Ever since the pandemic emerged, experts have attempted to hash out a roadmap to herd immunity against COVID-19.
But with a fourth wave surging amid the more infectious Delta variant and other variables shifting the goalposts, several virologists and immunologists are discouraging the urge to fixate on specific vaccine targets.
With COVID-19, experts estimated early on that could be possible if 75 per cent of the population was fully inoculated. The arrival of the more transmissible Delta variant moved that target higher, with some including Public Health Ontario pegging it at 90 per cent of the population -- more than are currently eligible for shots.
While cases are rising, vaccines are still proving exceptionally effective against Delta, especially in preventing severe disease and death, Kindrachuk said. But the variant's heightened transmissibility makes herd immunity more difficult to attain. She said some vaccine hesitant individuals can use herd immunity as justification for putting off their jabs, giving them a false sense of security that they're not at risk if those around them are immunized.
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