The repeated lesson from other countries is that the loss of immunity and the appearance of new variants make herd immunity a futile goal when it comes to COVID.
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Articles on Herd immunity
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With poliovirus circulating in New York, health authorities worry that pockets of the county with low polio vaccination rates could give the virus a foothold.
Achieving herd immunity via vaccination was always going to be a hard ask. Now it’s mathematically impossible.
The metaphor of a collective “carpet of immunity” invites us to imagine immunity as a collaborative project, spreading out to protect those for whom the end of mandates means increased vulnerability.
Vaccine passports became one of the most divisive issues of the COVID-19 pandemic. These policies were affected not only by public opinion but by new variants and changing goals for herd immunity.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought immunology terms that are typically relegated to textbooks into our everyday vernacular. These stories helped us make sense of the ever-evolving science.
Some of the omicron variant’s unique properties – such as its ability to spread rapidly while causing milder COVID-19 infections – could usher in a new phase of the pandemic.
Variant-specific vaccines would undoubtedly increase immunity. But waves of new variants would engulf the population faster than these vaccines could ever be deployed.
People are buzzing with questions about the omicron variant and whether it could help usher in herd immunity. A team of virologists deciphers the latest findings.
Even with a variant like Omicron that may be more transmissible than earlier variants, vaccines remain the most effective tool for protection against COVID-19 and for ending the pandemic.
A panel of experts answer questions about vaccines, omicron and other COVID-related issues in a discussion with The Conversation.
The participation of five-to-11-year-old children in vaccination programs will make 90 per cent of the population eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Vaccination campaigns like the ones that eventually eliminated polio and measles in the United States required decades of education and awareness in order to achieve herd immunity in the U.S. population.
Regulators are currently reviewing the safety and efficacy data of the Pfizer vaccine for five to 11 year olds before deciding whether to approve its use in this age group.
Voluntary modifications to behaviour – such as mask wearing when it’s not mandatory – are probably helping to keep the virus in check.
Subtly shifting the crafting and delivery of public health messaging on COVID-19 vaccines could go a long way toward persuading many of the unvaccinated to get the shot.
A critical care doctor brings a frontlines perspective to the frustration of dealing firsthand with vaccine hesitancy and discusses the limitations of science and medicine.
Australia could again fall into the trap of false economies by opening up too soon.
In Africa, it’s more rational to prioritise vaccine access, rapid rollout and community engagement, than pushing the narrative of vaccine-induced population immunity.
But herd immunity is not our only option. If we don’t vaccinate children, we may have to settle for lesser protection of the population.
Top contributors
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Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Strathclyde
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Professor, Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sydney
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Associate Professor, epidemiological modelling of infectious diseases, UNSW Sydney
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Assistant Professor of Political Science, Oklahoma State University
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Professor and Director of Doherty Epidemiology, The University of Melbourne
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Associate Professor, Computing & Information Systems; Director, Melbourne Data Analytics Platform, The University of Melbourne
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Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice, The University of Melbourne
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Honorary Senior Lecturer in Virology and President of Research-Aid Networks, University of Kent
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Professor of Immunology, Vice-Chancellors Distinguished Professorial Fellow, Head of Immunology and Translational Research, Victoria University
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Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University
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Assistant Professor of Philosophy & Disability Studies, Georgetown University
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Principal Lecturer, Microbiology and Biomedical Science Practice, Fellow of the Institute of Biomedical Science, University of Brighton
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Dean Faculty of Health Sciences and Professor of Vaccinology at University of the Witwatersrand; and Director of the SAMRC Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand
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Professor of Infectious Disease and Epidemiology, James Cook University
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Senior Lecturer; MD, Victoria University
