A team of scientists from the University of Edinburgh, led by Professor Devi Sridar, concluded that it makes no sense to hope for herd immunity from Covid-19. In their opinion, humanity is entering an era of constant re-infection.
At the very beginning of the pandemic, several countries, including Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK, believed that the best way out of the crisis was to allow controlled spread of infection among the population, especially among young people and healthy people. The idea was to gain herd immunity, which would protect the more vulnerable minority. If the plan worked, by now we would have completely eliminated Covid-19 in a part of Europe where most of the population has antibody levels above 90%.
However, as scientists from Edinburgh point out, the situation is different. The rise in reinfections, sometimes occurring very shortly after the primary ones, and the spread of the Omicron strain among those vaccinated mean that herd immunity is likely to be impossible, even if antibody levels reach 100%. Given the presence of multiple strains, Sars-CoV-2 will continue to circulate and re-infect humans.
It's not all bad news, scientists say. Vaccines have blunted the ability of the virus to kill, but the problem has shifted from mass mortality to the issue of normal operation of enterprises. Covid-19 is not as easily tolerated as the common cold, and although Omicron is milder than Delta, it still causes people to end up in the hospital for long periods of time. Long-term effects also worry scientists. Evidence is mounting that Covid-19 is affecting the lungs, heart, and brain, or even developing diabetes.
It is probably not possible to completely avoid infection while being part of society, writes Professor Sridar. She and a group of colleagues propose several measures that can help reduce the impact of the spread of the infection.
First, governments should use testing, therapeutics (particularly antiviral drugs) and vaccines to fight Covid-19, not harsh 2020 measures like lockdowns. Testing is especially important as it is great for quickly detecting cases and preventing outbreaks in the workplace. The abolition of free testing is a serious obstacle in the fight against this disease, Professor Sridar is sure. It is better to isolate the sick person than to allow dozens of others to be infected. Vaccines also need to be widely distributed, which will reduce the disability and death caused by waves of Covid-19.
Second, rapid response plans need to be prepared for new strains that could change the pandemic's trajectory. Thirdly, masks should continue to be used to protect those most at risk of infection (medical and social workers), as well as those at risk, such as the elderly.
bbabo.Net