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The concept of herd immunity has been a growing part of the conversation around the COVID-19 pandemic. Herd immunity, simply put means — to control the spread of a disease throughout a population, if a certain percentage of a group of people — the so-called herd — is immune to a virus, then an individual in this group is less likely to become infected because the virus has a hard time transmitting through the herd.
So, the idea is, if you can stop transmission, you can effectively stop a virus from growing into a medical emergency crisis as we’ve seen with COVID-19. But some say easier said than done. (1) (2) (3)
Does herd immunity work?
Herd immunity does work for some illnesses. People in Norway successfully developed at least partial herd immunity to the H1N1 virus (swine flu) through vaccinations and natural immunity.
Similarly, in Norway, the flu was projected to cause fewer deaths in 2010 and 2011 because more of the population was immune to it. (4)
Herd immunity can help stop the spread of illness, such as swine flu, and other pandemics within an entire country. But it can change without anyone knowing and it doesn’t always guarantee protection against any disease.
Developing Natural immunity
Natural immunity occurs when you become immune to a specific disease after contracting it because it triggers your immune system to make antibodies against the germ causing the infection. Antibodies function like special bodyguards that only recognize certain germs. If you contract it again, the antibodies that dealt with the germ before can attack it before it spreads and makes you sick. For example, if you had chickenpox as a child, you most likely won’t get it again, even if you’re around someone with it.
The alternative medical community has suggested that using natural supplements including vitamins C, D, and E as well as zinc and some specific homeopathic remedies can offer hope in increasing immunity, especially since it is uncertain at this point how soon there will be a COVID-19 vaccination and staying in lockdown mode isn’t the solution either. Clinical trials are underway for zinc and vitamin C. (5)
The idea that high-dose IV vitamin C might help in overwhelming infections is not new. A 2017 study found that high-dose IV vitamin C treatment along with other drugs appeared to prevent deaths among patients with sepsis, a form of severe infection that can cause dangerously low blood pressure and organ failure. (6)
Another study assessed the effect of high-dose vitamin C infusions among patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), in which the lungs fill with fluid. (7)
Though neither of these studies looked at vitamin C use in patients with COVID-19, this vitamin therapy was specifically given for sepsis and ARDS and these are the most common conditions leading to intensive care unit admission, ventilator support, or death among those with severe COVID-19 infections.
So, overall, for now, while natural immunity may help create herd immunity, it may not work as well as vaccinations in some populations, but the debate continues. And — there is really no harm in continuing to regularly build the immune system with natural supplements, healthy food, exercise, and stress reduction.
1) https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/52/7/911/299077
2) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11078115/
3) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1074761320301709
4) https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/vaccines-vaccination/herd-immunity-h1n1-norway-experience
5) https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04342728
6) https://journal.chestnet.org/article/S0012-3692(16)62564-3/fulltext
7) https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2752063
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