Is herd immunity against COVID-19 still possible in Ontario?
In the summer of 2021, Ontario’s top doctor said the province could achieve herd immunity against COVID-19 when about 90 per cent of the eligible population was fully vaccinated.
More than six months later, about 89 per cent of residents over the age of 12 have received both doses of a vaccine—but with a new variant rapidly spreading through the population, does this matter?
On this week’s episode of Life Unmasked, the team asks a panel of experts about whether herd immunity is still possible and what role natural immunity will play in ending the pandemic.
During the panel, Professor of Immunology with the University of Toronto Tania Watts, Infectious Disease and Infection Control Physician Dr. Alon Vaisman and bio-ethicist Kerry Bowman also discuss whether or not the idea of immunity should be approached from a global perspective rather than a local one.
Herd immunity occurs when a large group of people within a community become immune to a virus, preventing it from spreading. This can happen through vaccination and natural infection.
This chart describes how herd immunity works within a community. (https://www.nih.gov/)
When Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said that a 90 per cent vaccination rate in the province could lead to herd immunity in the population, it was met with a resounding optimism. Many people saw this as a possible end to the pandemic and its accompanying economic restrictions.
"Instead of having waves that we're going to have to tolerate, we'll have small outbreaks that we’ll learn to live with," Moore said in August.
"(Those waves) will have a smaller impact on the health-care system and allow us to start to pull away some of the public health measures. That could happen as early as six to eight months from now."
However, those comments were made in relation to the Delta variant, which wasn’t as contagious as the Omicron variant.
International disease experts have since said that herd immunity may be unlikely due to the new variants spreading across the globe. However, they also say that vaccination will make the illness much less severe, meaning that communities should be able to live with it and that, eventually, COVID-19 will become endemic.
Life Unmasked airs first on the iHeart app every Tuesday morning before becoming available on other streaming platforms. If you have questions for the podcast team, or an idea for an episode, please email lifeunmasked@bellmedia.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Lanny McDonald and a few old Flames take the Stanley Cup on a surprise visit to the man who saved his life
The Stanley Cup was passing through town Friday, and Lanny Legend took it upon himself to take it for a surprise visit.
Bathroom break nearly derails $22 million project at city council meeting
A brief break during Wednesday's city council meeting in Saskatoon nearly cost the city dearly.
Chad Daybell sentenced to death for killing wife and girlfriend’s two children in jury decision
Jurors resumed deliberations Saturday on whether a man should be sentenced to death after being convicted days earlier of the murders of his wife and his girlfriend’s two youngest children in Idaho.
Robert Pickton stabbed with toothbrush and broken broom handle: victim's family
The family of one of Robert Pickton's victims says the convicted serial killer suffered an incredibly violent death at the hands of another inmate.
Father who killed one-year-old son with axe may be allowed to travel in southwestern Ontario
A Mennonite father who killed his one-year-old son with an axe may be allowed to travel to parts of southern Ontario in the coming months
'It feels like freedom': Why some Albertans like going nude in nature
Few people can say they accidentally purchased a nude beach — but Shelley can. When she saw a piece of land she could fondly remember camping on was up for sale, she inquired about it and ended up purchasing it. She soon found that there were already inhabitants on it.
This Calgary home has a giant tree in the middle, and it's for sale
There's a luxury 'tree home' for sale in Calgary.
China lands spacecraft on the moon amid growing space rivalry with U.S.
A Chinese spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon Sunday to collect soil and rock samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side.
Pedestrian dies after being hit by train in Brockville, Ont.
Brockville Police says a pedestrian has died following a collision with a train that was heading to Toronto.