NIH experts discuss controlling COVID-19 in commentary on herd immunity


Date:
March 31, 2022
Source:
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Summary:
Achieving classical herd immunity against SARS-CoV-2, the virus
that causes COVID-19, may not be attainable, according to a new
perspective article. However, widespread use of currently available
public health interventions to prevent and control COVID-19 will
enable resumption of most activities of daily life with minimal
disruption, the authors note.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Achieving classical herd immunity against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that
causes COVID-19, may not be attainable, according to a new perspective published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. However, widespread
use of currently available public health interventions to prevent and
control COVID-19 will enable resumption of most activities of daily
life with minimal disruption, the authors note. Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
(NIAID), part of NIH, David M. Morens, M.D., senior scientific advisor
to the NIAID director, and Gregory K. Folkers, chief of staff to the
NIAID director, authored the perspective.


==========================================================================
The general concept of herd immunity implies that transmission of an
infectious agent can be blunted, except for sporadic outbreaks, because
a certain proportion of the population is already protected through
vaccination or prior infection. The authors explain how the scientific understanding of herd immunity and its applications to various diseases
have evolved over time. High levels of herd immunity have enabled the
United States to largely control polio and measles -- two diseases caused
by viruses that have not undergone significant evolution. However,
the authors note, the benefits of achieving herd immunity thresholds
have been less successful with respiratory viruses such as influenza,
which continually mutate.

Dr. Fauci and his colleagues write that achieving classical herd immunity against SARS-CoV-2 is unlikely, due to a combination of factors that
include features of the virus as well as current societal dynamics. These include the virus' ability to continually mutate to new variants;
asymptomatic virus transmission, which complicates public health control strategies; the inability of prior infection or vaccination to provide
durable protection against reinfection; suboptimal vaccination coverage;
and adherence to non- pharmacologic interventions.

However, the authors note, controlling COVID-19 without major disruptions
to society is now achievable because of widespread background immunity via prior infection or vaccination, booster shots, antiviral drugs, monoclonal antibody therapies and widely available diagnostic tests. Research to
develop pan- coronavirus vaccines, which could protect against multiple coronaviruses or at least multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants, remains crucial.

"Living with COVID is best considered not as reaching a numerical
threshold of immunity, but as optimizing population protection without prohibitive restrictions on our daily lives," the authors conclude.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by NIH/National_Institute_of_Allergy_and_Infectious Diseases. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. David M Morens, Gregory K Folkers, Anthony S Fauci. The Concept of
Classical Herd Immunity May Not Apply to COVID-19. The Journal of
Infectious Diseases, 2022; DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac109 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220331151443.htm

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