CONTAMINATION: Letting the coronavirus spread throughout the population for collective immunity is not an option
If you are strong do not fear the second wave, but as you say, “Well at least after that, we will all infected and immunized collectively,” your Monday night might be more depressing than expected: WHO ruled Monday unthinkable to let Covid-19 circulate freely in society so that the population has access, as some have suggested, to collective immunity.
“Never in the history of public health has herd immunity been used as a strategy to respond to an epidemic, let alone a pandemic. It is scientifically and ethically problematic, ”declared WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press conference.
Less than 10% of the population infected in most countries
“It is simply unethical to unleash a dangerous virus, which we do not understand everything about. It is not an option, ”he insisted. The novel coronavirus pandemic has claimed more than a million lives worldwide since the WHO office in China reported the onset of the disease in late December.
“The vast majority of people in most countries are susceptible to this virus. Seroprevalence surveys suggest that in most countries, less than 10% of the population has been infected ”, detailed Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The concept of collective immunity valid only in the event of vaccination
He also explained that the world did not know enough about the immunity enjoyed by people who contracted Covid-19, pointing out that some individuals have been newly infected. “Most people infected with the virus develop an immune response during the first few weeks, but we don’t know if this response is strong or long-lasting, or if it differs from person to person,” he said. he explains.
He stressed that the concept of collective immunity is used in vaccination campaigns and he recalled that for smallpox it is necessary that 95% of the population be vaccinated so that the remaining 5% are protected. For polio this rate is 80%
