LOS ANGELES - The term “herd immunity” has spread in conversation about the novel coronavirus almost as a beacon of hope in the fight against the deadly disease — until, at least, a vaccine is created.
But researchers continue to find evidence that the concept of immunity from widespread infection may not apply to COVID-19.A study published on July 11 by researchers at King’s College London found that antibodies detected in the human body which fight the coronavirus declined after just a few weeks, leaving the possibility of herd immunity out of the question.Epidemiologists define the herd immunity threshold for a given virus as the percentage of the population that must be immune to ensure that its introduction will not cause an outbreak..