Covid protocols vital for the vaccinated

The world is still a long distance away from achieving herd immunity for Covid-19, the immunity threshold initially estimated at about 70% and recently revised to 85% of the population. The world is nowhere near the threshold — 29% of the global population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, including the 14.8% fully vaccinated. Vaccine hesitancy and new variants could raise the herd immunity threshold, delaying the return to normal. Avoiding that will require even the fully vaccinated to adhere to Covid-appropriate protocols.

Barring UAE, Malta and Iceland, where at least 70% of the population is fully vaccinated, and a few other nations close to that magic mark, herd immunity remains elusive. Meeting the threshold is no guarantee of protection, especially from new variants, if surrounding countries or within countries, some communities, do not meet the threshold. Herd immunity is achieved through vaccination and past infection; the former gives a broader spectrum of immunity, while the latter, a limited scope and time span. Vaccination is the most effective way to gain immunity for every country and collectively the world. The divergence in vaccine rollouts is huge — while 58% of UK’s population is fully vaccinated, only 0.1% of the population in the Democratic Republic of Congo have received a single dose. This divergence is contributing to the emergence of new variants.

It is everyone’s responsibility to adhere to the mask and social distancing protocols. In situations of high population density, where social distancing is tough, masking is critical. For the fully vaccinated to not adhere to Covid protocols is to be unmindful of the responsibility that comes with the privileged membership of the vaccinated few.