The creator of the Oxford vaccine found herd immunity impossible

Achieving herd immunity from covid-19 is not possible with the Delta strain circulating, says Andrew Pollard, lead researcher at the Oxford CORONAVIRUS Vaccine. it is reported by The Guardian.

“The delta variant will still infect those who are vaccinated. This means that anyone who is not vaccinated will encounter the virus at some point ... and we have nothing that [completely] stops this transmission, ”Pollard said.

According to the scientist, the fact that vaccines have not stopped the spread of COVID-19 makes reaching the threshold of herd immunity "mythical". Drugs can prevent severe cases of coronavirus infection and death, but cannot guarantee protection against infection.

Now, according to The Guardian, about 75% of the UK adult population has received two doses of the coronavirus vaccine. On August 10, HEALTH Minister Sajid Javid announced that starting next month, the country is offering additional injections to enhance the protective effect (booster doses) to the most vulnerable groups of the population. Pollard noted that at the moment he does not consider them necessary. Even if antibody levels decrease over time, the immune system will "remember" the tools that were used to protect the body in the event of exposure to the virus, he said.