[See supplemental article Covid-19, herd immunity and common sense]
TL;DR
- The concept of "Herd immunity" fails elementary rational analysis.
- A "herd" cannot be scientifically defined. A "herd" remains an irreducibly vague concept.
- Ipso facto, "herd immunity" is not an identifiable, valid phenomena.
- Population percentage deaths and illnesses correlate with psycho-social-enviro factors.
When the subject of vaccination is discussed within a group (e.g. online forum), and there are some within that group who are pro-vaccination, almost invariably they will at some point raise the issue of herd immunity.
First let's clarify what is meant by "herd immunity"
. From Wikipedia this:
"Herd immunity (also called herd effect, community immunity, population immunity, or social immunity) is a form of indirect protection from infectious disease that occurs when a large percentage of a population has become immune to an infection, thereby providing a measure of protection for individuals who are not immune".
There are, it seems to me, a number of aspects to this subject that need clarification: