Can We Stake Our Hopes of Conquering COVID-19 on Herd Immunity?
Updated: Apr 30, 2020
“No,” came the resounding answer from a panel of experts at a recent grand rounds through the School of Medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
Experts say herd immunity through exposure is not feasible: “We need a vaccine”. The panel was composed of Rosemary Rochford, PhD, professor of immunology and microbiology and adjunct professor of environmental and occupational health; Ross Kedl, PhD, professor of immunology and microbiology in the CU School of Medicine; and Florian Krammer, PhD, professor of microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
Questions raised to the panel revealed there are over 80 COVID-19 vaccine candidates under development, with most still in the early phases of testing. Six have reached clinical trials, where they are being evaluated in humans. Krammer highlighted one vaccine candidate from a company in Beijing, and said early results made available last week showed some “pretty good data that this vaccine protected animals exposed to the virus.”
