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Image posted, Reuters
Dr. Ghebreyesus said allowing the virus to spread could cause “unnecessary” suffering.
The Director of the World Health Organization warned of the dangers of relying on the idea of ”herd immunity” to face the outbreak of the Corona epidemic.
Herd immunity occurs when a large part of the community becomes immune to disease through vaccines or its widespread spread.
Some have promoted the idea of allowing the Corona virus to spread naturally in the absence of a vaccine.
But the director of the World Health Organization, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said that such an approach is “problematic on a scientific and ethical level.”
There are currently more than 37 million confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide since the start of the epidemic. More than a million people have died from the virus.
Hundreds of vaccines are also being developed, some of them at an advanced stage.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Ghebreyesus said that the long-term effects of the coronavirus, as well as the strength and duration of any immune responses, remain unknown.
He said: “Herd immunity is achieved by protecting people from the virus and not exposing them to it.”
“Never in the history of public health has herd immunity been used as a strategy to respond to an outbreak, much less a pandemic,” he added.
The director of the World Health Organization said it is estimated that only 10% of people have been exposed to the Corona virus in most countries.
“Leaving the spread of Covid-19 unchecked means allowing unnecessary injury, suffering and death,” he said.
