Herd immunity still an elusive but important goal, virologist says – CBC

The more the virus spreads, the more it will mutate

Apr 28, 2021

Life won’t get back to normal until we’ve achieved herd immunity, says a professor of virology and immunology at Memorial University in St. John’s.

But exactly what that is remains a bit of a mystery, said Rod Russell.

Public health officials have been suggesting “herd immunity” is achieved when 75 per cent of the population is vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Russell said that number is “a guess.”

“There’s really no magic number,” he said. “We’re hoping that 75 per cent vaccination will give us enough herd immunity — that it’ll contain outbreaks.”

But that still leaves 25 per cent who are still susceptible to the virus, and those people can continue to spread it.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/herd-immunity-still-the-goal-1.6004308