WHO chief says COVID-19 herd immunity push is immoral
Apart from the ethics, there’s no guarantee of immunity, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus says in the wake of a new case of coronavirus reinfection
The WHO has come out strongly against calls for a herd immunity strategy to combat COVID-19, saying such an approach has never been used “in the history of public health”.
At his latest media briefing, WHO director-general Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus addressed what he called “some discussion about the concept of reaching so-called herd immunity by letting the virus spread”.
“Never in the history of public health has herd immunity been used as a strategy for responding to an outbreak, let alone a pandemic,” he said.
“It is scientifically and ethically problematic.”
