If enough people are vaccinated against COVID-19, the pandemic will end. At least that’s how we imagined things at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis. People who cannot be vaccinated due to some chronic illness or children under the age of 12 would also be protected if there are enough immunized people in their environment. But is herd immunity against COVID-19 achievable at all?
In other diseases it is a fact
Against polio, also known as children’s paralysis, in Europe, for example, there is active herd immunity. Europe was even declared a polio-free zone by the WHO in 2002. In order to achieve herd immunity against this disease, about 80 percent of the population had to be immunized. However, the German Center for Health Education claims that it is extremely important that vaccinations against polio continue.
In parts of Asia and Africa, the disease still occurs. And if it is transmitted by people who come from these regions, it is possible that new outbreaks will appear among the unvaccinated. Herd immunity does not mean that a disease is completely eradicated. “Nor is it that no one can be infected anymore, but rather that the risk of infection has been significantly reduced to an acceptable level,” explains Thorsten Lehr, a professor of clinical pharmacology.
Mass immunity is also possible with COVID-19, but regionally
Sooner or later, herd immunity against COVID will be a fact in Germany, experts say. To this end, about 85 percent of people in the country must have been vaccinated or have contracted the disease, the president of the German Society of Immunology, Christine Falk, told the State News Agency. In July 2021, the Robert Koch Institute announced that in order to control the pandemic in Germany, at least 85% of people between the ages of 12 and 59, as well as 90% of those over 60, must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. .
People who have fallen ill are also protected against the disease. And those who will not be vaccinated run the risk of becoming seriously ill – no matter how old they are. The so-called Post-COVID syndrome – the presence of long-term consequences of the disease, which can last for weeks and months, warns in turn Thorsten Lehr. Therefore, it is desirable to achieve herd immunity through mass vaccination, said immunologist Christine Falk.
For example, Denmark, which has largely lifted the restrictions and where about 75 percent of the population has been vaccinated so far, can show whether a 70 percent share of those vaccinated is enough to protect the non-immunized. In other parts of the world, however, the proportion of vaccinated is still very small. For example, in low-income countries, only 2.3 percent of the population has received only one dose of the vaccine. And in the Congo, only 0.04 percent of the population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Where there are many new infections, there is a high risk of new virus mutations. “Globally, we are still too far from being vaccinated so that the virus can no longer spread anywhere,” said Dirk Brockmann of Humboldt University in Berlin, who is studying various pandemic models. “If new variants of the virus emerge that vaccines do not work against, new vaccines will have to be developed. In that sense, the concept of global protection for all of humanity is an unattainable goal, “Brockman said.
Vaccines protect against the Delta mutation
For the time being, EU-approved vaccines are effective against all options, including the current Delta option. “I do not expect a mutation to occur that is not affected by any vaccines. That’s extremely amazing, “said Christine Falk. The virus may continue to mutate, but at least we have protection against its known variants, “added the immunologist.
“Vaccination dramatically reduces the likelihood of infection. In addition, the vaccinated person protects those in his or her environment who, for one reason or another, cannot be vaccinated,” says pharmacist Thorsten Lehr. A person who is fully immunized with two doses will be well protected this fall and this coming winter. recommends a third dose of the COVID vaccine, according to Falk, as evidenced by BioNTech / Pfizer’s first studies on the subject, which showed that a third dose given 7 to 9 months after the second could not only prolong , but also to strengthen the immune system.
Author: Catherine Wesolowski
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