Has Delta Killed the Herd Immunity Dream?
Voice of America
As the Delta variant continues its global surge, experts are questioning whether the long-held goal of achieving herd immunity from COVID-19 through vaccination is still viable.
Herd immunity is achieved when a certain threshold of the global population has either been inoculated against a pathogen or has recovered from infection. But whether or not it is achievable with COVID-19, with the regular emergence of more infectious strains, is up for debate. "If the question is 'will vaccination alone allow us to dampen and control the pandemic?' the answer is: no," epidemiologist Mircea Sofonea told AFP.FILE - Part of the temples of Baalbek, a UNESCO world heritage site in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, illuminated in blue light, Oct. 24, 2015. FILE - This picture shows closed shops on an empty street in the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek on Oct. 19, 2024. FILE - People walk near the Roman ruins of Baalbek, Lebanon, Jan. 5, 2024. FILE - A man sits amidst the rubble at a site damaged in the aftermath of an Israeli strike on the town of Al-Ain in the Baalbek region, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Lebanon, Nov. 6, 2024.
Dr. Jaafar al Jotheri, shown here Nov. 10, 2024, holds satellite images and explores the site of the Battle of al-Qadisiyah, which was fought in Mesopotamia -- present-day Iraq -- in the 630s AD. A desert area with scattered plots of agricultural land with features that closely matched the description of the al-Qadisiyah battle site described in historic texts, Nov. 10, 2024.