End Of The World: Herd Immunity And It’s Impact On COVID-19- A feasible solution against the infamous Coronavirus is doing vehement rounds in a handful of European countries. Still, according to vaccination specialists, this will be a suicidal resort. There is no doubt that it is highly dubious about putting an end to this impending pandemic as contrary to popular beliefs. As we all already know, COVID-19 has been a very potent killer.
The resolve that is now being deliberated in international circles to combat Coronavirus is Herd Immunity. It has indeed been a proven solution to deadly viruses in the past. However, the efficacy of Herd Immunity depends on the infection rate of the majority of the population.
Where The Main Problem Lies?
Herd Immunity alludes to a group that has ample immune individuals to a particular disease. Even if an infected person enters the clique, the virus will not disseminate. The reason for the illness being stopped is due to the lack of potential hosts. Given the current rate of infection, Herd Immunity can be a very sound resolve for Coronavirus. However, there is one teeny problem. That is the high fatality rate, which goes along with this uncanny solution.
With a fatality rate that reads a staggering 10 percent, it becomes quite impossible for Herd Immunity to be deployed across the world. In order to do so, we need at least 60 percent of the populace to be impacted. That means the number of deaths will kiss the sky in no time.
In a TED Connects discussion, Bill Gates stated, “There is no middle course on this thing, meaning that governments cannot go halfway in taking action against the Coronavirus. Over half the population would need to get infected, and that would overload the health care system and increase the fatality rate. We did not act fast enough to avoid a shutdown, says Gates. If the U.S. government had acted quickly at the first reports of cases, it may have been possible to contain the virus. Now that there is a widespread transmission, it is the testing that will tell you if you need to shut down more or for longer. Or as you open up after a shutdown, testing and contact tracing will let you know how much you can let up.”
Did We Get Things Right?
The situation of COVID-19 being confronted with Herd Immunity is still mired in precariousness. Scientists are still oblivious of the fact that how immune are human beings to this alien body, once they have been cured of the same. This is not the end of the world, but the consequences of this dreadful disease have indeed hurt mankind.
In all these dark times, if there is just one glimmer of hope. The world is actually counting on to deploy Herd Immunity through vaccines. According to virologist Akiko Iwasaki, if the scientists can come up with a probable vaccine, things can be better. The immunity procedure of Herd Immunity can then be brought on the table to bandy ideas across it.
However, there are a lot of “ifs” and “buts” involved. Things are not as simple as they seem. Unfortunately, this game of numbers has a lot of variables involved. The rate of success leads through obstacles of doom. Whether mankind can overcome those odds or not, time will be the ultimate judge of that.
