Herd immunity isn’t a strategy, it’s giving up
Itwould be great if COVID-19 would simply go away, and even better if getting there didn’t require us to do all that much. The problem is that viruses and pandemics don’t work thatway. It is urgent we find a way to stop the spread, or even slow it down, sowe can save lives.
One novel suggestion that’s been floated is that if therewere enough people who were immune to the virus— meaning that they could notbe infected and transmit it to others— then the virus would have a hard time finding a new host, and the spread would grind to a slow halt.
Usually, after somebody is infected with a virus, their immune system develops‘ memory’ for that virus. Should they encounter that virus again, their immune system would be primed to keep it at bay and prevent them from getting sick. This is the same idea behind vaccines— create immune memory without actually being infected with the virus.
When there are enough immune people in thecommunity, it’s described as having reached “herd immunity” or community immunity. Once a sufficient proportion of the population isno longer susceptible, an outbreak peters out. Technically, it doesn’t mean that a community is immune. It merely means that the chances of a vulnerable person encountering the virus are vanishingly small. It’ s more community protection than community immunity.
This is the goal of vaccination campaigns. When enough people receive the measles vaccine, they develop immunity to the virus. This means that should they encounter the actual measles virus in the future, they won’t get sick and it won’t spread it any further. Once enough ofus are immune, the virus is stopped in its tracks and can no longer spread. This is why it’s vital to maintain vaccination levels for all infectious diseases for which vaccines are available.
Thetrouble is that in Florida and across the nation, there’s been a significant drop in vaccination rates since the pandemic began. While it’s reasonable to try to limit trips outside of the home, parents and caregivers must not skip well visits and immunizations. Pediatricians and clinics have made tremendous efforts to enable safe ways to offer vaccinations, so that no child needs to go without them.
However, the problem isn’t just the pandemic. There’s a small but growing numberof people who are avoiding vaccinating and citing religion as their reason. Asa leader with expertise in both the religious andmedical spheres, I continue to share that none of the world’s most populous religions forbid vaccinations. Onthe contrary, religious doctrine theworld over supports and encourages vaccinations, finding them to dove tail with their core messages and perfectly harmonize their essential teachings.
When I choose to vaccinate, I am making a decision that goes beyond my own health. I’m exercising my moral and religious responsibility to create and maintain a healthy society. As a person of faith, this is an act of deep spiritual meaning, because in doing so, I’m caring for others just as I care formyself. Medical research shows that when everybody who can vaccinate does so, we create a protective shield— community immunity—that protects the most vulnerable—and just as valuable— membersof our society
Unfortunately, we don’t yet have a vaccine for COVID-19. We’ve had some encouraging news this week from Pfizer, butwe still have a longway to go andwill need buy-in fromour communities when it becomes available. The only way we can get to a level of herd immunity without a vaccine is to let the virus spread unmitigated throughout the population. But while the idea that by doing nothing we can conquer this virus sounds great, in actuality, it’s a disaster of epic proportions.
If we do nothing and let the virus spread rampantly, some estimate that one to two million people would die. But it’s not just about death, since the unmitigated spread of COVID-19 will also lead to a greatmany more experiencing serious long-term and harmful health effects. It’s true that when it’s all over, it’s possible— although not certain—that most of us who remain will develop some measure of immunity, but at what cost? This isn’t a plan; it’s a death and sickness sentence.
While doing nothing and allowing people to get sick and die may sound crazy, it’s sadly becoming mainstream. Scott Atlas, the newest advisor on Trump’s White House Corona virus Task Force, has advocated it, and it appears several of our leaders in Florida have followed suit.
Today, the U.S. experiences more than 100,000 new cases and more than 1,100 deaths daily. Andit’s getting worse. Hospitals are fillingup, andwe don’t have enough healthcare workers to care for those who are sick. Lines for testing are stretching for miles, and the overall national stress level seems to be rising to March/April levels. The‘ herd immunity plan’ would encourage this to continue and get worse, simply because it’s a lot easier to do nothing than to take important and sometimes difficult steps that are necessary to make a real difference.
Many strategies can help keep the virus at bay: universal masking, social distancing, massively ramping up testing availability, and heavily investing incontact tracing. All of which are reasonable. But they take political will, societal buy-in and time.