Don't Participate in Coronavirus Parties: Here's What to Know About Herd Immunity - Annotated Bibliography

Aguilera, J. (2020) No, You Should Not Have or Participate in a Coronavirus Party. Here's What to Know About Herd Immunity. Retrieved from https://time.com/5825386/herd-immunity coronavirus-covid-19/

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In this article, author Jasmine Aguilera explores the current trends and society’s perception of herd immunity. She cites social media reviews and news articles that encourage people to consider herd immunity. Aguilera asserts that many people have offered to get infected with COVID 19 so as to facilitate the system. The author goes ahead to state the implications of herd immunity to society and examines whether the technique will be effective in eradicating the virus. From her article, the author argues that scientists are not certain about whether the body develops immunity after an infection and recovery from SARS-CoV-2. If the body develops resistance against the virus, there is no evidence showing how long immunity may last. Following previous experiments, there is a chance that the body may likely develop resistance, but the COVID 19 virus is yet to get to the level where a significant proportion of the population is actually infected. As such, Aguilera states that it might take a long time for the herd immunity option to be applicable in the current pandemic. This article is vital to my research because it informs my understanding about why herd immunity may not offer valid solutions for the pandemic.

Grossman, L. (2020). To put Covid-19 behind us, all Americans should be vaccinated against it. Retrieved from https://www.statnews.com/2020/05/12/covid-19-vaccine-all-americans-should-get-it/

In this article, Lauren Grossman argues that it is essential for all Americans and all people in the world to get vaccinated against the COVID 19 disease because it is the only sure way to get the pandemic under control. The author gives an account of previous cases such as measles and smallpox. He states that these diseases have been effectively managed because people have agreed to get vaccinated. The author refers to the case of Measles, where there was a rapid increase in the case after people started refusing to get vaccinated. This situation only shows that without getting vaccinated, it would mean that the virus would continue infringing on the lives of many people and the economy at large. The author goes ahead to state what policies regarding the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination would include. Grossman states that if the vaccine is developed in the next few months, governments should implement strategies that would require any person working in a public space to get vaccinated.

Similarly, all school children and expectant women should be mandated to take the vaccine. This article is significant for my study because it shows the importance of the vaccine in managing the virus. It presents previous situations where vaccines have been instrumental in managing other viral infections and pandemics. Since, in my paper, I am required to state whether it would be necessary for everyone to get the vaccine, I believe that this paper comes in handy.

Horton, R. (2020). Offline: COVID-19—a reckoning. Lancet (London, England), 395(10228), 935.

In this article, the author talks about the ethicality of the herd immunity technique in handling the COVID-19 pandemic. Horton talks about an interview with the UK authorities regarding the viability of the herd immunity system. He states that government authorities had plans to delay potential vaccines for the virus to allow a majority share of the population to get infected for the herd immunity system to be applicable. However, Horton states that this method may not be highly ethical because the government is exposing vulnerable populations to a disease that will most likely kill them. According to Horton, this plan by the government would mean that about 390,000 deaths would have to occur for the herd system to be applicable. Exposing people to a virus that would place a significant number of people in severe life-threatening circumstances would not be an acceptable option. Horton argues that the government has a responsibility to save lives, and therefore, applying such a measure would be going against this responsibility. It would mean that the lives of the vulnerable populations are less critical and can, thus, be sacrificed. This paper is essential to my study because it helps me understand the ethical nature of the herd immunity system. It helps to show that even though the method may be valid, it is impermissible because of the risk that it places on the population.

Kwok, K. O., Lai, F., Wei, W. I., Wong, S. Y. S. & Tang, J. W. (2020). Herd immunity–estimating the level required to halt the COVID-19 epidemics in affected countries. Journal of Infection, 80(6), e32-e33.

In this paper, the authors talk about the viability of herd immunity in fighting the Corona Virus. The authors argue that although the herd immunity would be ideal for fighting the virus, it would pose a considerable risk to the elderly and the vulnerable because their immune systems are already compromised. According to Kwok et al., if the herd immunity technique would be used in the fight against COVID 19, it would mean that the world would be ready to lose a significant amount of the global population before the method would finally work to protect the people. The authors use statistical analyses to estimate the viability of the herd immunity system. For their study, they use the effective reproductive value Rt and apply the exponential growth method to determine the amount of the population that needs to be infected before the herd system can be valid. At the end of this study, the authors find that the number of infected people currently cannot accommodate the herd immunity technique. This paper is exceptionally significant for research because it offers statistical figures to explain the percentage of the population that would have to be infected for the herd immunity to be applicable. It explains the basics of the herd immunity system, thus making it easy to understand the risks and benefits of the herd system. This information is vital for my research, especially in explaining why herd immunity may not be the best method to use at the moment. (248)

Le, T. T., Andreadakis, Z., Kumar, A., Roman, R. G., Tollefsen, S., Saville, M., & Mayhew, S. (2020). The COVID-19 vaccine development landscape. Nat Rev Drug Discov, 19(5), 305-306.

The authors examine the steps taken towards the creation of a vaccine to prevent people from infection by the Coronavirus. The authors state that public data on the specific COVID 19 antigens to be used in the development of vaccines remains limited. However, most vaccine development measures are aimed at inducing neutralizing antibodies against the viral spike proteins, which will reduce the uptake of the virus via the human ACE2 receptor. Although this is the general aim of developing a vaccine against the virus, it is still not clear how the variants of the S protein applied in different candidates relate to each other or the genomic epidemiology of the disease. As such, it becomes even more difficult for scientists to come up with an effective and viable vaccine against COVID 19. The authors give an update of the work by medical practitioners to develop a virus. They say that by April 202, the COVID-19 vaccine R&D landscape had discovered 115 vaccine candidates, although only 78 were confirmed. Of the 78 confirmed vaccines, 73 are at a preclinical or exploratory stage. The authors assert that more advanced vaccine candidates have preceded into clinical development, and several vaccine developers have plans to start human testing in 2020. This article is essential in my study because it helps to show the milestones that scientists and vaccine developers have made in the development of a vaccine against the COVID 19 virus.

Lurie, N., Saville, M., Hatchett, R., & Halton, J. (2020). Developing Covid-19 vaccines at pandemic speed. New England Journal of Medicine, 382(21), 1969-1973.

In this article, the authors analyze why it would be difficult for vaccine developers to develop a COVID 19 vaccine at a pandemic speed. The authors state that previously, developers have put in a lot of effort and money into developing vaccines for pandemics such as the SARS and Zika ended before the developers had fully developed the vaccines. As such, governments withdrew funds aimed at developing the vaccines and put them into other projects, leaving developers struggling with multiple debts and unfinished work. As such, developers have become skeptical about developing a vaccine for COVID-19, and so they are waiting to see whether the disease will treat itself. Apart from past experiences, there are numerous other reasons why the vaccine cannot be developed at a fast pace. First, the authors argue that although the SARS-Cov-2 virus spike protein is a viable immunogen for protection, it is crucial to optimize the antigen design to ensure an optimal immune response. Therefore, there are debates regarding the best approach. Secondly, preclinical experiences with SARS and MERS vaccine candidates have raised concerns about escalating lung disease as a result of antibody-dependent enhancement or directly. As such, developers still lack enough data to develop the COVID 19 vaccine. This article is essential for my study because it presents evidence about some of the reasons why developers have not released a vaccine for COVID 19 six months after it was discovered.

Ramsey, L. (2020). Ways to Treat and Prevent Coronavirus. Retrieved from https://www.pulselive.co.ke/bi/tech/scientists-are-racing-to-discover-ways-to-treat-and-prevent-coronavirus-heres-the/qxs4l2b

In this article, the authors examine the most viable methods that can be used to treat the Coronavirus. They discuss a combination of treatments, both therapeutic, preventive, and safety measures, to evaluate the plan that works best in managing the situation. The authors also go ahead to explain the difference between vaccination and treatment. According to their findings, vaccines help to prevent the disease from entering a person's body. At the same time, treatment involves taking measures to get rid of a disease that already exists in the body. The authors argue that vaccines are a better option for the COVID-19 virus because they help prevent the infection from attacking individuals before they cause significant damage. However, the authors state that before an effective vaccine is developed, medical practitioners should work with a combination of both antivirals and therapeutic measures to curb the disease and keep it on the low. This article is extremely significant for my study because it highlights the differences between vaccines and treatment and suggests which of the two methods is most effective in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. My research requires me to find the difference between treatment and vaccine, and I believe the paper has the necessary information to inform my understanding of the two concepts.

Randolph, H. E., & Barreiro, L. B. (2020). Herd Immunity: Understanding COVID-19. Immunity, 52(5), 737-741.

In this article, Randolph and Barreiro talk about the herd system and its implications for the population as it relates to COVID 19. The authors acknowledge that the emergence of the SARS-Cov-2 and the associated disease known as COVID -19 has presented the devastating effects of an infectious pathogen on the vulnerable population. As such, the authors assert that there is a great need to mitigate the virus before it causes even greater devastation in the world. The authors examine how the herd immunity technique would be applicable and helpful in fighting the illness. Th...