"Herd Immunity Is Not A Possibility": Dr. Malone Vindicated After Oxford Prof Warns Over New Variants
He has also shared other medical heresies, including the possibility that 'imperfect' vaccines might actually help foster more virulent COVID variants due to a phenomenon called 'ADE' - antibody-dependent enhancement. Essentially, what doesn't kill the virus makes it stronger. In retaliation for sharing these views, Dr. Malone was ridiculed by colleagues as a conspiracist and an "anti-vaxxer".
Dr. Malone
But earlier this week, Dr. Malone saw his views subtly vindicated by an unexpected source: a British scientist and academic named Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, who is the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group. During a briefing, Sir Pollard warned Parliament that the UK likely won't ever achieve herd immunity, thanks to the delta variant.
In remarks that risked undermining the government's vaccination campaign, Sir Pollard, a professor of pediatric infection and immunity, warned Parliament on Tuesday that achieving herd immunity is likely "not a possibility" thanks to variants like delta. Recently, a group of scientists estimated that the threshold for herd immunity might now be as high as 90% due to the delta variant. According to Pollard, we're learning for the first time that herd immunity is magical thinking - and has always been magical thinking.
Since those who are vaccinated can still be infected by variants, "there is virtually nothing the UK can do" to eradicate COVID completely.
"We know very clearly with coronavirus that this current variant, the Delta variant, will still infect people who have been vaccinated, and that does mean that anyone who's still unvaccinated, at some point, will meet the virus," Pollard said.
He said it was unlikely that herd immunity will ever be reached, saying the next variant of the novel coronavirus will be "perhaps even better at transmitting in vaccinated populations."
Pollard also shared what sounded like a subtle criticism of masks by saying that "We don't have anything which will stop that transmission to other people." As an example, he pointed to Israel, which saw new cases and hospitalizations nearly disappear before the new variant took hold, causing cases and hospitalizations to surge once again. Now, there have even been a handful of patients who have tested positive even after receiving their third dose of the Pfizer jab (which the US has only just approved for a third dose as well).
Dr. Malone, meanwhile, celebrated Sir Pollard's comments as vindication.
For context, Dr. Malone tweeted back in June that herd immunity targets were effectively useless.
Even the White House is finally acknowledging that vaccines aren't nearly as effective as they once believed, which is why the FDA has decided to approve the third dose. "I think everybody believes this wanes over time, the question is to what extent,” a senior Biden official told Axios. "Nobody wants to be behind the eight-ball here. We want to catch it before there’s an issue, and that’s why there is very intense scrutiny."
Remember, not only can the vaccinated be sickened by "breakthrough" infections, but they can also pass the virus on to others (including others who are vaccinated). And the more the virus spreads, the more likely a vaccine-resistant variant is to emerge.