So much for herd immunity....
- Thread starter Baller23Boogie
- Start date
It’s all strange. I read an article today that Swedish experts believe they’ve achieved herd immunity and think masks are unnecessary.
Who knows what to think anymore.
If this is true though, this could be a game changer and we truly need a vaccine.
If this is true though, this could be a game changer and we truly need a vaccine.
This really does not change anything. The fact that there is now one confirmed re-infection, out of 24 million positives, does not mean that a vaccine will not be effective. I don't think it even says a whole lot about the possibility of herd immunity without a vaccine.
Of course it's here to stay for a while until it has no one to latch onto and survive. Until then even if people have had it they're still gonna breath in the virus but it doesn't mean that it can survive and cause any symptoms.
Here's an opinion piece (below) signed by several Swedish MD's implying just the opposite...
Which highlights one of the reasons why this virus is so polarizing... I've never seen a public health issue that has so many MD's presenting opinions that directly contradicts the other MD's... By this point in the game there's usually some semblance of a consensus in the medical field...
https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/5472100002?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=AMPfeed&utm_content=opinion
The fact that the second infection was completely asymptomatic might mean the virus mutated enough to reinfect him but the antibodies from the first infection helped make the 2nd infection mild. So it might not be as grim as it seems at first.
Not sure I understand the significance of your statement "even if people have had it they're still gonna breath in the virus." The virus generally needs to replicate in someone's body to the point that they are shedding virus (whether symptomatic or not) in order to infect another person. I suppose it's theoretically possible for someone with immunity to breath in virus particles and then immediately exhale those same virus particles so as to infect someone else. But that's not how viral infections work - which is why immunity is so vital.
Exactly (not to mention that this is, so far, a 1 in 24 million occurrence). In fact, even if we cannot develop a vaccine that prevents infection in the majority of recipients, that vaccine still can be extremely beneficial if it significantly reduces the severity of symptoms. Not only would that lead to fewer deaths and hospitalizations, it could also significantly decrease transmission of the virus (i.e., the so-called R0 number).
It also seems to support the idea that we also need to work on treatments (therapies), not just prevention (vaccines).
There is more work being done on treatments than vaccines (in terms of number of various regimens, moieties, and infection mechanisms). And it’s paid off in that mortality rates are way down compared to Feb - March. Yes, more money is going into vaccine research but that’s primarily for to the nature of vaccine research (and people swinging for the fences).
https://www.google.com/amp/s/medicalxpress.com/news/2020-08-covid-treatments-optimistic.amp
From what I have read it is possible for a person to breath the virus into their nose and some get stuck just like breathing in dirty air and a lot of dust gets in your nose but that doesn't mean they have an infection.
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