Herd immunity 'not really a viable strategy' in Alaska's COVID-19 fight, physicians say [View all]

PALMER — Last week, a Mat-Su physician told reporters that healthy people need to expose themselves to COVID-19 so most of the population can develop so-called herd immunity.

Herd immunity comes when a population develops immunity to an infectious disease through exposure and vaccination. It’s a controversial strategy touted by some to combat COVID-19 as an alternative to lockdowns ravaging economies.

Many researchers say without a vaccine, herd immunity is effective only if there’s very high level of population immunity that lasts a long time and against a virus that doesn’t mutate — conditions that don’t exist at this point in the coronavirus pandemic.

Wasilla physician Dr. Wade Erickson, a presenter at a Matanuska-Susitna Borough news media briefing last Wednesday, urged continued social distancing and mask wearing but said safely reopening the economy is key to acquiring immunity.

Read more: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2020/05/06/herd-immunity-not-really-a-viable-strategy-in-alaskas-covid-19-fight-physicians-say/
(Anchorage Daily News)