26 October 2020

Herd Mentality - part the third

Part the second began thus:
Way back in March one of these missives postulated that the evidence then available said that herd immunity was nothing like a slam dunk.
Well, today brings more data. And it's no better.
"We observe a significant decline in the proportion of the population with detectable antibodies over three rounds of national surveillance, using a self-administered lateral flow test, 12, 18 and 24 weeks after the first peak of infections in England," the team wrote in a pre-print version of their report, released before peer review.
and
"This is consistent with evidence that immunity to seasonal coronaviruses declines over 6 to 12 months after infection and emerging data on SARS-CoV-2 that also detected a decrease over time in antibody levels in individuals followed in longitudinal studies,"
The nub of the problem is simply that, as the common cold, immunity is fleeting. It will likely be necessary to get an annual vaccination/booster. And all of the course for the whole population will take ages. Wear your mask.

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