Corriere della sera 15.03.20

No category Today 08:43
Coronavirus, Mantovani: "Herd immunity is
irresponsible: Italy must be proud of its
courageous choices"
by Cristina Marrone
Alberto Mantovani, 71, is an internationally
renowned immunologist. He is the scientific
director of Humanitas in Rozzano, a professor at
Humanitas University:
Professor Mantovani, Great Britain has chosen to
do nothing against the coronavirus, focusing on
herd immunity. What do you think?
I have a very strong bond with Great Britain
where I have a professorship and where my son

lives with his family. It is socially difficult to
accept having victims in the family, but it is part
of their way of facing the most difficult
challenges. Having said this, I am genuinely
concerned by this choice and find it
irresponsible.
Is it really possible to achieve immunity by letting
the virus run?
I do not like the term herd immunity very much, I
prefer to speak of community immunity, where
the concept of solidarity is inherent. I don't think
it is conceivable to build community immunity by
letting the virus run, it's unconscious. One has to
think about the price of community immunity
obtained not with a vaccine, but by exposing 60%
of the British population to the virus, as has been
said. Let's admit, in an optimistic way, a mortality
of 2%. Out of a million people it means 20

thousand dead; out of 10 million, 200 thousand
dead. But let's make an even more dramatic
account. 10% of patients need intensive care and
assisted breathing: out of a million people, it will
serve 100 thousand patients. No healthcare
system in the world is able to cope with such an
emergency. There would be too many victims
and too many patients could not be treated.