Dr. Shehu Okunola, an epidemiologist, has said the Coronavirus Disease pandemic outbreak cannot be halted without a vaccine.
Okunola, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Abuja, advised Nigerians not to think of a natural immunity as a protection from an outbreak and transmission of an infectious disease like COVID-19.
He said there was no such herd immunity against the virus as there was evidence of re-infection in the population.
He said: “Even if there was, we are nowhere close.
“Less than five per cent of people worldwide have had COVID-19.
“Immunity to COVID-19 fades after a few months.
“Someone can get re-infected repeatedly until they die from it.
“Unless we take steps now to minimise how it gets transmitted.
“No one can limit the extent of spread of a virus.
“Think about the word viral.
“It is spontaneous spread.
“We have to learn how to live with it until a potent vaccine comes to halt the outbreak.”
Okunola said herd immunity to COVID-19 was still a debate because the antibodies against the virus decay fast upon recovery.
The expert said there was a mixed picture on immunity, stressing that the spread of COVID-19 in the world was very uneven.
He added: “Some people don’t believe there is a virus, but the disease is a virus.
“It has not gone away yet.
“That’s science.
“We have to learn to live with it by taking all the preventive measurements.”
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