Herd immunity, three words that have been repeated as a desire to achieve, a goal that seemed distant and that with the acceleration of the pace of vaccination against coronavirus may have until the date set in the month of August. Once this barrier is overcome, the measures will be relaxed, approaching much closer to normality with the farewell of the mask as the main change. Something that could come sooner as we are seeing in the US.
Herd immunity, the two words repeatedly used to name the ultimate goal. A goal that previously seemed far away but, with the acceleration of the vaccination against Coronavirus could be reached as early as August. Once this barrier has been overcome, restrictions will be relaxed and look like something much closer to normality. The most noticeable change will be the farewell to the mask. This could come sooner than expected, as is being seen in the USA.
Herd immunity, explains Fisabio Foundation public health expert Salvador Peiró, is calculated in the case of Sars-Cov-2 at 70% of the total population, a figure that varies for each pathogen “depending on the effectiveness of vaccines and Ro, the virus replication rate”. “We believe that with 70% of people immunised, the replication rate will be below 1 and the virus will eventually die out,” he says.
Herd immunity acts as a collective protection. As vaccines significantly curb transmission (above 80% on average), the 30% who are not immunised, being mixed with people who have been vaccinated and can eliminate the virus when it comes into contact with their body, are enveloped and protected, much like being wrapped in raincoat.
Covid vaccine and masks
There are currently 233,258 people in the Balearic Islands with at least one dose of the vaccine, or 23.6% of the population, while 81,511 have the full course, or 8.2%.
In Ibiza, meanwhile, 35,043 doses have been administered and there are 27,043 people with at least one dose. The number of citizens with the full regimen is 7,848.
In Formentera, 2,677 doses have been administered, and 2,194 people have a first vaccination, compared to 483 who have already received both.
The Spanish government maintains that wearing a mask will remain compulsory until herd immunity is achieved. At the moment, the mask is obligatory both in enclosed and open spaces, while in natural places such as beaches or mountains it depends on whether the safe distance of one and a half metres between people can be maintained.
Experts, however, believe that the mask requirement could disappear sooner. “With 40 or 50% of the population vaccinated, restrictions could be greatly reduced because even if the virus continues to circulate, it will do so in demographics that do not suffer from the disease,” says Rafael Toledo, Professor of Immunoparasitology at the University of Valencia.
In this sense, Toledo stresses that it is important that “the most vulnerable” are prioritised to be vaccinated, i.e. the oldest and those at risk of serious Covid symptoms. “The calculation of 70% has been made considering that all people have a homogeneous response to the virus, but this is not true,” he adds.