2022•Infectious Disorders - Drug TargetsRequires access

Challenges in Engendering Herd Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Possibly Impossible But Plausibile

Sukhes Mukherjee, Suman Kumar Ray

Open publisher page 3 citations

Abstract

Herd immunity can only be achieved when it is extended to the population level. When a sufficiently significant fraction of immune individuals exists in a group, it confers indirect protection from infection to vulnerable individuals. This population-level effect is frequently considered in the context of vaccination programs, which attempt to build herd immunity so that people who cannot be vaccinated, such as the very young or those with impaired immune systems, are nonetheless protected from disease. Clinical signs are at times poor predictor of transmissibility for some infections, such as COVID-19, because asymptomatic hosts can be extremely infectious and contribute to the spread of the virus. COVID-19 is a quickly evolving issue that has been widely spread throughout the world. This article elaborates the idea and goal of herd immunity, the necessary conditions for realizing herd immunity, the restrictive requirements for applying herd immunity, and the obstacles experienced in achieving herd immunity in the context of COVID-19. This mini-article explains the concept and purpose of herd immunization in the context of COVID-19.

About this research paper

What this paper is about

Herd immunity can only be achieved when it is extended to the population level. When a sufficiently significant fraction of immune individuals exists in a group, it confers indirect protection from infection to vulnerable individuals. This population-level effect is frequently considered in the context of vaccination programs, which attempt to build herd immunity so that people who cannot be vaccinated, such as the very young or those with impaired immune systems, are nonetheless protected from disease. Clinical signs are at times poor predictor of transmissibility for some infections, such as COVID-19, because asymptomatic hosts can be extremely infectious and contribute to the spread of the virus. COVID-19 is a quickly evolving issue that has been widely spread throughout the world. This article elaborates the idea and goal of herd immunity, the necessary conditions for realizing herd immunity, the restrictive requirements for applying herd immunity, and the obstacles experienced in achieving herd immunity in the context of COVID-19. This mini-article explains the concept and purpose of herd immunization in the context of COVID-19.

Why it matters

OpenAlex reports 3 citations for this work. Citation counts describe recorded attention and do not establish research quality.

Key contribution

A contribution statement is not available in the OpenAlex record.

Method / approach

Method details are not available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Main findings

Findings are not separately available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Limitations

Limitations are not available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Applications

Application details are not available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Available abstract

Herd immunity can only be achieved when it is extended to the population level. When a sufficiently significant fraction of immune individuals exists in a group, it confers indirect protection from infection to vulnerable individuals. This population-level effect is frequently considered in the context of vaccination programs, which attempt to build herd immunity so that people who cannot be vaccinated, such as the very young or those with impaired immune systems, are nonetheless protected from disease. Clinical signs are at times poor predictor of transmissibility for some infections, such as COVID-19, because asymptomatic hosts can be extremely infectious and contribute to the spread of the virus. COVID-19 is a quickly evolving issue that has been widely spread throughout the world. This article elaborates the idea and goal of herd immunity, the necessary conditions for realizing herd immunity, the restrictive requirements for applying herd immunity, and the obstacles experienced in achieving herd immunity in the context of COVID-19. This mini-article explains the concept and purpose of herd immunization in the context of COVID-19.

Key concepts: Herd immunity, Immunity, Context (archaeology), Herd, Vaccination, Population, Immunology, Biology

Related papers

Back to paper searchBrowse research topicsOriginal source
Challenges in Engendering Herd Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Possibly Impossible But Plausibile — Research Paper | ScholarLens