COVID-19 herd immunity in the absence of a vaccine: an irresponsible approach

Khalife, Jade; VanGennep, Derrick

doi:10.4178/epih.e2021012

Cited by 14 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Early real-world data have confirmed the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by reducing SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, unfavorable outcomes, and deaths among vaccinated individuals (Amit et al, 2021;Dagan et al, 2021;Haas et al, 2021;Hall et al, 2021;Vasileiou et al, 2021). Universal vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is essential to safely achieve herd immunity and contain the COVID-19 pandemic (Khalife & VanGennep, 2021;Lacsa & Cordero, 2021;MacIntyre et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of COVID-19 vaccination uptake and reasons for decline of vaccination: a systematic review

Galanis

Vraka

Σίσκου

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background: Various COVID-19 vaccines with proven safety and effectiveness are available now but vaccine hesitancy remains a public threat. COVID-19 vaccines uptake appears to have an essential role in the successful control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: To examine predictors of COVID-19 vaccination uptake and reasons for decline of vaccination. Methods: We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines for this systematic review. We searched Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, CINAHL, and a pre-print service (medRxiv) from inception to July 12, 2021. We used the following key-words: vaccin*, COVID-19, and uptake. We included all types of studies (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods) reporting COVID-19 vaccination uptake. The review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021267460). Results: Twelve studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. COVID-19 vaccination uptake ranged from 28.6% to 98% in the general population, while among healthcare workers ranged from 33.3% to 94.5%, and among patients ranged from 36% to 80%. The main predictors of COVID-19 vaccination uptake were male gender, white race, older age, higher socioeconomic status, higher self-perceived COVID-19 vulnerability, increased information about COVID-19 vaccines, and chronic illness. The most important reasons for decline of vaccination were concerns about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, illness, medication, pregnancy, fertility, breastfeeding, religious reasons, ethical reasons, previous COVID-19 diagnosis, self-estimation that COVID-19 is not a severe disease, and limited knowledge about the vaccines. Conclusions: Several factors affect COVID-19 vaccination uptake, while various reasons affect people decision to refuse to take a COVID-19 vaccine. These findings are essential to further enhance our understanding of COVID-19 vaccination uptake and design specific interventions. Given the high prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, our findings have major implications for the delivery of COVID-19 vaccination programmes in the public with special attention to people who are undecided or unlikely to take a COVID-19 vaccine.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of COVID-19 vaccination uptake and reasons for decline of vaccination: a systematic review

Galanis

Vraka

Σίσκου

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, the argument to isolate certain populations was countered by others as a false option. Indeed, it is not feasible to shield such groups when allowing other groups to become infected [6]. First, it is not possible to fully identify at risk groups [12].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Natural herd immunity as a pandemic response has been condemned by most public health institutions and academics [6,7]. Critics such as the World Health Organization (WHO) argue that the death toll from a herd immunity approach would be intolerable and overwhelm healthcare systems [8,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analyzing natural herd immunity media discourse in the United Kingdom and the United States

Zenone

Snyder

Marcon

et al. 2022

PLOS Glob Public Health

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Natural herd immunity, where community-acquired infections in low-risk populations are used to protect high risk populations from infection–has seen high profile support in some quarters, including through the Great Barrington Declaration. However, this approach has been widely criticized as ineffective and misinformed. In this study, we examine media discourse around natural herd immunity in the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) to better understand how this approach was promoted. Country-specific news media publications between March 11, 2020 and January 31, 2021 were searched for references to herd immunity. News articles focused on herd immunity and including a stakeholder quote about herd immunity were collected, resulting in 400 UK and 144 US articles. Stakeholder comments were then coded by name, organization, organization type, and concept agreement or disagreement. Government figures and a small but vocal coalition of academics played a central role in promoting natural herd immunity in the news media whereas critics were largely drawn from academia and public health. These groups clashed on whether: natural herd immunity is an appropriate and effective pandemic response; the consequences of a lockdown are worse than those of promoting herd immunity; high-risk populations could be adequately protected; and if healthcare resources would be adequate under a herd immunity strategy. False balance in news media coverage of natural herd immunity as a pandemic response legitimized this approach and potentially undermined more widely accepted mitigation approaches. The ability to protect high risk populations while building herd immunity was a central but poorly supported pillar of this approach. The presentation of herd immunity in news media underscores the need for greater appreciation of potential harm of media representations that contain false balance.

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“…This strategy allowed less susceptible young people to live normal lives to obtain natural immunity through infection, while applying more protective and aggressive measures to protect highly susceptible groups until a vaccine became available to fill the gap to reach the herd immunity threshold [ 4 ]. However, the Swedish attempt to build natural herd immunity turned out to be unfeasible, and such a strategy is now considered somewhat irresponsible [ 5 ], as Sweden has experienced a heavy disease burden with a 4-10 times higher case fatality rate than its neighboring countries [ 6 ]. In contrast, a few countries, such as Vietnam and Taiwan, were successful at controlling COVID-19 through complete closure of their national borders [ 7 , 8 ].…”

Section: Vaccination Is the Most Effective Way To Control Covid-19mentioning

confidence: 99%

Herd immunity: challenges and the way forward in Korea

Kim

Ryu

et al. 2021

Epidemiol Health

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Vaccination is considered to be the most effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19.Many countries, including Republic of Korea, are focusing on the achieving herd immunity with the goal of reaching a vaccination rate of 70~80%. However, achieving herd immunity does not mean eradicating COVID-19, and the following challenges can occur in the process of achieving herd immunity. First, as the vaccination rate is likely to slow down over time, it is necessary to promote benefits of getting the vaccine through risk communication strategies and provide incentives for those who have been vaccinated. Second, a booster dose may be required depending on future studies on the vaccine-induced immunity. Third, since variants can evade immunity and has higher transmissibility can emerge, rapid contract tracing and continuous community genome surveillance could help mitigate the impact of new variants.When the impact of COVID-19 is controlled to the level of seasonal influenza, the current public health measures that have been strictly imposed on society since the beginning of the pandemic will no longer be needed. The overall response strategy to COVID-19 will need to change accordingly, based on the evaluation of the level of population immunity. These changes will include more efficient and targeted contact tracing and eased quarantine measures for vaccinated close contacts and travelers. Mask wearing and a minimum of social distancing will still be required in the journey towards the end of pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic will end, but the virus will not disappear.

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COVID-19 herd immunity in the absence of a vaccine: an irresponsible approach

Cited by 14 publications

References 22 publications

Predictors of COVID-19 vaccination uptake and reasons for decline of vaccination: a systematic review

Predictors of COVID-19 vaccination uptake and reasons for decline of vaccination: a systematic review

Analyzing natural herd immunity media discourse in the United Kingdom and the United States

Herd immunity: challenges and the way forward in Korea

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