Relaxing non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) such as facemasks and social distancing measures when most people have been immunised with the Covid-19 vaccine greatly increases the risk of vaccine-resistant variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the disease, according to a new research, news agency AFP reported on Friday.
The authors of the research said that their modelling study showed the need to maintain face masks and social distancing rules until everyone is fully vaccinated against the disease. The study came at a time when nearly 60% of citizens in Europe have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
A pan-European team of experts studied the chances of a vaccine-resistant strain of the coronavirus emerging in a population of 10 million people over three years. The study was done to predict how the SARS-CoV-2 might mutate in response to vaccination campaigns.
Many variables such as vaccination, mutation and transmission rates, including recurring “waves” of infections and the fall in cases in response to lockdowns were considered for the study.
As expected, the model showed that a faster pace of vaccination would reduce the risk of the emergence of a vaccine-resistant strain
However, the authors also said that the risk of a resistant strain emerging was the highest when a large proportion of the population was vaccinated but not large enough to achieve herd immunity. They called this scenario “counter-intuitive.” The authors also said that their model estimated a threshold of 60% population being vaccinated after which, the vaccine-resistant variants appeared more likely to emerge.
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