COVID-19: WHO says herd immunity unlikely in 2021, urges people to follow safety protocols

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that herd immunity against COVID-19 will not be achieved in 2021 despite vaccines as it urged people to continue practising health safety protocols put in place to prevent the spread of the virus. WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan, during a

, said even after vaccines roll-out in several parts of the world, population immunity will not be achieved this year. Swaminathan also said that even if herd immunity is achieved in some parts of the world, it is not going to protect everyone, everywhere, highlighting the importance of practising public health safety measures. 

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"It is really important to remind people, both governments as well as individuals on the responsibilities and the measures we need to continue to practice for the rest of this year at least because even as vaccines start protecting the most vulnerable, we're not going to achieve any levels of population immunity or herd immunity in 2021. And even if it happens in a couple of pockets in a few countries, it is not going to protect people across the world," Swaminathan told reporters on January 11. 

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Swaminathan thanks scientists 

Swaminathan also took the opportunity to heap praise on scientists for developing COVID-19 vaccines in such a short period of time. She also thanked governments and private players for supporting vaccine development. "A year ago nobody would have predicted that there would be not one, but several vaccines against the new virus. This is a testament to the scientists around the world, governments who have supported them, companies who have manufactured them," Swaminathan said.  

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Several countries across the world have already started inoculating people, starting with the most vulnerable groups, including health care professionals, frontline essential workers, and elderly people. Governments that have started vaccination campaigns are mostly in first world countries. It is also a major concern for the UN health body as it fears low-income nations will not have COVID-19 vaccine shots until next year. 

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