Herd immunity

[cdtaylornats]

Now that WHO is suggesting herd immunity is the way forward will we hear a chorus of apologies from those who mocked Boris for suggesting it in March.

link to WHO suggesting it's the way forward?

All I can find from the who is that herd immunity is a dangerous fallacy

What eradicated smallpox and has nearly done for polio? Give me one real-life example where ‘herd immunity’ meant anything other than letting a disease rip freely through a population. Laissez-faire works in health no better than in socioeconomics.

What was their statement?

I am thinking maybe OP misread the headline that said WHo do not advocate herd immunity

If herd immunity (without a vaccine) was an effective then how would there be any lasting disease? Unless Covid-19 is unique.

Can you link this UN claim please? This revelation in science sound interesting.

I was really hoping that herd immunity might be an option but as far as I can see coronaviruses don’t work that way. That’s why we catch colds over and over again.

And this case basically proved that herd immunity is impossible against covid:
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/health-54512034

Theoretically it is possibly. It could be achieved if there's no social contact. Everyone stays at home, don't mix and the very few out all strictly social distance then the percentage needed to have herd immunity would be low. (Because it can't be transmitted if there's no one to transmit it to!!) However, that simply can't occur as people can't all stay at home and maintain their lives.

Herd immunity (without a vaccine) can only if the immune response, gained after a person has had Covid-19, prevents them from picking up and transmitting the virus. It's not known if that is the case with Covid19. (This ignores the morality of the "collateral damage".)

Unfortunately, the first thing Johnson et al sold to the UK public as the solution was herb immunity, and to achieve it you go out and mingle (unless you are vunrable) So huge about of people believe this is scientific fact. Add to that it quite obviously far more appealing to think you're solving the situation by socialising! It's very difficult to unlearn people.

Fact is herd immunity is achieved through vaccination, and a decent uptake of that too.

Well, that's my understanding anyway. Maybe Im wrong, but sadly the OP hasn't come back and provided the link that shows WHO thinks it's the way forward (and why).

I could provide lots of links that support what I've just written though!!

Yes I think you are right cherryvalanc I remember hearing some expert on the radio at the beginning saying that ideally it would be great if we could put all the vulnerable people on an island and protect them. While everyone else goes out and catches it and gets herd immunity then we can bring the vulnerable back. These were things that were spoken about back in February and I think many of the public think this is still possible for us.

But immunity doesn’t last forever. So you’d need everyone affected at the same time to irradiate it