WHO does not expect herd immunity to emerge from covid in 2021

"We will not be able to achieve collective immunization in 2021. In some countries, vulnerable people will remain", - Sumya Swaminathan said during a briefing.

She recalled the need to take precautions against covid at least until the end of the year - until the vaccination of people at risk is completed.

The WHO representative also noted that a year ago it was difficult to imagine that several vaccines would be created in the world at once. She urged patience while awaiting COVID-19 vaccinations.

President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Sergeyev suggests that collective immunity to coronavirus in Russia will develop within a year or several years. How long immunity lasts in those who have been ill and vaccinated is unknown, the scientist noted.

“It’s one thing if for a year or two, and if it’s less, it will mean that virtually the entire population will need to be vaccinated again”, - RBC quotes Sergeyev.

The President of the Russian Academy of Sciences is confident that in the fight against covid, one will have to rely on approximately the same practice that has been conducted "for decades with the regard to influenza".

Recall that previously, scientists assumed that those infected with the coronavirus COVID-19 have immune memory to protect against re-infection for at least eight months. Before that, many scientists spoke only of a six-month period.