Corona defeats "herd immunity" in Britain ... and the Shepherd enters intensive care

Dr.. Osama Abu Al-Rub

A dramatic story and an unexpected turn, this is what we can describe the story of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson with the new Corona virus, and it graduated from what some described as recklessness, then herd immunity, alertness, and finally Johnson entered intensive care.

In dealing with the emerging coronavirus SARS Cove 2 virus that causes Covid-19, Johnson, 55, graduated from a comfortable person who insists on shaking hands without regard to safety and preventive conditions, to an ICU inmate.

Today, Wednesday, Johnson is still in the intensive care department of a London hospital, where he was declared "stable" after he contracted the Coronavirus, which has infected more than 55,000 people in his country and caused the deaths of about 6,200 of his citizens. On Tuesday, Britain set a new record 24-hour death toll of 786.

Johnson faced criticism in the Corona crisis because he was late in imposing isolation measures, until in early March he underestimated the spread of the virus by saying that he “shook hands with everyone” including Corona patients during a visit to a hospital.

The outbreak of the Corona virus began in the Chinese city of Wuhan last December in a food market that was selling wild animals illegally, and the number of infections worldwide exceeded one million and four hundred thousand, and deaths reached 80 thousand, and the number is rising.

The virus was called SARS-CoV-2, to distinguish it from the SARS-CoV virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which spread in 2002 and 2003, and caused 774 deaths, Most of them are in Asia.

And we'll take you on the journey Johnson took:

March 3
"I was in the hospital last night where I think there were already a few people with the Corona virus, and I shook hands with everyone, you will be happy to know that, and I continued to shake hands," Johnson told a news conference. In a statement, critics saw "disregard and humor" misplaced.

March 12
Johnson shocked his citizens, saying that families should prepare to lose loved ones because the Coruna virus will continue to spread in the country over the coming months, claiming more lives.

"I will be frank with you, and with all the British people, many, many families who will lose their loved ones before their time comes," Johnson added.

March 13
The chief scientific adviser to the British government, Sir Patrick Valance, stated that the wider the epidemic, the greater national immunity for generations, despite the loss of life that may accompany it.

Valence hinted that the Corona virus could be infected with about 40 million people in the United Kingdom, or 60% of the population, to reach "herd immunity", a theory known to confront any virus with the same virus, "treat it with the disease".

At the time, the UK's approach to dealing with the Corona epidemic was described as slouching compared to other countries, as France, Spain, and Italy imposed measures to restrict the movement of tens of millions, and Australia ordered all foreigners arriving in the country to commit to self-isolation. Johnson then resisted pressure to apply some stringent measures in other European countries to slow the spread of the virus.

Herd immunity causes widespread criticism
During the following days, the chief scientific adviser to the British government on the herd’s immunity sparked strong criticism, which is based on the fact that the human body is fighting infectious diseases through the immune system. When the immune system is exposed to a new enemy - a virus, for example - it deals with it. It develops a memory for this invader, so that if it is exposed to the virus in the future, it can easily fight it.

This is how vaccines work, which creates a memory for the disease without the body actually getting sick, as the vaccine is made up of dead or weak viruses, but it is sufficient to form memory in the immune system, without the body contracting the disease.

Herd immunity is if you have a new disease like Covid-19, and it does not have a vaccine, then it will spread among the population, but if enough people develop an immune memory, the disease will stop spreading, even if not all of the population has developed an immune memory.

The criticism came at a time when calculations showed that normalizing herd immunity in the United Kingdom required a large proportion of the population to be infected between 60 and 70%, and then recovering from the disease; this meant more than 47 million people were infected, and more than a million people died.

WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris questioned the relevance of Britain's strategy to tackle the spread of the Coruna virus, which is based on "herd immunity".

Harris explained that there is not enough scientific knowledge of the Corona virus, because it is a novelty and it is not yet known how it interacts immunologically, indicating that each virus has a different way of dealing with the immunity that develops to counter it. She called on Harris to focus on deeds rather than theories in facing the current situation.

At the time, a group of 229 scientists from UK universities criticized the British government's approach, and said it would put the national health services under additional pressure and risk too many lives.

Later, the head of the German Chancellery in Berlin, Helge Braun, expressed skepticism about some experts' recommendations to confront the Corona pandemic by trusting in the so-called "herd immunity" and said, "This is just a theory, but in practice the matter is somewhat different."

March 23
Britain imposed a total closure, but after hesitation, but it showed flexibility in people leaving their homes, especially for sports. London's parks are still open and sometimes crowded with better weather.

March 27
Johnson revealed that the result of his examination of the emerging corona virus was positive, and Downing Street said that Johnson had noticed mild symptoms the previous afternoon and had received test results in the middle of the night. Johnson is 55 years old and does not have any other health problems.

"I work from home, isolate myself and this is the right thing to do," Johnson said in a video message to Twitter.

March 30
Downing Street confirms that Dominic Cummings, Johnson's chief advisor, has isolated himself after corona-like symptoms appear.

April 2
Johnson emerged from self-isolation for a short period of his residence, to join the mass applause of the major workers on the front lines to confront the Corona virus epidemic.

"I am not really allowed out, I just stand here," Johnson said to those gathered outside.

April 5
Downing Street said that Johnson had been admitted to a National Health Service hospital in London to take the tests as a "precautionary step" as symptoms of the Corona virus continued. Johnson's condition subsequently deteriorated and was transferred to intensive care at St. Thomas Hospital.

April 8
Johnson is still in the Intensive Care Unit, and London has confirmed that he is in a "stable" and "highly sentimental" position, at a time when he is providing oxygen in the Intensive Care Department.

Britain's Minister of State for Health Affairs Edward Argar told Sky News Wednesday that the prime minister is "in stable condition" and "has good spirits" after spending two nights in intensive care.

He added that Johnson "had previously received oxygen support but was not subjected to a respirator."

The Times reported that the continuous heat that required him to enter St. Thomas Hospital in London, ten days after he was declared infected with the Corona virus on March 27, had decreased.

A sense of humor
Johnson's story is seen by some as further evidence of the failure of allegations by the chief scientific adviser to the British government, Sir Patrick Valance, about the herd's immunity that could not protect the British prime minister from the Corona virus.

It may be interesting to note the statement of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, who wished Johnson a speedy recovery, and said in a telegram addressed to him and transmitted a statement issued by the Kremlin, "I am confident that your energy, optimism and humor will help you overcome the disease."

"I would like to express to you my sincere support at this difficult moment for you."