Herd Immunity To COVID-19 Still A Long Way Off, Warns WHO Chief Scientist

Swaminathan added that the herd immunity will only come into being after the first waves of the coronavirus infections resurface, although the process can be sped up a vaccine.

(File Photo/ AFP)

As humanity is working on a neck break speed to come out with a vaccine as a sure shot cure for the lethal Covid-19 pandemic, World Health Organisation (WHO) Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan sent out an alarm bell of sorts to the global community stating that world is still a long way away from developing 'herd immunity' from the coronavirus pandemic. Swaminathan added that the herd immunity will only come into being after the first waves of the coronavirus infections among a large set of humans resurface, although the process of developing resistance against the pandemic can be sped up a vaccine. "For this concept of herd immunity, you need 50 to 60 per cent of the population to have this immunity to be actually able to break those chains of transmission. That's much easier to do with a vaccine; we can achieve it faster and without people getting sick and dying. So, it is much better to do it that way, to achieve herd immunity through natural infection. Over a period of time, people will start developing natural immunity," explained Swaminathan.

The WHO scientist warned that the medicos and the world at large need to work out all possible means to prevent the further spread of the virus amidst researchers and scientists trying to make a breakthrough with a vaccine. When asked about the fearful prospect of never getting a COVID-19 vaccine, Dr Swaminathan admitted that we have to entertain the possibility that we may have to "learn to live with this virus". Swaminathan is a paediatrician and a globally recognised researcher on tuberculosis and HIV. She made some pertinent observations over Covid-19 while addressing a range of questions on coronavirus vaccines and therapeutics, in a social media live event organised by WHO from Geneva.