An-Najah News - Prof. Muhammad Eid Shbair, a Professor of Virology and Immunology - Islamic University in Gaza, Palestine wrote about herd immunity by saying that this term was frequently repeated in conjunction with the emergence of the Corona pandemic, as many experts and politicians believe that it has a significant impact on the decline of the pandemic. Despite differing views, a large group of people remains confused, and the aim of this article is to clarify scientific facts related to this topic.

The scientific basis for the term

Herd immunity or Community immunity was initially concerned with the immunity that a herd of animals such as mice acquired immunity against an infectious disease, and was often achieved by vaccinating those animals against that disease. Then the term was used to refer to a group of people acquiring immunity against a specific pandemic, and not all people have taken the vaccination, but a certain percentage of them is sufficient between 60% to 95% depending on the virulence of the microbe causing the pandemic, so a disease such as measles must reach the herd immunity To 95% due to the severity of the disease, while up to 60% in a disease such as influenza.

Means of access to the herd immunity are natural immunity, vaccines, how the immune system works, and Immune Response to the New Corona Virus.

Yet we still do not know much about this virus and the disease that causes it. Are we sacrificing thousands of people to reach the herd immunity to protect what remains of our societies from this pandemic? Do we guarantee that this goal will be achieved if we do so? Where does the moral dimension lie in this matter?

So we have to wait for the safe method to be achieved, which is to reach the safe vaccine, and then the desired hope will be achieved, God willing.