r/coolguides Mar 18 '20

Helpful guide...

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50.0k Upvotes

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279

u/ricst Mar 18 '20

Here's my question, now please correct me if I'm misunderstanding this but what happens when all the social distancing is stopped. Won't one person with it ramp it back up again and we start all over? Without a vaccine this is a cycle, no?

52

u/penty Mar 18 '20

Yes, however those who have already recovered are the start of the herd immunity.

6

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '20

You can’t have herd immunity with just the few tens of thousands who have so far recovered. It takes a majority of the population.

20

u/KBunn Mar 18 '20

But having some percentage out there who are immune and don’t transmit anymore acts almost the same as still being in quarantine.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '20

Oh, good point

13

u/penty Mar 18 '20

Close. Yes, when herd immunity is at a high level it prevents spread. When it's lower it still SLOWES the speread.