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Coronavirus: South Africa's COVID lockdown may have created 'herd immunity'

   Strict controls to contain the virus may have actually accelerated its
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   Has South Africa acquired 'herd immunity'?
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   Leading scientists in South Africa believe the country has established
   a form of collective or herd immunity to COVID-19 after the number of
   infections unexpectedly plummeted following a major outbreak in June
   and July.
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   infection rates in the provinces of Western Cape and Gauteng, the
   country's leading vaccinologist, Professor Shabir Mahdi, told Sky News
   that he believed the coronavirus had stimulated a level of immunity in
   approximately 12 to 15 million people.

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   "What has happened in SA today, the only way to explain it, the only
   plausible way to explain it is that some sort of herd immunity has been
   reached when combined with the use of non-pharmaceutical
   interventions... like the wearing of masks, physical distancing,
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   why," said Dr Hsiao.

   "But when we analysed the data it become clear, this immunity within
   the population level (linked to) the big surge infections is probably
   the main reason why we've seen the decrease of numbers of infected."
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   The understanding that South African scientists have reached on the
   attainment of a level of collective immunity in their country seems to
   contradict a study by researchers at Imperial College, London, who
   found that the number of people with COVID-19 antibodies in the UK
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   declined from 6% of the population in June to 4.4% in September.

   Their 'React-2' study suggests that immunity to COVID-19 may be
   short-lived, but Professor Mahdi challenges the importance of antibody
   analysis, pointing out that it only evaluates one part of the human
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   without adequate interrogation of other components of the immune
   system. Experience with common cold and SARS coronavirus is that T-cell
   immunity likely lasts for 2-3 years."
   How close are we to a COVID-19 vaccine?

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   high percentage in densely populated areas becoming immune.

   "There might be a question in terms of the duration of immunity...
   based on our experience with other coronaviruses, a mild infection is
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   based on our experience with other coronaviruses, a mild infection is
   probably going to (generate immunity) for two to three years but that
   places us in a really good position."
   Professor Shabir Mahdi says that in South Africa lockdown may have
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   But the vaccinology professor clearly believes that the development of
   some immunity in the population to COVID-19 was not only inevitable -
   but a necessary development in the South African context.