Can we please stop repeating the 'Herd immunity' line? 1/n https://twitter.com/carolecadwalla/status/1248499777580322817

Herd Immunity is a vaccine concept. High levels of vaccination mean infectious diseases are suppressed (or eliminated) because the pool of susceptible population is too small to allow transition. Vaccination has to be systematic and universal. 2/n

Remember the immunisation schedules for babies an toddlers? To get herd Immunity vaccination rates need to be very high. >90% for measles. Hence we lost herd Immunity for measles as uptake of MMR was insufficient at 80-90% 3/n

Letting an infectious disease spread through a population will not achieve herd Immunity. Remember smallpox, measles, plague. It will not infect a high enough proportion to achieve this (eg 60 or 80 %). It will simply become endemic, there forever in the background 4/n

With an epidemic upsurge from time to time. We still need to control #COVID19. But we have left it mighty late, the response so far has been chaotic and half hearted. ITU capacity will not save us - >50-60% mortality. To protect the vulnerable we must prevent 5/n

That includes frail older people, people in care homes, with cancer or underlying conditions. Prevent, test, contact trace, isolate. Listen to @WHO 6/n

@carolecadwalla @JamesMelville @mancunianmedic @drphiliplee1 @delirious_dr @OlderTrialsProf