Researchers have warned that there is currently no evidence of lasting protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2
London:
Managing COVID-19 by allowing herd immunity to thrive in low-risk populations while protecting the most vulnerable is “a dangerous mistake unsupported by scientific evidence,” warns an international group of 80 researchers in a letter opened.
The letter, published in The Lancet, referred to by its authors as the John Snow Memorandum, noted that any population-based pandemic management strategy to develop immunity to natural infections against COVID-19 is flawed.
Facing a second wave of infection in several parts of the world, scientists, including Devi Sridhar of the University of Edinburgh in the UK, said there was currently a resurgence of interest in approaches to herd immunity allowing a large, uncontrolled epidemic in low risk populations. while protecting the most vulnerable.
While some have argued that this approach could lead to the development of infection-acquired immunity in the low-risk population, which will ultimately protect vulnerable people, the researchers explained that such uncontrolled transmission in people younger people were at risk of serious health problems and death.
Based on evidence from many countries, scientists said it was not possible to limit uncontrolled epidemics to certain sections of society, adding that it was “virtually impossible” and “highly contrary to the law. ‘ethical’ to isolate large sections of the population.
While special efforts to protect the most vulnerable are essential, they said they must go hand in hand with multi-pronged strategies at the population level.
“Effective measures that suppress and control transmission must be widely implemented, and they must be supported by financial and social programs that encourage community responses and address the inequalities that have been amplified by the pandemic,” said they wrote in the letter.
“Permanent restrictions are likely to be needed in the short term, to reduce transmission and fix inefficient pandemic response systems, to avoid future lockdowns,” the researchers said.
According to scientists, the restrictions can effectively remove the number of infections to low levels that allow rapid detection of localized outbreaks.
They said such measures can also complement a rapid response through effective and comprehensive testing, contact tracing, isolation and support systems.
“Protecting our economies is inextricably linked with controlling COVID-19. We need to protect our workforce and avoid long-term uncertainty,” they said.
The researchers warned that there is currently no evidence of lasting protective immunity to SARS-CoV-2 after natural infection.
They said that waning immunity from natural infection would not end the COVID-19 pandemic, but rather result in repeated waves of transmission over several years.
Vulnerable populations are at risk for the indefinite future, scientists say, as herd immunity strategies based on natural infections would lead to recurrent epidemics, as shown by many infectious diseases before mass vaccination.
They therefore called for controlling the spread of the virus until the population can be vaccinated.
Herd immunity approaches based on natural infections risk impacting the workforce as a whole and overwhelming the ability of health systems to provide acute and routine care, the researchers warned. .
They said clinicians still did not understand who might be suffering from a “ long 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 therapeutics arrive in the coming months,” wrote the scientists.
“We cannot afford distractions that undermine an effective response; it is essential that we urgently act on the evidence base,” they concluded.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
