Classical "herd immunity" may not be attainable with COVID-19 --NIH paper

Concept of Classical Herd Immunity May Not Apply to COVID-19 David M Morens, Gregory K Folkers, Anthony S Fauci; The Concept of Classical Herd Immunity May Not Apply to COVID-19, The Journal of Infectious Diseases, , jiac OUP Academic

Despite several earlier proclamations, "classical herd immunity" may not be attainable with COVID-19, according to experts including NIAID Director Anthony Fauci, MD, writing in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

"There has been speculation about when in the COVID-19 pandemic we will be able to live with the virus in a manner that does not disrupt most peoples’ lives.

"However, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is so different from polio and measles that classical herd immunity may not readily apply to it. Important differences include the phenotypic stability of polio and measles viruses, and their ability to elicit long-term protective immunity, compared to SARS-CoV-2 ..."