members and travelers have disappeared, there are no longer any temporary hospitals and covid wards.
6. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

Herd immunity – what is it?

An article on this subject appeared in the journal “The Journal of Infectious Diseases”. The general concept of herd immunity (also known as herd immunity, population or group immunity) suggests that the presence of a large number of people immunized against a given disease reduces the likelihood of developing the disease also by non-immune persons. Such a state is achieved thanks to protective vaccinations and / or as a result of passing the infection with a given pathogen.

The herd immunity threshold is different for different diseases. It usually requires over 90 percent. resistant population (e.g. for measles or whooping cough), but in the case of e.g. rubella and diphtheria, slightly more than 80% is sufficient, and even 75% of mumps. It means that so many people in the population must be resistant to a particular disease in order not to spread infections on a larger scale.

1. Read: What is the level of herd immunity in Poland?

Authors of the discussed publication – researchers at the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases — explain that achieving herd immunity made it possible to completely eliminate many once dangerous diseases, such as polio and measles. However, the benefits of achieving population immunity thresholds appear to be less effective against respiratory viruses such as influenza and just COVID-19. All because the pathogens causing them are constantly mutating.

Herd immunity to COVID-19 impossible?

Lead author of the article, Dr. Anthony Fauci, believes that achieving classic herd immunity to SARS-CoV-2 is unlikely due to a combination of factors that include viral characteristics, as well as current social dynamics. –It is mainly about the ability of the virus to constantly mutate towards new variants, about the asymptomatic transmission of the viruscomplicating control strategies for public health authorities, the fact that COVID-19 disease does not provide full protection from reinfection, equal access to vaccination and adherence to non-pharmacological interventions, he explains.

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As Fauci points out, it is possible to control COVID-19 without major disruptions to society. This is made possible by increasing basal immunity, which we achieve through vaccination and through previous infections, available booster doses, antiviral drugs, monoclonal antibody therapies and widespread diagnostic tests. At the moment, research on the development of “universal” vaccines against coronaviruses that could protect against various representatives of this group of pathogens, or at least against many variants of SARS-CoV-2, is also of key importance.

—Like the flu, SARS-CoV-2 constantly mutates so it can flee from immunity from infections and vaccines. Another advantage is that it can be transmitted asymptomatically, which makes it difficult to control the epidemic. (…) The additional reluctance of the public to wear face masks and other non-medical interventions could cause the virus to spread indefinitely, but hopefully at a low level. This was the case, for example, with the pandemic flu virus from 1918, whose descendants still cause seasonal epidemics, even though 104 years have passed, says Dr. Fauci.

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As he adds, the compilation of the above-mentioned factors is likely to prevent complete eradication of SARS-CoV-2 virus, even with a good level of vaccination of societies.

COVID-19 will stay with us forever

—So COVID-19 is likely to be with us forever, albeit at a rather low spread and much less severe. Because, as is the case with influenza, any level of herd protection against SARS-CoV-2 can potentially be overcome by human movements, social changes, vaccination discontinuation, mutations, etc. – says the scientist.

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—It is encouraging that after more than two years of virus presence among us and more than a year of vaccination, we already have a fairly high level of baseline immunity to SARS-CoV-2. We also have medical countermeasures, such as antiviral drugs, monoclonal antibodies, and widely available diagnostic tests. Thanks to all this, it is highly probable that we will be able to achieve significant control over the virus without major disruptions in the life of the community – noted the scientist.

—So our goal should not be the elusive idea of ​​”herd immunity” but rather the control of the virus. And the latter is within our reach – he sums up. – Return to normal is possible even without achieving classical population resistance.

Author: Katarzyna Czechowicz (PAP).

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