The World Health Organization confirmed that with the continuing global struggle to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, and the feeling of exhaustion from the pandemic, some called for the so-called natural “herd immunity” strategy, which some believe can achieve safety.
Dr. Sumiya Swaminathan, a senior specialist in scientific affairs, said the World Health Organization in statements today that the concept of herd immunity involves the reopening of societies completely, with the “immunization” of the elderly and people with chronic diseases, in order to achieve herd immunity within six months in the absence of the vaccine.
And the chief specialist in scientific affairs, the World Health Organization, continued: It seems simple on the surface, but facts tell us the opposite. First, herd immunity is achieved by protecting people from a virus using a vaccine against that virus, and not by exposing them to it..
She said: For example, herd immunity against measles requires vaccination of about 95% of people, and once they are immunized against measles, they act as a protective shield that prevents the virus from spreading and infecting the remaining 5% of the unvaccinated population with infection..
Secondly, we are still far from the levels of immunity required to stop the transmission of this disease. What we know from epidemiological studies is that the evidence indicates that less than 10% of the world’s population is infected, and this means that the vast majority of people are still susceptible to infection with the Coronavirus.
And she continued, to achieve herd immunity against this virus, it is estimated that at least 60 to 70% of the world’s population, or more than 5 billion people, must be infected, which may take several years in the absence of the vaccine. As with other Coronaviruses, it is not possible to rule out re-infection with the virus, which exposes people to the disease again and again and has already reported cases of re-infection.
She said that leaving the virus to spread among the population without deterrence will have devastating consequences for local communities and health systems, as the number of people who will become severely ill and die will be very large, and hospitals will be flooded with a flood of patients, especially with the start of the influenza season in the northern hemisphere, and local communities will be restless. Under the weight of the overwhelming number of people in need of care.
And she continued: We also have no idea how many people will suffer from the painful effects of post-Covid syndrome, or what is termed as “long-term Covid”, or for how long those effects will last, as many people describe suffering that lasts for months of constant fatigue and headache and “Blurry” and difficulty breathing
And she explained, “Fourthly, it is wrong to believe that the virus does not severely affect only the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. Research has shown that deaths do increase dramatically with age, but many young people who do not suffer from any underlying health conditions have been infected in forms.” At the height of the outbreak in Italy, up to 15% of all people in intensive care were under 50 years of age..
She said, there are currently more than 200 vaccine candidates, many of which are subject to the final stages of clinical trials, and it is not unlikely that we will have limited supplies of a viable vaccine against the Corona virus early next year and when that happens, we can realistically and safely seek to achieve immunity. The herd.
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