Today, Explained The truth about herd immunity
Sep 9, 2020
Dr. Howard Foreman, a Yale University professor specializing in public health and epidemiology, discusses the misconceptions surrounding herd immunity during the COVID-19 pandemic. He emphasizes the dangers of relying on natural infection for low-risk groups, advocating for vaccination as a safer strategy. Foreman highlights advances in rapid COVID-19 testing technologies and their crucial role in managing the spread of the virus. The conversation also critiques past testing oversights while fostering optimism for future public health efforts.
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Herd Immunity Threshold
- Herd immunity requires a high percentage of the population to be infected, varying from 47% to 70%.
- True immunity from prior COVID-19 infection is uncertain, with possibilities ranging from full immunity to asymptomatic shedding.
Herd Immunity Catastrophe
- Achieving herd immunity in the US could lead to hundreds of millions of infections and a catastrophic number of deaths.
- Infections would need to be homogeneously distributed for it to be truly effective.
Herd Immunity Precedent
- Achieving herd immunity through infection has never happened on a large scale in known history.
- Some countries briefly considered it but abandoned the strategy due to potential consequences.