• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
  • Contact us
  • Guest Content
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Elevenses
  • Business
  • Food
  • Travel
  • Property
  • JOBS
  • All
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Sport
    • Tech/Auto
    • Lifestyle
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Set For Life
      • Thunderball
      • EuroMillions
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News

UK long way away from herd immunity stage, experts say

Their comments come a day after Sir Patrick Vallance discussed the Government’s “contain and delay” approach.

Jack Peat by Jack Peat
2020-03-13 16:34
in News
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

Britain is still “a long way away” from the stage where the population develops herd immunity to control the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, experts have said.

Their comments come a day after Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK’s chief scientific adviser, said the Government’s “contain and delay” approach to tackling Covid-19 will see people developing resistance to the contagious disease through infection, which in turn will make it harder for the virus to spread in the future.

But Dr Nicola Rose, of the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), a Government body responsible for ensuring that medicines work and are safe to use, said it was too early to predict whether the so-called herd immunity, which would require 60 per cent of the UK population to become infected with coronavirus, will have any immediate benefit.

Speaking at a media briefing in London, she said: “I think if the virus goes through a population, they may start to develop their own immunity, but it is too early to know what that looks like.

“We are a long way from what we would technically call herd immunity.”

Vaccine

Meanwhile, Hanneke Schuitemaker, a professor in virology at the Amsterdam University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, said it was “worthwhile to keep all the efforts going” in developing a vaccine, although it may take as long as 18 months to get to market.

When asked about whether herd immunity would make it futile to continue working on vaccines, she said: “I don’t think we should say now that it is pointless – we do not know how long natural immunity will last.”

The Government’s efforts to delay the spread were also supported by Dr Melanie Saville, of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) – a foundation which invests in independent research projects to develop vaccines against emerging infectious disease – who said the move would buy time not only for the NHS but also for a vaccine to be developed.

Contain the outbreak

Dr Saville added: “We may indeed see waves and we really don’t know whether there will be herd immunity or not in the near future.

RelatedPosts

Donald Trump ‘hides on golf course’ as dozens killed in Texas floods

Bob Vylan album surges up the charts after Glastonbury controversy

Elon Musk says he has formed a new political party after Trump fall out

Police arrest 83-year-old priest holding placard in support of Palestine Action

“We are trying to contain the outbreak as much as possible – this then gives us time for vaccines to become available so you would be able to get into a situation, like with flu, where you have a vaccine for the vulnerable population available in the future.”

Related: Jeremy Hunt says UK response to coronavirus outbreak is “concerning”

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Commercial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

© The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE thelondoneconomic.com - All Rights Reserved. Privacy

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Lottery Results
    • Lotto
    • Set For Life
    • Thunderball
    • EuroMillions
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE thelondoneconomic.com - All Rights Reserved. Privacy

← Restaurant review: Volta do Mar, Covent Garden ← UK will leave EU at the end of the year “regardless of outbreak”
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Lottery Results
    • Lotto
    • Set For Life
    • Thunderball
    • EuroMillions
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE thelondoneconomic.com - All Rights Reserved. Privacy

-->