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| Image is credited to Davian Ho from IGI |
The term herd immunity has been thrown around a lot lately. It means that enough people in a community become immune to a virus or disease that it stops spreading. It does not mean the virus or disease is completely eradicated, but instead that there are not big outbreaks anymore.
Herd immunity can develop when enough people get sick, but not in every case - and possibly not with COVID-19. Some people who contract the virus does not seem to develop high antibody levels (which might make them immune from getting the virus again, at least for a while). So we do not know if herd immunity through exposure is even possible.
The ideal way to create herd immunity is with vaccines. Without vaccines, reaching herd immunity can kill a lot of people.
Even so, vaccination is not always a one-stop safeguard. It is important to get the flu shot every year, for example, because the virus mutates over time. That immune booster protects you and your community, including your kids, elderly parents, people with compromised immune systems, and anyone else who's at risk.