Experts say it's not likely that the highly transmissible omicron variant — or any other variant — will lead us closer to herd immunity against COVID-19.
is an elusive concept and doesn’t apply to coronavirus," says Dr. Don Milton at the University of Maryland School of Public Health.
Herd immunity is when enough of a population is immune to a virus that it’s hard for the germ to spread to those who aren’t protected by vaccination or a prior infection.For example, herd immunity against measles requires about 95% of a community to be immune. Early hopes of herd immunity against the coronavirus faded for several reasons.
Test sample tubes labeled 'COVID-19 Omicron variant' are pictured in this illustration photo of a new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.529. Photo by STR/NurPhoto via Getty Imagesor previous infection dwindle with time. While vaccines offer strong protection against severe illness, waning antibodies mean it's still possible to get infected — even for those who are boosted.