Herd Immunity: An Indirect Protection Against COVID-19

COVID-19 is an infectious as well as contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) - Cov2 virus. As of date there is no specific treatment for coronavirus infection. Only symptomatic treatment is given to corona positive patients. Herd immunity is a natural phenomenon providing indirect protection against infectious diseases that are contagious. The principle behind herd immunity is that if enough immune persons are present in a community, then that will interrupt the transmission of an infectious agent and provide indirect protection for susceptible or unimmunized individuals. There are two ways to achieve herd immunity, either by mass vaccination or by allowing the disease to make its round through the population. Since vaccine development is a time taking process, herd immunity can be achieved by unleashing the virus in a controlled way. Sweden is the world leader of herd immunity in the fight against the corona virus. However, there are limitations to using herd immunity worldwide to stop the spread of this novel corona virus.

Keywords: COVID-19, Herd immunity, Vaccination.