Covid-19 outbreak in Manaus suggests herd immunity may not be possible
Though 76 per cent of people in Manaus, Brazil have covid-19 antibodies, the virus is spreading quickly – potentially fuelled by a new variant – which may mean herd immunity by infection is not possible
www.newscientist.com
Hospitals in the Brazilian Amazon are once again collapsing under the strain of treating covid-19 patients. In Manaus, the capital of Amazonas, people are queuing to buy oxygen tanks from private suppliers to attempt to treat family or friends at home, with oxygen supplies in hospitals exhausted. It is the second time that Manaus has been in crisis since the pandemic began. It is estimated that 76 per cent of people in Manaus contracted covid-19 between March and October 2020. Some members of the local community claimed the population had reached herd immunity, but the second wave of cases being seen now has disproved that theory, and raised questions about whether herd immunity is even possible.