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The researchers cautioned that there is currently no evidence of long-lasting protective immunity to SARS-CoV-2.
London:
Managing COVID-19 by allowing herd immunity to develop in low-risk populations while protecting the most vulnerable is “a dangerous fallacy not supported by scientific evidence,” an international group of 80 researchers warns in an open letter.
The letter, published in The Lancet, which the authors refer to as the John Snow Memorandum, noted that any pandemic management strategy that relies on the population to develop immunity against natural COVID-19 infections is faulty.
Faced with a second wave of infection in various parts of the world, scientists, including Devi Sridhar from the University of Edinburgh in the UK, said that there is currently renewed interest in herd immunity approaches that allow for a large uncontrolled outbreak in low-risk populations. while protecting the vulnerable.
While some have argued that this approach could lead to the development of infection-acquired immunity in the low-risk population, eventually protecting the vulnerable, the researchers explained that such uncontrolled transmission in younger people runs the risk of poor health. and death.
Based on evidence from many countries, the scientists said that it is not possible to restrict uncontrolled outbreaks to certain sectors of society, adding that it is “practically impossible” and “very unethical” to isolate large swaths of the population.
While special efforts to protect the most vulnerable are essential, they said they must go hand in hand with multi-level population strategies.
“Effective measures that suppress and control transmission must be widely implemented, and must be supported by financial and social programs that foster community responses and address the inequities that have been exacerbated by the pandemic,” they wrote in the letter.
“Continued restrictions are likely to be required in the short term to reduce transmission and fix ineffective pandemic response systems to avoid future lockdowns,” the researchers said.
According to the scientists, restrictions can effectively suppress the number of infections to low levels that allow rapid detection of localized outbreaks.
They said such measures can also complement rapid response through efficient and comprehensive testing, contact tracing, isolation, and support systems.
“Protecting our economies is inextricably linked to controlling COVID-19. We must protect our workforce and avoid long-term uncertainty,” they said.
The researchers cautioned that there is currently no evidence of long-lasting protective immunity to SARS-CoV-2 after natural infection.
They said this waning immunity as a result of a natural infection would not end the COVID-19 pandemic, but instead would cause repeated waves of transmission over several years.
According to the scientists, vulnerable populations are at risk in the indefinite future, as herd immunity strategies based on natural infections would lead to recurring epidemics, as seen with many infectious diseases before mass vaccination.
That is why they asked to control the spread of the virus until the population can be vaccinated.
Herd immunity approaches based on natural infections run the risk of impacting the workforce as a whole and overwhelming the ability of health systems to provide acute and routine care, the researchers warned.
They said doctors still don’t understand who might get ‘prolonged COVID’ in which symptoms persist for weeks.
“The evidence is very clear: controlling the community spread of COVID-19 is the best way to protect our societies and economies until safe and effective vaccines and therapies arrive in the coming months,” the scientists wrote.
“We cannot afford distractions that undermine an effective response; it is critical that we act urgently based on the evidence,” they concluded.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
