In order to achieve ‘herd immunity’ to COVID-19, there are estimates that anywhere from 50–90% of the population will need to achieve immunity. This will require a large amount of coordination and rapid deployment of vaccines to the general population, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Johanna Swanson, Product Manager at GlobalData, comments: “Operation Warp Speed is looking at stockpiling required immunization supplies on a national level for the US and providing logistical assistance. A global level of vaccination will require a large concerted effort. This effort will also have to take into account the level of non-compliance with vaccination due to lack of healthcare, cost issues, fear of vaccination or time issues. Fewer than 50% of Americans get the flu vaccine every year, which implies there is a way to go to get 90% of the population vaccinated in a year.

“The level of immunity for any COVID-19 vaccine has yet to be determined by trials. The level of immunity will have to be carefully monitored to see if it falls within this one-year range. The duration of immunity will depend on several unknown factors including how fast the virus mutates, the biology of the immune response, to what degree the detectable antibodies actually provide resistance to the disease, and the degree of accuracy of the antibody tests.”