Coronavirus: What is herd immunity and how will it help protect us from Covid-19?
- Mirror Online Coronavirus: What is herd immunity and how will it help protect us from Covid-19?
With Boris Johnson's government stepping up the UK's response to the coronavirus pandemic to the delay phase, the term 'herd immunity' is likely to become more common By SEO Editor Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Play now Get our daily coronavirus email newsletter with all the news you need to know direct to your inbox Sign up When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters.
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Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters See our Invalid Email Herd immunity is a phrase that is likely to be discussed more widely in the coming days and weeks.
It’s one of the ways the government is planning to reduce the impact of which has so far killed 10 people in the UK and infected 590.
Prime Minister announced on Thursday that his government has decided to .
The delay phase involves the potential closure of schools and postponing or even cancelling large events.
But it’s also expected that during this period, we’ll hear the term ‘herd immunity’ on a more regular basis.
The government is expected to increase the UK's coronavirus response from the contain phase to delay (Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles Herd immunity is when a to an infection.
This is achieved by our bodies developing enough antibodies to fight a disease.
If the number of immune people dominates the population then it as those who catch the disease will be surrounded by people who can't be infected.
People can become immune to a disease through vaccination or by recovery.
At present there’s no vaccine for Covid-19 so recovery is the only option available.
Coronavirus prevention It’s been suggested that another aim of the government’s strategy is to allow the majority of the country to catch the virus at some point but at a slower rate.
The decreased speed would allow those who are most at risk - such as elderly people and those with underlying health conditions - and therefore need the most treatment to get that, without putting too much strain on the NHS.
The UK’s chief medical officer and chief scientific officer have both judged that the newly-categorised pandemic will spread around the world, making it a constant threat until a vaccine becomes widely available.