What do we know about herd immunity, and will it help eliminate COVID-19?

+Educate
In print

What do we know about herd immunity, and will it help eliminate COVID-19?

Peter McIntyre

Unlike domestic animal herds, human populations do not mix homogeneously, and movements cannot usually be controlled
Unlike domestic animal herds, human populations do not mix homogeneously, and movements cannot usually be controlled

Professor Peter McIntyre outlines key concepts for understanding what herd immunity does and does not mean, and what this can tell us about the new COVID-19 vaccines.

Key Points, Indirect protection of unimmunised people is provided, to some degree, by all vaccines effective against infections for which humans are the only sour, Education Blue W/ Grey Background W/ Padding
References
  1. Gonçalves G. Herd immunity: recent uses in vaccine assessment. Expert Rev Vaccines 2008;7:1493–506.
  2. Fine P, Eames K, Heymann DL. “Herd immunity”: a rough guide. Clin Infect Dis 2011;52:911–16.
  3. Hughes SL, Bolotin S, Khan S, et al. The effect of time since measles vaccination and age at first dose on measles vaccine effectiveness - A systematic review. Vaccine 2020;38:460–69.
  4. Yin JK, Heywood AE, Georgousakis M, et al. Systematic review and meta-analysis of indirect protection afforded by vaccinating children against seasonal influenza: Implications for policy. Clin Infect Dis 2017;65:719–28.
  5. Damron FH, Barbier M, Dubey P, et al. Overcoming waning immunity in pertussis vaccines: Workshop of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. J Immunol 2020;205:877–82.
  6. Leshem E, Lopman BA. Population immunity and vaccine protection against infection. Lancet 2021;397:1685–87.
  7. Baker MG, Wilson N, Blakely T. Elimination could be the optimal response strategy for covid-19 and other emerging pandemic diseases. BMJ 2020;371:m4907.
  8. Lipsitch M. COVID-19 Vaccines and Herd Immunity. Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, December 2020. https://bit. ly/3fx7UO2
  9. Aschwanden C. Five reasons why COVID herd immunity is probably impossible. Nature 2021;591(7851):520–22.
  10. Neuzil KM. Interplay between emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and pandemic control. N Engl J Med 2021; 5 May online.