COVID-19 herd immunity in the absence of a vaccine: an irresponsible approach

As severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to spread rapidly throughout the human population, the concept of "herd immunity" has attracted the attention of both decision-makers and the general public. In the absence of a vaccine, this entails that a large pro...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Epidemiology and health 2021, 43(0), , pp.1-12
Main Authors: Khalife, Jade, VanGennep, Derrick
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coronavirus
Covid-19
COVID-19 - epidemiology
COVID-19 - immunology
COVID-19 Vaccines
Endemic diseases
Ethics
Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi
Global Health
Health Sciences
Herd immunity
Humans
Hälsovetenskap
Immunity, Herd
Medical and Health Sciences
Medicin och hälsovetenskap
Public Health - ethics
Public Health - methods
Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology
Social Responsibility
Vaccines
예방의학
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:As severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to spread rapidly throughout the human population, the concept of "herd immunity" has attracted the attention of both decision-makers and the general public. In the absence of a vaccine, this entails that a large proportion of the population will be infected to develop immunity that would limit the severity and/or extent of subsequent outbreaks. We argue that adopting such an approach should be avoided for several reasons. There are significant uncertainties about whether achieving herd immunity is possible. If possible, achieving herd immunity would impose a large burden on society. There are gaps in protection, making it difficult to shield the vulnerable. It would defeat the purpose of avoiding harm caused by the virus. Lastly, dozens of countries are showing that containment is possible.
ISSN:2092-7193
2092-7193
DOI:10.4178/epih.e2021012