Table of contents:
- Proposals herd immunity (herd immunity) for handling COVID-19
- 1,024,298
- 831,330
- 28,855
- What is that herd immunity in handling contagious things like COVID-19?
- Why is herd immunity unnecessary?
The COVID-19 pandemic has left many wondering when and how the outbreak might subside. Research continues to be carried out and continues to develop, all means and possibilities begin to be voiced. Later the British and Dutch voiced a question of possibility herd immunity (group immunity) against COVID-19.
What is herd immunity or H erd immunity and is it necessary in handling COVID-19? The following is the review.
Proposals herd immunity (herd immunity) for handling COVID-19
Sir Patrick Vallance, head of science for the British government, said he was open to forming herd immunity as one of the options for handling COVID-19. He proposed to form herd immunity by allowing approximately 60 percent of the population to be infected with COVID-19.
On Friday, the UK government's chief medical adviser and science affairs, Sir Patrick Vallance, said on BBC Radio4 that one of the main things we need to do is build some kind of herd immunity.
"So that more people are immune to this disease and we reduce the movement," he said.
Apart from Britain, the Netherlands also voiced the same thing. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said lockdown not be one of their choices.
Rutte said that he would look for other ways. One option is "controlled exposure in groups that have the lowest risk." The point is to let the virus infect a young and healthy group.
COVID-19 Outbreak updates Country: IndonesiaData1,024,298
Confirmed831,330
Recovered28,855
DeathDistribution MapThe proposal then led to many comments and criticisms from experts.
Two days later Matt Hancock, UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, denied the proposal. He said that "herd immunity is another natural way of an epidemic".
"We will listen to all credible scientists and we will see all the evidence," he said. " Herd immunity not our goal or policy, it is a scientific concept."
What is that herd immunity in handling contagious things like COVID-19?
According to the University of Oxford Vaccine Knowledge Project, herd immunity (herd immunity) is a condition in which a large group of people develop immunity to a disease.
When enough people in a community are immune to a disease, it will be difficult for the virus to spread because not many people can be infected.
For example, when a person with measles is surrounded by people who are already vaccinated and immune to measles, it will be difficult for the disease to be transmitted to other individuals. Then these invulnerable people became a kind of fortress.
That way it will quickly disappear because the virus is not easily transmitted to vulnerable (or not immune) groups.
“ Herd immunity , or herd immunity, or herd protection provides protection to vulnerable people such as newborns, the elderly, and those too sick to be vaccinated, "wrote the University of Oxford. .
However, herd immunity does not protect against all kinds of infectious diseases that can be vaccinated.
For example in tetanus, which comes from bacteria in the environment and not from person to person. So no matter how many people are vaccinated or immune to tetanus, it will not protect a single susceptible individual from becoming infected with it.
In the concept of herd immunity, it does not matter how they are immune to the virus, whether it is due to vaccination or because they have been infected.
Herd immunity is usually achieved through vaccination rather than through spreading or by allowing the majority of infected people who are then cured.
Why is herd immunity unnecessary?
In the absence of a vaccine, it means forming herd immunity what the British and Dutch conveyed was to let the majority of people be infected.
This idea was opposed by many experts. They warned that allowing COVID-19 to spread among a younger and healthier society is a dangerous way to build immunity.
Several experts explain why herd immunity cannot fight the spread of the COVID-19 infection and there is no need to do so.
Behind the formation of this group's immunity is to minimize the spread of COVID-19 like the Spanish flu wave in 1918.
The scenario of herd immunity that includes success is when the population of one herd is infected, healed, and succeeded in establishing immunity. Making them resistant to reinfection.
According to Sir Patrick Vallance, in order to be formed herd immunity like this in the UK, the COVID-19 virus needs to spread to about 60 percent of the UK population.
The following is the calculation reported Vox .
A total of 66 million people live in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. With a strategy herd immunity that means COVID-19 must be allowed to infect around 40 million people.
Given the lack of access to medical care and other factors, the death rate from the formation of the group's immunity will be as high as 300 thousand to one million.
This led more than 200 scientists and medical professionals to oppose the herd immunity strategy in an open letter.
Experts argue that herd immunity is not a viable option. "This method will increase stress levels and certainly endanger many lives," wrote the experts in the letter.
Instead, they called for steps physical distancing stricter and more serious than the current government recommends.
"By implementing steps social distancing , the spread can be slowed down, and thousands of lives can be saved from harm. Additional and stricter steps must be taken immediately, as they are already spreading in countries all over the world. " they said.
