Why Vaccines Might Not Be Able to Eliminate Covid-
Post# of 22465
(Total Views: 380)
Posted On: 02/08/2021 7:41:13 AM
Why Vaccines Might Not Be Able to Eliminate Covid-19
Why Vaccines Might Not Be Able to Eliminate Covid-19
excerpt-
7. What if Covid-19 isn’t eliminated?
David Heymann, chair of the WHO’s Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Infectious Hazards, warned at the end of 2020, “it appears the destiny of SARS-CoV-2 is to become endemic.” Viruses that are endemic continuously circulate in the community, often causing periodic spikes when disease characteristics and human behavioral patterns favor transmission. Examples include norovirus, the notorious cause of gastroenteritis on cruise ships, and the myriad of viruses, including four coronaviruses, that cause the common cold, especially over the winter.
8. What might the implications be?
It’s unknown how things will evolve, but researchers have begun to spin out scenarios. People who have survived Covid-19 and those vaccinated against it will probably be protected against the disease for some time. It’s likely that re-exposure to the virus or a booster shot of the vaccine will bolster their protection. As more and more people develop immunity in this way, the virus will find those who are not yet immune, so long as herd immunity is not established to protect them. That will mean that people who can’t get vaccinated -- because their immune systems are compromised, or they have allergies to vaccine ingredients, or they are too young (none of the vaccines authorized in Western countries have been approved for children) -- will remain vulnerable. Some scientists have predicted that, once the endemic phase is reached and primary exposure to the virus is in childhood, SARS-CoV-2 may be no more virulent than the common cold.
Why Vaccines Might Not Be Able to Eliminate Covid-19
excerpt-
7. What if Covid-19 isn’t eliminated?
David Heymann, chair of the WHO’s Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Infectious Hazards, warned at the end of 2020, “it appears the destiny of SARS-CoV-2 is to become endemic.” Viruses that are endemic continuously circulate in the community, often causing periodic spikes when disease characteristics and human behavioral patterns favor transmission. Examples include norovirus, the notorious cause of gastroenteritis on cruise ships, and the myriad of viruses, including four coronaviruses, that cause the common cold, especially over the winter.
8. What might the implications be?
It’s unknown how things will evolve, but researchers have begun to spin out scenarios. People who have survived Covid-19 and those vaccinated against it will probably be protected against the disease for some time. It’s likely that re-exposure to the virus or a booster shot of the vaccine will bolster their protection. As more and more people develop immunity in this way, the virus will find those who are not yet immune, so long as herd immunity is not established to protect them. That will mean that people who can’t get vaccinated -- because their immune systems are compromised, or they have allergies to vaccine ingredients, or they are too young (none of the vaccines authorized in Western countries have been approved for children) -- will remain vulnerable. Some scientists have predicted that, once the endemic phase is reached and primary exposure to the virus is in childhood, SARS-CoV-2 may be no more virulent than the common cold.
(0)
(0)