A serious problem with the rate of gaining herd immunity is contested vaccination, so anti-vaccines play a fatal role in this process. – They are parasites that will feed on acquiring immunity by others – says Dr. Tomasz Dzieiątkowski, a virologist.
- On the map of Poland, you can clearly see white spots of places where few vaccines are given. This applies especially to small towns and villages in eastern Poland, says Dr. Tomasz Dzieciatkowski. This can make it difficult to achieve herd immunity to COVID-19
- The problem is also the variability of the coronavirus, as well as the reluctance of people to vaccinate
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Edyta Brzozowska, MedTvoiLokony: According to some experts, we were supposed to be immune to the coronavirus this spring, other predictions are about acquiring population immunity in the summer or autumn. How is this herd immunity really?
Dr hab. Tomasz Dzieiątkowski, virologist: SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that cannot be categorically determined whether it can be fully immunized and herd immunity obtained. Primarily because it is a completely new virus and the level of herd immunity varies depending on the type of pathogen. The level of this immunity is different for the virus that causes polio and different for the virus that causes measles.
Apart from this reservoir of SARS-CoV-2, there are animals, so we can forget about the eradication of SARS-CoV-2, i.e. the complete fight against the infectious disease COVID-19.
What else makes it difficult to achieve population resistance?
Influencing this is the variability of this virus, as new genetic variants of SARS-CoV-2 arise continuously and continue to mutate. What is very important: they are characterized by a different pace of spreading among the population.
Another very serious problem in acquiring immunity is contesting vaccinations. Unfortunately, there are still a huge number of people declaring that they do not intend to get vaccinated. This has a negative impact on the rate at which potential herd immunity is achieved. In order for it to become a fact, at least 70 percent would have to be vaccinated. population.
The goal seems to be difficult to achieve in our country, because anti-vaccine workers are still not convinced of the necessity of vaccination.
We should remember that the greater the percentage of people who are vaccinated or immunized, the more difficult it will be for the virus to move around in society.
Therefore, anti-vaccines play a fatal role in the process of acquiring immunity. And if they refuse to get vaccinated in a public health emergency, I will put it bluntly – such people are parasites that will prey on acquiring immunity by others.
Strongly said.
You have to. However, I am afraid that even the most rational arguments have no chance of ever reaching such skeptics. We also have a huge problem with education and social awareness. If you look at the map of Poland, you can clearly see white spots of places where very few vaccines are given. This is especially true of small towns and villages in eastern Poland.
Will all those who are vaccinated make antibodies?
Not everyone. Remember that no vaccine, like any other drug, is 100 percent effective. But assuming that a significant general population gets vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, this group will include people who will not respond to the vaccine with immunity. This is called non-responders, but they represent an acceptable margin of error. One that we can afford.
- See also: They have no antibodies after vaccination. Will they be vaccinated again?
The prospect of taking another, third dose is real?
No, because the Summary of Product Characteristics * clearly states either one dose for Johnson & Johnson or two for the other SARS-CoV vaccines. It is different in the case of vaccinations, when the so-called a booster dose is given, for example, every year against influenza, or every 10 years, such as against tetanus or whooping cough.
Some countries have made a recommendation to use a mix of vaccines. Is such administration of a different first dose and a different second dose also planned in Poland?
The fact that in Germany, France or Spain doctors decide to undergo such a procedure does not mean that such a situation will also take place in Poland. For a simple reason: as a rule and according to legal regulations, we must stick to what the manufacturer specified in his product. Although after the administration of Moderna in the first dose, and in the second Pfizer dose, the body’s response will be stronger, such a procedure in our country is out of the question for formal and legal reasons.
Why, if it would be more effective?
Observations show that it is a safe and effective procedure. However, from a legal point of view, it leaves some doubts. If anything happened to the patient after administering such a mixture, it could be treated as a medical experiment. And this is associated with legal consequences, including the responsibility of the person qualifying for such vaccination.
In the public space, the fourth wave of the epidemic is discussed. What will she be like?
I am reluctant to comment on this, because it is a bit like reading tea leaves. But I can firmly say that a lot depends on us and our rational behavior. Unfortunately, I have the impression that it is extremely difficult in our country. Poles are not characterized by an excess of common sense – they deny the need for vaccinations, and they disregard the obligation to wear masks. Not only that, there are those who insist that you don’t need to wash your hands in a pandemic. They believe that hygiene does not play a special role in SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission. All this is not conducive to the fight against the pathogen, let alone the acquisition of herd immunity.
* Summary of Product Characteristics, SmPC (nec. Summary of Product Characteristics) – a structured collection of information on a pharmaceutical drug approved by medical experts in the European Union
virologist, microbiologist, laboratory diagnostician.
Habilitated doctor of medical sciences, assistant professor at the Chair and Department of Medical Microbiology at the Medical University of Warsaw and assistant at the Department of Microbiology of the University Clinical Center of the Medical University of Warsaw. Author of over 100 works indexed in Web of Science, devoted primarily to the issues of viral infections and molecular diagnostics, co-author of textbooks, including: “Medical microbiology”, “Viral diseases in clinical practice”, “Prevention and treatment of nosocomial infections in oncology” or of the monograph “SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus – a threat to the modern world”
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